My Outlining Process (Part 1) + BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
Honestly, I could separate my outlining process into multiple parts… you know what? I’m going to do that. So, here is part 1 one of how I outline.
Characters.
For me, the most important part of my writing process is getting to know my characters. What are their names? What do they look like? What are their hopes and dreams? Their biggest fears? Regrets? What do they hope for? What is their goal? Motivation? The list goes on and on.
Usually at least one aspect of their character (haha) comes to me naturally, and I have to figure out the rest. For example, I knew immediately that my main character in The Demon’s Healer was a healer. I knew he was abused in the past and had trust issues, especially when it came to mates/mating.
From there, I developed his past. I figured out he wanted nothing more than to protect his brothers and make a home for them. That led to the question of how they lived currently, earlier, the past. How had they gotten to where they were now? Ari and his brothers didn’t have a great childhood, but it wasn’t horrible. Nothing truly horrible happened to them until they moved out on their own and started adulthood. (You will learn more about what happened in the book).
The next part is what they look like. I knew they struggled to get food so they would be fairly skinny and pale.
Prince Brennen on the other hand, grew up in a lavish lifestyle. (He is a prince after all). He is also a demon, so I wanted him to look like one. He is tall and has a muscular build. However, he is also dying of a mysterious illness that nobody can figure out, so he has lost some of that muscle mass. He is also pale from staying indoors so he can rest.
There is a lot that goes into creating a good character, but the most important thing (and often most difficult) is their names. I always save naming my characters for last because I think names should represent how I see the characters.
I knew I wanted a feminine name for Ari because he is petite and sweet. He’s been hurt but is full of love and emotions. I chose Aribel because it was close to Aribella. Brennen’s name was more for his title as prince. Brennen isn’t a stereotypical “masculine” name, but it feels more royal if that makes sense.
Honestly, everyone comes up with their characters in different ways. There is no right or wrong. My advice: make the characters feel real. Make them seem as if they could be standing right there in the room with you. You should know them well enough that you know how they would answer any question or if they have any unique mannerisms or quirks. You could always try interviewing your character or writing a diary entry from their POV. Whatever you need to do to get inside their head.
Well, there you have it. Finding my characters is really just a bunch of brainstorming, and to be completely honest, they don’t always stay exactly how I imagined them before starting a book. Just like any person, you learn more about them as you go along. So, don’t get too discouraged if you can’t answer all of these questions right away.
Next week I’ll dive more into the actual outline itself, so you won’t want to miss it!
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!
The Demon’s Healer is now available for pre-order! It will be released on May 21, 2019. If you want it delivered directly to you the day it comes out then pre-order now.
As a special thanks, I am giving away free ARC copies up until the day of release. All I ask is that you review it. That’s it! Drop a comment down below or go to the “contact me” page if you are interested.
Until next time!
