Working with Weaknesses

We all have weaknesses, both in life and in our work. It's a fact of life but sometimes there are simple tricks we can learn to work with our weaknesses.

My biggest problem, from a creating standpoint, is my memory. My memory sucks and no amount of memory games or ginkgo biloba is going to fix it. Improve it, maybe, fix it, no. It's all in the genetics. My mother has the same problem as do my aunts. So how do I keep my facts straight? How do I make sure my heroine doesn't go from a blond to a brunette? Okay, my memory's not quite that bad, but the little details do sometimes get lost. Well, I've come up with a simple trick to keep my stories consistent.

When I first started writing, I remember forgetting the eye color of my main character half way through the story. It took me almost half an hour to locate the earlier passage where I mentioned it. It was then that I came up with the technique I still use today. Next to my computer, I keep a stack of note cards and whenever I introduce a new character, if I suspect we'll see him again, I make a flashcard. On the flashcard I list everything from the way they take their coffee to the color and model of their car and more. This way, instead of having to hunt for answers I have almost anything I need right in front of me.

It's the method I've found to work around my weak memory. It might not work for everyone but it works for me. Everyone has to find their own methods of dealing with their weaknesses, whether it's memory or something else.

Are you blessed with a memory for details? If not, How do you keep your characters straight?