Well that was fun.

I've been managing to keep up with my word count on NaNoWriMo, though only just. There are some days I don't write at all, but then do major sprints on another day. Not the best way to do it, but I've got a cold. I figure I'm allowed.

I've also been having issues with my hemiplegic migraines. Just the other night I had an attack. I hadn't realized at first what was happening. I had come across a word I wanted to use, but couldn't remember how to spell it. Brain fart, I thought at first. But then I knew what word I wanted to use, but couldn't quite figure out how to say it or spell it. I thought to ask my Mom, but then couldn't get the word out. All I could recall is that it started with a C. But I couldn't say the word. I really couldn't. The knowledge just wasn't there. In the end it took me a full 5 minutes to come up with the word "Compensate". O.o

Other than that, I've been sick since Sunday. Started out with the scratchy throat, and now I'm up to headaches and sniffly nose. I think I'm actually getting better, but my head is still killing me. My poor Mom got sick now too, though I don't think she minds much. She'd been planning a trip to a nearby town a couple hours away to do a big meeting for a project she's part of. She really didn't want to go. She kept bemoaning the fact she hadn't got sick yet for days now. LoL. Luckily for her, she woke up feeling awful today. Sore throat, temperature, and all. I think she'll be regretting that by tomorrow though. Be careful what you wish for.

Now, I'm off to get a few words caught up before I set off to have breakfast. With any luck I can pump out a few thousand words. We shall see.

Hope you all had a great weekend, and that your week will go swimmingly. :)

My tweets

• Wed, 17:15: Scientists rule out presence of huge alien megastructure orbiting distant star https://t.co/DiXUoyt8kz
• Thu, 07:15: This Space Shuttle Test is Serious Science Wrapped in Pure Visual Extravagance https://t.co/m5bJA6d43a
• Thu, 09:03: Well that was fun. https://t.co/0GWR9BlqTS
• Thu, 11:00: Do We Live In A Multiverse? Strange Glow At Edge Of Milky Way Could Be Evidence Of Parallel Universe https://t.co/Y8p5WbKoWk
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The Anatomy of a Character

Tis the season for NaNoWriMo. I've been doing it for years now, and I always enjoy it. Part of the reason is because it gives me a reason to write. Not that I don't already have ideas, but I tend to work best under pressure. I always was one of those people that waited until 3am to do my homework, or study for a test. I once prepared a presentation on Abraham Lincoln (complete with costume and poster board visual aid) in 24 hours in my final year of grade school. Got an awesome grade for that. The same process didn't work so well for my senior project, but that's another story.

NaNoWriMo is also a chance to expand my skills as a writer. I've never been a good student when it comes to English. All the rules and regulations make my head spin. I've always been a bit believer in if it sounds good, I'm okay with it. However, as a writer you look at things very differently. Especially when it comes to your characters.

I heard recently a tip given to someone if they're suffering from writer's block, that to work through it you can try writing a letter to your character to ask what they want to do. They'll usually surprise you. I've done variations on that before. I've written biographies for my characters, and that usually serves as a wonderful guide for me to experience my character from the inside out. It's always been my experience that if you truly know your character, they'll write the story for you.

It sounds weird if you've never experienced it. It gets even weirder if you're hearing the voice of your characters too. Some will have dreams where their characters nag them about differing plot points. I've been driven to write an entire email to a business client once in the voice of my character just because the character had something in my mind that I'd been ignoring.

I suppose that leads me to my next point. I almost always outline my story in some way. How I do that really depends on the story itself. One story I knew the background of my main character, and knew the end outcome of a secondary character. Once I put the two together it wrote itself. It required a hell of a lot of research to build that initial character. But another time I did the same background research, built an extensive outline of where I wanted the character to go, and then had my character hijack the story and take it in a different direction entirely. Never be afraid to just let go and see where it takes you.

I'm always learning, and always writing. I enjoy seeing different ways of doing things. The story I'm doing now is taking a far more traditional approach to the plot in how its structured. The characters are writing themselves to a point, but it's within the guidelines I've set for them.

As I said, it just depends on the story for me.

So how do you do it? Do your methods differ depending on the character or story line? Do you do it the same every time? Or does it just depend on the inspiration that's driven the story you're writing? I'm curious to know how others see the writing process when it comes to building your characters.