A paper-first reading field guide
Separate a Mystery Clue's Source From Its Interpretation
Use three linked fields: clue source, observed fact, and interpretation. Keep each field brief and attach the page or chapter landmark that supports it.
Keep who supplied a clue apart from what the detective, narrator, or reader thinks it means. A compact three-anchor trail keeps the note useful when you return later or discuss it with someone using another edition.
Step 1
Anchor the location
Record the page or chapter before interpreting the moment. Add the current reading boundary when later knowledge could change the note.
Step 2
Clue source
Record who reveals or discovers the clue.
Step 3
Observed fact
State the page fact without the proposed explanation.
Step 4
Interpretation
Attach each interpretation to the character or reader making it.