Category Archives: Look After You

How I Came Up With Character Profiles

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I have to say that this is probably my 2nd favorite novel.  I can’t remember now where I came up with the idea for the plot, but it’s stuck with me.  I’m only on page 17 (of 139) but there isn’t anything too weird.  At least, not yet.  The thing that I’ve noticed is that there are major inconsistencies, and several things that are seriously incorrect.  This one could’ve benefitted from a questions/plot holes/possible conflicts list, much like the one I did with Turning Point.   

I do love the random punctuation that’s appeared, plus some of the randomness.  I distinctly remember a good two pages on the easy button from staples.  I haven’t gotten that far yet, so I have no idea why I thought that was necessary.  Then again, it was a NaNo and most of what I write isn’t necessary.  The brain works in very mysterious ways, especially when you write two novels in 30 days. 

It was my 1st time doing character profiles, and I never used them, but it did set the stage for all character profiles I’ll be doing every NaNo.  I was bored one day, and just started writing random facts about Lindsay, the main character.  It’s amazing what being bored will do.  And I have to admit that knowing random trivia about my characters has been really helpful, even if I don’t use it during November.  It helps me get inside their head, and it makes them more real, like they’re living, breathing people.

It definitely needs a lot of work, though.  I need to work out the plot details, because a lot of it doesn’t match up with the little I know about the witness protection program.  And I definitely wasn’t sure about what I wanted to do with it, so that would explain the inconsistencies.  Some of them anyway, because I’ve learned that with NaNo, there’s always going to be inconsistencies.

Look After You

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I read part of Look After You, one of my 2009 novels.  If you want to get technical, I read the attempted continuation that I did last May, but who cares about technicalities?  I thought I’d share some of the gems that I found.

  • That your independent and that your identity is dependent on me.” (this makes no sense- lindsay is independent, yet her identity depends on josh?)
  • I’m cute most of the time except for the times when I’m annoying.” (there’s nothing weird about this sentence, but I thought it was pretty funny)
  • “No one is offended the menu!” I exclaimed.  (my inner editor must hate me because of the wods words I tend to leave out; Updated 1/23, even with blog entries, my inner editor must hate me.  Leaving letters out can be just as funny/weird as leaving words out)
  • But it was the best food ever.  I kid you not.  Best fruit ever (*facepalm*)

Granted, that group isn’t that bad, because really, it could be worse.  A lot worse.  But considering I just…stopped after a week, it’s not a big surprise that it’s not nearly as funny as it could have been.  I couldn’t help but giggle, though, because there were parts that were just too cheezy.  It’s no wonder my inner editor hates me, and always wants me attention, with a lot of the stuff that just spews from my finger. 

I would also like to point out that a whole chapter was devoted to Lindsay hoping that her wedding would be a disaster.  And she talked about it while at her wedding.  She was pretty disappointed that she didn’t spill on herself, and that she only tripped once.  And I do believe there was something about needing to get drunk so something entertaining would happen.  Clearly, I wanted to have things wrong with Lindsay.  At least, I think I wanted something to be wrong with her, I really can’t remember now. 

I think I’m slowly re-reading everything, so who knows what I’ll find?