Last night I sat down at my computer and managed to pound out a bunch of words on my next book. Were those words any good? Not sure yet. I’m trying not to worry too much about the crap that I tend to put in, all those annoying phrases that make me want to gouge my eyes out once I’ve started editing. Instead, I really want to focus on getting into this story, beefing up the plot and making my characters really fun.
It takes me some time to get to know the characters in any book. If I’m really lucky, I’m able to speed this process along. If I’m not, then it can take up to about half a book before I feel things clicking. I try to plot my characters as much as possible, more so than the actual external story.
This current book isn’t too bad. I know both the characters a little bit from the book before. The challenge when you flip a secondary character to the main come around those known quantities. I have to make sure I weave all those elements in, but also want to give you a stronger view of their inside world. I usually love this, one of the reasons I enjoy writing series so much.
Right now, I have company staying with us, and this is throwing me off. I hope I’ll be able to get into the groove with Grace and Jack soon. Like today…at lunch…
Company throws me, too. And not just while they’re staying, but for a week afterward because I’ve then got to catch up on the stuff that was neglected whilst I was entertaining.
Like laundry. grrr
Good luck with book 2 — I look very forward to reading