This is a really important little note book. It’s small enough to fit in my hand bag or just sit along side me on the passengers seat of the car – and it goes where ever I am at the moment.
This is the start of Purple Roads.
In here I document every single thought I have, every comment and idea about a character or the plot. I try and spend time ‘in my characters head’ so I know what makes them tick, I know what they like to eat, drink, the music they listen to, their plans for their life and who their friends are. You can probably almost read a few ideas I have for Anna Butler, one of the main characters in Purple Roads.
Once I’ve got every character straight, I can start plotting. To be truthful, I don’t do a lot of that. I have four for five major points I know I need to get to, but often I don’t know how I’m going to get there until I sit in front of the computer and start writing. The characters themselves, often take me to places I haven’t thought about or been before! I can find myself tapping out parties or weddings that I haven’t thought of. Sometimes, during the final edit, before I send it to the publishers, these ideas can make it and at other times, they are cut and scrapped. I love my red biro!
