Writing journey

Unexpected characters 

I have been dreaming, plotting and writing my WIP for too long but recently, as I stop procrastinating, it has developed its own twists and unexpected characters have turned up. They were not planned but I am happily writing a scene when my MC, Amber looks up and sees a guy larking around and he smiles. That unintended smile has led to him becoming part of her story when he was never supposed to be but it works, I think.

A more insistent character, Roo, has squirmed (literally) into a bigger role than planned. He was meant to have a small but significant role in linking the real world of Amber to the fantasy world she finds herself in but he was not happy just being a cameo part; he has demanded more action and with the back up of Amber he is appearing in more scenes, creating trouble but also encouraging  the story along.


He is a hard character to contain because he is based on our ferret, Randall, who is as demanding and quirky in real life as in fiction. His antics and determination inspire every time he has cuddles, plays and gets into strife. His real life has not been easy after being rescued when we discovered him and his brother (sadly deceased but postmortly named Hopkirk) at the side of a road years ago. The trauma led to him to be agoraphobic for a while and he faces difficult health problems but his grit and zest for life gets him through.  He is loyal and extremely affectionate. I hope my depiction of him does him justice and people grow to love him as much as those who know him.

Writing journey

Long time no see

 

20170507_105049 (2)It is May already, the garden is making tentative moves towards its glorious summer display. The daffodils have been replaced by the tulips. It is a complete change from the grey skies of winter, bare trees and shrubs and the muddy lawn churned up by excitable Jack Russells. There is hope we may have a lawn again in time for sunny weather.

My novel with the working title of The Hollow has been plotted on the plotting board and cork version on Scrivener.  The characters created are eager to tell their side of the tale. They have been jostling each other demanding they should be heard first but then nothing. Zilch. No words have been written apart from random notes hastily written on various apps or scraps of paper when the voices refused to be ignored or inspiration for a scene hits. I feel a failure before I have really begun. Life has got in the way; mainly ill health with the overwhelming fatigue it brings and the medication that numbs the pain and allows you to type/write for short bursts has the effect of zapping any creativity like a writer’s kryptonite. Even going to my writer’s group has fallen to the wayside but as I head towards another year older this month, it is time to regroup and grab the words when I can so this work in progress gets completed, no matter how slow or sporadic I will be.

 

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Plotting essentials!