#4 Character Development

BIO! BIO! BIO!

My writing buddy and I met Tuesday night. She is doing tremendously. I am so happy for her. She's not writing, at the moment. She's preparing. Another friend had given her a book entitled, Novelist's Boot Camp.  
http://www.amazon.com/Novelists-Boot-Camp-Boring-Bestsell/dp/1582973601/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1349972070&sr=1-6&keywords=todd+a+stone

I'm linking to two of the author's sites because they are both different but good. http://www.storytellerroad.com/  General site. And then this one -- especially see Drill # 35 (there are two pages) http://www.storytellerroad.com/nbc_dozen_drills.pdf

I am most impressed by the thinking of the author. I had poo-poohed the book (a pastime that gets me in trouble way too many times) thinking it an odd way to look at writing. But my friend's recent plunge into character development using this book's techniques, I find, is most intriguing.

If you don't have the time to read even the links, the main focus seems to be to get so into my character's head that I know what she ate for breakfast yesterday, last week, last year. It is a concept that daunts me. I thought I knew my character, but I don't. Not to this depth. I don't really know if that kind of depth is necessary (you can shoot me if you think I'm wrong), but I know now that the depth I have on my characters is not deep enough.

So - along with everything else, I'm going to create a spreadsheet with my characters' names and more detailed information. Then, I'm going to create a bio for the most important characters in 'Blue.' I know, in my gut, that this is needed. 

Of course, I'll continue writing. I am almost finished with Chapter Forty and have quite a bit done on Chapter Forty-one. I got the biggest kick. I was watching waterfalls on tv and decided that's a good way to an end for my characters. I do try to see 'Blue' everywhere. The story and characters do not let me even see a sunset without thinking of them.

Life is a boot camp.