If you’ve done any research about writing a novel, one of the first pieces of advice is to KNOW your characters. Many blogs, websites, how to books offer a variety of character questions that they feel you should answer about EACH of your characters.
These all vary – some list a few questions and some have over 100!
When I first started writing, I tried to answer ALL of those questions for EACH of my characters… and it was difficult even before I injured my wrist and was unable to type/write for over a year.
SO… when I picked back up my writing and started working on two more novels plus my original- I knew I needed a better system.