While writing my WIP, I’ve found that the biggest problem I have is with time. For instance, if something happens on Friday, I have trouble remembering the next day is Saturday. Or I’ll have two Saturdays in a row. Stuff like that. Because I get so focused on the actual story, I forget about those things. Another thing is time of day. I had a scene in The Gnome where someone’s hair was shining in the parking lot lights. But it was daytime. In my defense, I had changed some things around, and the original scene had been at night. I just forgot to fix that. A beta reader caught it. That’s why we NEED beta readers. And two of mine are great editors, too. What made me even write this post is that I just had to cut part of a scene out because a vampire that is supposed to only be out at night came upon two women having a picnic in broad daylight. I liked the scene because one of the women is his potential love interest, and he caught her and her friend being silly and they had been talking about him. So I had to either cut that part of the scene or change the picnic to nighttime. It was easier and more logical to cut it.
Does anyone else out there ever have problems with time, or is it just me? I want to know.
lauralynnelliott.com 
This is one of my weaknesses. Mostly because of the chopping and changing I do. I can never keep everything on track throughout the entire story either way though. So yeah, thank everything for the people who manage to pick these things up before we press publish. 🙂
I usually catch them, but sometimes they slip through. Yay for beta readers!
I’m an incredibly linear writer, and I deliberately avoid mentioning days of the week unless it’s truly relevant to the plot to avoid exactly this kind of thing. When I was writing more traditional police procedural based romantic suspense, I actually had a timeline written out to go with the events of the story because timeline and timeframe did matter in those a lot more than the things I write now.
The reason I had a problem this time is that a museum was open late on Friday so the vamp had more time to be there since he couldn’t come until sundown. But I usually don’t mention days. Unless someone works except on weekends, then I have to be careful then, too.
That’s why I need a posit board and post it notes, to keep up with everything. And beta’s, I need them to keep me straight too. But I love moonlight picnic on the beach with some wine! No vampire’s though, I don’t think I’d like them, not that I’m prejudice against the undead, but I imagine that have creepy eyes.
LOL at the creepy eyes! I can’t believe I almost had the vamp walking around in the daylight. I have written vampires that can be up during the day, but not this one.
Yep, timelines are horrible for me, too. I just started a WIP in September and in chapter 4, the characters are talking about the summer months, as in should they go to London in a month to enjoy the summer activities? So I didn’t jump from day to night or day to day. I jumped from one season into another. Man, do I have some serious editing to do on that one.
How about instead of a picnic, the women go for a walk after seeing a movie? Just a though. 😀
At least you caught it. I would be so embarrassed if I published a book with the time line all messed up. After I get this one finished, I’m going to go over that with a fine toothed comb.
Actually, I did something similar. Her friend had a date later, so she was restless and took a walk, running into the vampire. (Not literally, LOL)