I had a breakthrough today.  A long overdue one, but late is better than never (at least that's what I've always been told).

I never realized how hard it is to write a good character.

That is, I never realized how much work actually goes into learning about your character. And not just memorizing their eye color, weight and favorite food but actually learning their habits, their motivations. What's their favorite memory? Why do they behave the way they do? One thing I've always struggled with is getting inside the heads of my characters, learning their motivations and driving forces. I'll scratch the surface but not dig deep, and digging deep is what you have to do if you want a strong story that resonates with a reader.  This is really what this book is about, I think - learning to dig deep.  I get lazy, and want to stop at the statistics.  Because we are so much more than our weight and eye color, aren't we?

I've been mostly working on my outline today, getting down the history of each of the main characters as well as some secondary ones (that's where this whole spiel came from!).  I feel like I've hit my wall and broken though it - woohoo!

It is the middle of 2012. Where did the first half go?

This year is going by fast.  I swear I just bought my house and painted it (wait that was a year ago...)

What have I learned over the last 6 months?  Probably not as much as I could have, but more than I expected to (so I guess that means I break even).

- I've learned you can't wait for things to magically fall into your lap, you have to go get them.  Because if you do that, you'll spend all your time waiting.  It's better to go out there and get started, even if it seems overwhelming, because as long as you keep moving forward you'll reach your goal eventually.

- I've learned that failure isn't permanent, unless you want it to be.  I like to think of it as part of the learning experience, something that helps you become the person you're supposed to be.

- I've learned there are things more important than a steady paycheck, like being happy.  And not making your husband crazy by grinding your teeth at night because you're so stressed out.

- I've learned how to budget, because when you are on one income that is what you do.  I've learned to enjoy doing things that I might have passed up in lieu of spending money (going to the park, wandering around the mall).  In the same vein, I've learned how to enjoy the little things like cooking and walking the dogs (unfortunately I still haven't learned how to enjoy my garden).

- I've also learned that paint gets everywhere.  Somehow, magically.  It doesn't matter if you're painting your bedroom, paint will inevitably end up down the hall in your dining room, too.

Daily art after the jump >>>