First of Many Check-ins

Words today: 355

Total: 1,164


I forgot to mention that during my hiatus from working on TOB, a new character snuck up and tapped me on the shoulder, just like Willa did in June '11. (Not to fear: I am not abandoning this novel to scamper after some shiny new character.) I have no idea what his name is, who his heroine is, or anything else about his story; I'm not even sure it belongs in the SF world of Eleven Names and The Owl Bearer. Maybe it does, but waaaaay earlier in the timeline, in our near future. I don't know. But I know him, and I know I'll tell a story about him some day.

I've posted before about how for me it's rare for characters to spring to life as complete people that I understand and am ready to explore. Usually I have a vague sense of what I want a character to be like and then I craft his or her personality and background to suit that-- and often have to re-work it several times before I have a character who feels real to me. Willa felt real to me right away, and so does this guy.