My Drafting Process

So, did I mention that I finished my first draft of Prince of Blades?

Let's celebrate again....

Okay, got that out of my system. Moving on...

This was the first time for me actually writing a full novel from start to finish, and my drafting process changed as I plodded along. I found a way of writing that really works for me, keeps me productive, and ensures that I never get stuck along the way. I wanted to share my process with you in this post.

NOTE: This is just MY way of doing things. Every writer is different and this isn't going to work for everybody, but it works for me. Take my words with a pinch of salt, I am not Author God, but if you have found yourself stuck in your own drafting process, or you're simply reluctant to start because writing a book feels waaaay too daunting - then try my way and just see how it goes.

NOTE 2: I am an outliner. It's the way I do things, and my method is very structured. For all you pantsers out there, this may not be the best method for you, but feel free to tweak away and try and make it work.

Building a Character Profile

For me, character profiles are essential. You can think of the people you want to tell your story about, give them names....but they aren't believable unless you really figure out who they are.

No one person has a single facet. So we have a life-saving, award-winning surgeon...who also works as a volunteer at the puppy shelter (aaaaaaw) Or we have the life-saving, award-winning surgeon who kidnaps and murders women in his free time (oooookaaaaaay). Just adding that one other attribute to the same character completely changes who they are, it gives them another dimension than what we first see on the surface....be that good or bad.

Once we start adding lots of these different sides to our characters, they become 'real' people. They have motivations, fears, quirks etc - they aren't just made from a cookie cutter mould, each person on the page is unique to your story.

So how do I do this?

Some writers prefer to just get to know their characters as they write, which is great - but I need something more to work with before I start. Then, when I start writing, I feel like I truly know who my characters are, and how they would believably react in given situations....as well as getting to know more about them as I write.