Characters. Oh, the Characters.

Yes. Yes, it is true that you lose everything you should have learned. I bought the "Writing Fiction for Dummies" sometime back and had worked my way through page 114. This was a few months ago. Since then, work, internship, husband, husbands....family, my family, the introduction of the website Pinterest (yes, you Marie!) and many other projects have sidetracked me. With the feeling that my characters must develop first, I pulled the book out this afternoon. Maybe it was a coincidence, but I had stopped a few pages into the "Creating Compelling Characters" chapter. Yay! Then I realized that I didn't remember squat about the part of the book I had already read. Hm. That's not true. I do remember the 'Snowflake Method' which I plan on doing and I remember trying to decide which way I wanted to write. Lemme look at that part again....uno momento. OK. I found that outlining the book before actually writing sounded like me. However, it states that "a typical outline for a 400-page novel may run 20 to 50 pages or even longer". Wow, that just sounds like a LOT. The other method that seemed more like me was the Snowflake Method. This is where you plan in advance and typically look at the big picture first and then work out the details later. Now I feel retarded, given my earlier post. This just answered why I cannot seem to just "purge" my thoughts onto the computer. Alright, this makes me feel a bit better now.

Now as far as the characters go. More researching will probably need to be done. I tend to me very meticulous and thorough when treading into the unknown. Awhile back, I had another story idea and ended up getting a lot of research done there. Thank goodness I found that work today. Most of the research is from a wonder writer: Holly Lisle. She has mini-courses on her website that are a tremendous help. With that and my "Compelling Characters" chapter awaiting to be read, maybe something will get done.

Also, I am particularly drawn to a few names from my Character Name List: Braelyn and Ellette. I just FEEL that they could work. I asked my husband, Mr. Jewels-Pie, and he just nonchalantly said he did NOT like those names at all. Well then! I am vengeful and spiteful at times. Perhaps that was the push for me to decide my female character name. :)

Each time I post, I am closer to something I've wanted