The writing process

Hello all,

Since this blog was created to share 'the making of a NaNoWriMo novel' with you, I thought it might be nice to give some insight as to how my stories come to be. I've tried to put the main steps in chronological order, but my thought process doesn't make that much sense. Then again, I suppose that says something about the way I write too.

The first thing I do is come up with a simple concept, in this case the idea of six people discovering they have supernatural powers. This is the main starting point, everything else is then moulded around this idea.
Second is the main story outline, helped by a number of details that may or may not prove to be significant. In this case, the origins of the powers proved to be a very important plot point.
Then I move on to shaping the main characters. Their personalities, their backgrounds, families and social life; basically anything I can. It's completely irrelevant whether these things find a place in the eventual novel, but it's important to know as much about your characters as possible.

This third stage is what I'm working on at the moment. I'm still not done figuring out what the six powers are (I have four so far, which is also the number of characters I've just about completed work on), but making good strides with the background stories and the way these characters will interact with one another.

One thing I believe sets me apart from most people trying to write a story, is that I try to let the story tell itself to me. I prefer to think of the events described as historical events (not necessarily of this world), with real people as opposed to characters. Yes, I sit down and think about whom these people are and what they did and yes, I can change their personalities and actions. Still, I try to let things come to me naturally, which also means even I can be surprised by who a character turns out to be. Don't worry if this makes no sense to you, I really doubt any of you will understand what I'm trying to say here. It works for me, that's what's important.

I think my next entry will be a character profile, so be sure to check back soon!

TTFN.