Give each kind of reference its own place.
Characters, items, factions and locations have separate cards. Select material that matters to this chapter; an unrelated character or distant region need not crowd out the current scene.
Start with recurring details: a character's identity and relationships, a place's restrictions, or an object's use. These are the facts you will return to.
Keep useful changes after each chapter.
Later chapters need the current plot position, what characters know, changes in relationships, and the voice of the recent prose. Save the relevant changes after confirming the chapter.
- Chapter summary: what happened in this chapter.
- Recent prose: the voice and scene to continue from.
- Character state: who learned something, misunderstood it or changed their mind.
- Relationships: changes in trust, obligations, conflict and distance.
Save a clue until the story needs it.
A key, an unexplained remark or an unusual decision may matter later. Its payoff should connect to the earlier scene; repeating a reminder every few chapters can weaken it.
Record clues manually or review those saved from confirmed chapters. You can edit their titles, details, related characters and resolution conditions. Chapter rollback restores the associated memory version.
Confirm the chapter before saving its changes.
Drafts often change. Confirm the prose before accepting its character changes and clues so discarded scenes do not become part of your story memory.
Review the proposed changes before keeping them. You decide what belongs in the story; the reference cards and chapter memory help organize what you have accepted.