January can’t be half over already! We celebrated our son, Chris’s, 20th birthday a few days early because our youngest son, Ryan, is going on a youth retreat with our church this weekend. Add to that all of the chiropractor visits I’ve been making these days and the back pain I’ve been in and there hasn’t been much time to add to this online journal. It hurts to sit too much, but it’s getting better.

I’ve been working hard on characterization for my new novel. I never enjoyed this process before, but I’ve been reading 45 Master Characters and learning more than I did the last time I skimmed it. I’ve used the mythological archetypes in my previous books, but I’ve never tried to use them to such depth. It helps to actually answer the questions they ask – for each character. :)

I had fun searching the web to find pictures of people that lived in the late 1800s and I bought a research book on life during that time. I’m studying a lot about the Indians and life in Kansas. Who would have thought such history could be so fascinating?

I used to think that writers mainly sat down and started crafting scene after scene – once they picked out names and occupations and faces for their characters. Setting and time period mattered too, of course, but to really know the characters likes and dislikes, fears and dreams – I haven’t allowed myself to discover these things right up front like this before. Normally, I figure it out as I write and by the end of the book I know the characters fairly well. Of course, that makes for a lot of rewriting – to go back and add things I didn’t know in the beginning.

This time, I’m taking it slow. I’d like less rewriting at the end, so I’m digging in my heels and making myself learn to enjoy the beginning of the writing journey. The start of a book when everything is fresh and new. And not worry how fast I can finish it.

All for now…