Managing Your Characters’ Logistics

 Today's post is in response to an increasing trend I've noticed in books-in-progress — a lack of what I call logistics. When you're in the flow of writing, or you're facing serious time management issues while writing because you're juggling so many other things in your life, logistics tend to vaporize into the ether. Logistics are the basic point A to point B actions that your characters take in a scene that help it flow logically. They're a critical part of the structure of scenes. 

For instance, imagine that you’re reading a scene where two characters are having a conversation, and one of them hands the other a book. But the book materialized out of nowhere. There's no description of where it came from. Was the character keeping it in a bag or suitcase? (That wasn't described either?) Whoops.

Small Details Are Sometimes Big

Imagine that your character is in a queue waiting to buy an apple and cream cheese danish for breakfast. He’s distracted by a woman’s beautiful voice he hears in the bake shop. The reader will assume he wants to see the face that matches the voice, but there’s no description of the character actually looking for her — even just scanning the room — as he’s waiting in line. 

How long is the line? And where is he in the line? If you were seriously curious about someone, you’d leave the queue in some way, right? 

Left that out? Whoops.

Assumptions Are Normal

My questions aren't meant to be judgments. As I said, when we are in the zone, it's easy to go into an assumptive mindset. We're trying to get words down. And without realizing it, we are seeing what is in our heads and assuming subconsciously that everyone else will see what is in our heads. But the people who read our work cannot see what is in our heads. It's important to remind ourselves of that.

So how do we solve this problem?

Countering Assumption-Think with Questions

Repairing logistical holes in scenes requires at least one editorial read-through of your current draft. Put yourself in your characters’ setting. When you have a quiet space and time to read through what you've written, make sure you take note of how the characters are moving and behaving in each scene.

Imagine yourself doing the same thing as your characters. Break it down by as many frames as necessary to correct a gap or description that doesn't align with how we move and behave as humans (if your characters are human). Play those little movements out physically if you have to. Seriously. 

If the character needs to reach for something, for instance, make sure you describe where they are, and what they need to do to reach the object. You can ask yourself questions like:

Do they need to turn a certain way? Is another character blocking them? How?

If they’re in an office, for example, where are they when they need to grab something off a shelf? 

Do they need to walk around something, or someone, to get to what’s on the shelf? 

Do they share the office? With who? How is the office laid out?

Where is the shelf? How far is it from where the character is currently standing? 

How high is it in relation to the character? Does that matter for some reason?

Are you seeing the possibilities? 

Wrapping Up

Asking yourself logistical questions after you've written your first draft is an easy way to fill gaps that could be confusing to your readers. It's also a way to further develop your story without a huge amount of strain. Plus, it’s kind of fun! So if your character likes to cook macaroni and cheese, and you need to describe it for the sake of logistics and character development, then feel free to cook as many rounds of mac and cheese as you need to — whether it's the stuff in a box or homemade. Make a note of the steps. Not only does filling in small action gaps make your story clearer, it also helps it resonate.

Happy writing!