A frequently asked question authors get is some variation of: How do you write? What is your writing process? Entire books have been written about this, and for good reason—what works for one writer may completely fail for another.
For a long time, my process was simple: I just wrote.
That worked—until it didn’t.
The biggest problem wasn’t motivation or discipline. It was what happens next.
Sure, my protagonist has blasted off to another planet and is cruising through space… but then what?
The second problem followed quickly: other characters.
How do you introduce them? Are they allies, villains, or temporary obstacles? And more importantly—how do you keep track of them?
Take a simple example. Our hero, John, is flying to Mars. But what about the antagonist, Tom?
Is Tom grinding his teeth after narrowly missing the launch?
Is he stealing a ship and giving chase?
Or is he calmly calling a contact on Mars to ensure John never completes his mission?
The same issue applies to secondary characters. Suppose George has a friend named Ben. They met at a bar the night before the launch. Ben seemed shaken—he had seen something or someone he wasn’t supposed to—but John was called away before the conversation finished.
Where is Ben now?
What did he see?
And when does that information matter?
Add a few more characters, and suddenly character tracking becomes a full-time job.
At that point, when do you actually write?

Enter the Shadow Journal
No—a shadow journal is not a secret black book hidden in a pocket dimension by your villain.
A shadow journal is a document you, the omniscient writer, maintain. Its purpose is simple but powerful:
You track what a character is doing when they are not on the page.
Before going further, a quick clarification.
A scene is a unit of story with conflict, action, and intent. Something changes by the end of it.
For example, John is staring at the fuel gauge on his ship, calculating whether he’ll reach Mars. That’s a scene.
While that scene is unfolding, your shadow journal answers a different question:
What is Tom doing right now?
Maybe Tom is calling a contact on Mars to arrange an “unpleasant welcome” for John.
That single entry opens multiple paths forward.

Tom’s contact—George—claims he can destroy John’s ship before landing.
You’ve just created a major plot point.

Tom fails to reach his contact and decides to steal a ship instead.
Now you have pursuit.

Tom activates a bomb already planted on John’s ship.
You cut back to John and force a mid-flight crisis.
One shadow-journal entry.
Multiple viable plot directions.
That’s momentum.

You also reduce the load on your brain. You do not need to think of “what next” any more. The process is smoother since you can Segway into the what next on the back of the shadow journal.

Why Shadow Journals Matter (Especially Now)
Shadow journals don’t just help you write cleaner plots—they help you write more.
In today’s publishing environment, readers want depth. They want characters who feel alive even when they’re off-screen.
Shadow journals let you:
•Maintain internal story logic
•Avoid continuity errors
•Develop secondary characters organically
•Generate material for sequels, novellas, or companion content
Some authors even share parts of their shadow journals with readers, or use them as the foundation for a second book.

Where This Comes From
This technique isn’t theoretical.
Britt Malka is a published author who has been using shadow journals in her own work for years. She teaches the method in a practical, structured way and shows how to apply it without overcomplicating your writing life.
If you want to learn how to use shadow journals properly—without turning them into another procrastination tool—you can find her guide here:
Shadow Journal