Hello fellow Junkies,

So I've been trying for the last month (unsuccessfully) to try and get my next project up and running. As far as planning goes, it could only be described as disastrous. My usual method of planning--the method I used for Half Truths and Half Life just don't seem to want to work for this new project.

Normally I would sit down and come up with my characters then a few notes on the plot and then I'm off. I get a notebook, get some post-it notes and storyboard the whole thing out. Unfortunately this time, my Muse has put the brakes on and not much has been accomplished.

I managed to get my character profiles done roughly, but then I felt like they needed more meat on their bones. So I tried something else to make them seem more alive. I got this idea from Roni Loren who is the author of the Loving on the Edge series. Essentially, for each character you dedicate one page to develop them. On each page, write the headings:

* Need/Longing
* Wound
* Belief
* Fear
* Identity (their face to the world)
* Essence (who they really are)

After I wrote out the 10 pages I needed for my characters, I felt like I knew them a little better. This definitely helped me back onto the right track with setting up the plot. But it still wasn't easy. My tried and true method of writing notes just didn't seem to work, so drastic times called for drastic measures. I went out to my local office supply place and picked up a notice board (you know the one with the pushpins) so I could make a real storyboard I could refer to constantly instead of flipping back through my crazily written and generally disorganised notes. Below is a very blurry pic of it, but you get the idea. I wrote notes. Stuck them on the board, and ta-da, you have one storyboard.

So this has helped. I feel like I'm back in the saddle. On the right track. Sniffing in the right direction...well, you get it. I'M BACK! And the writing process is almost ready to start. I'm going to let everything just sit there for a few days, let it absorb into my sometimes scatty brain then see if we can't make a novel out of it.

If there are any authors out there who also read the blog, I'd love to know how you go about planning your books. I guess everyone has a different style they're comfortable with, but it'd be good to know all the same.

Until next time...