Hiya Merideth!
Talking about the process of writing is rather intimidating to me because for each story it’s different and each method of writing is different. Like…this was mulled about in my head for several drafts but even know my words feel mucky.
So, I took pictures.
I keep everything “organized” by keeping it in one notebook per story or legal pad, or sheets of random addendums tucked away as needed into my “organizational tool”. Yeah… However, that means if I’m working on Red I’m searching for a purple notebook and all my notes, though in disarray, are in one place. (These are my notes from Red, by the way.)
There are several matriarchal lines noted and ties between family lines.
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Tertiary character gets a physical description, a minor motivation, and since the main character is letting a room from this grandmother a general floor plan of the abode.
Ellie is my protagonist, so she gets a character page with a brief history of her life as well as motivations and physical appearance. She also has several short stories written from her perspective from various hunts at various ages that won’t be making it into the book but greatly shaped the path of her life and the growth between there and where she is now. As a character displaying signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it’s important to me to document the severity and path her symptoms have taken in order to be consistent as well as allow her healing and setbacks in a reasonable manner.
Where I start, though, is usually some scene that plays itself out and won’t let me go.
There’s no outline for this, just a general idea for a book and a few handwritten pages of a disgruntled princess without a thrown in a war camp leading her less than perfectly respectful followers.
Some bibles are for stories yet to be taken on, Untitled is just a simple plot outline married with some jotted down Grimm stories to research and the first two chapters drafted out to get the feel of Keely’s story that I may pick it back up in the same tone. Flighty thing is just off to rescue a prince to save the life of a unicorn that was taken right out of the palace garden. Cheeky bit of fluff that one is.
I hope this helps, in some small way, on your path.
The mutated MC1R gene is what causes red hair and roughly 40% of Britains are “secret” gingers carrying the gene in recessive form.
Sparrow's Travels 