Sometimes you've gotta backtrack to move forward.

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Well guys, I got 42K words into this book and realized that it just wasn't going where I wanted it to go.  I like my characters and the basic story line.  However I realized I hadn't given them enough depth to be truly believable.  I felt like they were close but still a little 2 dimensional.

Part of me wanted to just trash the whole thing and start over, but my friends suggested that I might not need to do anything quite so drastic.  So, instead I just stopped for a while and thought about it.  I thought about each character and what they'd be like if I talked to them in person or what I'd see them do if I were watching, and it really helped.  Taking notes helped too.

So, now I am feeling like I am close to being ready to get back into writing and get the other 50K words on the pages.  While I know I'll have some major revisions to do on the first half of the book I can finish it with a much better understanding of who I am writing about and why they'll act they way they'll act.

Being involved in social media and following other authors also helps a lot, too.  Believe it or not, the best of the best get stumped, make goofy mistakes, and sometimes have to do multiple revisions. Knowing this helps me choose to keep moving forward and not give up.  After all, I have these people in my head who all have lives and are experiencing some serious drama.  Somebody's got to tell their story . . .