Track continuity
A novel makes hundreds of small factual promises: a scar on the left hand, a jacket that was borrowed and never returned, who knew what and when. A continuity item is one of those promises, tracked until you've made sure the book keeps it.
File an item
Do one of the following:
- Click Continuity in the sidebar, then click File an item.
- Choose File ▸ New Continuity Item… (⇧⌘N).
- On a scene's page, or at the end of a scene in the reader, click File an item about this scene.
- On a character, location or thread page, click the button to file an item about it.
In the sheet:
- Under What has to stay true?, describe the detail in a few words.
- Choose a Type and a Priority.
- If you like, add Detail — what the promise is, and what would break it.
- Click File it.
An item filed from a scene is linked to that scene. An item filed from a bible page is linked to that page.
Work an item
Click an item in the list to see its page. Click a field to edit it; Colophon saves your change when you click away.
- Type — fact, object, timeline, behavior, callback, character, voice or other.
- Priority — high, medium or low.
- Status — open, investigating, needs fix, resolved or won't fix.
- Detail — the promise, and what breaks it.
- Scenes — where the promise is made or tested. Click Link a scene… to add one.
- About — the characters, locations, threads and timeline entries it concerns. Click Link… to add one.
- Proposed fix — what would put it right.
- Resolution — appears once the status is resolved or won't fix. Say how it was settled, and select Verified against the manuscript when you've checked.
Keep a log
Under Log, write what you found and, if you like, where — for example, "Ch. 9". Click Add to log. Log entries can't be edited or deleted, so the log is a true record of how the item was worked.
Find the items that matter now
The list shows outstanding items — open, investigating and needs fix — unless you choose otherwise. Use the menus above the list to show a particular status, priority or type, or only items in a range of chapters. Type in Filter… to search the items' text.
The number beside Continuity in the sidebar counts the items that aren't resolved or won't fix.
Open items also appear where they matter: on the pages of the characters, locations and threads they concern, on each scene's page, and at the end of each scene in the reader.
Delete an item
Click Delete item at the bottom of its page. The item and its log are deleted. This can't be undone. To close an item and keep its record, set its status to resolved or won't fix instead.