This month is all about YOUR WORD COUNT AND CAST OF CHARACTERS.
Let’s start with your word count. The goal is a 70,000-word novel. This is the average novel length with some being about 60,000 words and others somewhere in the 80,000-90,000 word range. So, let’s break this down. To achieve this goal, you need (from March – December) to write:
10,000 words each month, which is just 2,500 words each week or 500 words a day (which allows for two days off each week!)
So, as you’re writing towards this month’s goal, be sure to map out your cast of characters. Have you figured out your cast of characters? Who’s your protagonist? Who else will be in your story? What are the traits of each character? What are their habits? What about their background? What about their physical attributes? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Are they quirky? How so? Most novels are character-driven, so you need to give serious consideration as to your protagonist and what you want, need, and expect from him/her–from physical traits to personality traits. Here’s a link to more good info about creating your characters provided by Laurie S. Campbell about the Psychology of Creating Characters, http://www.booklaurie.com/workshops_flaw.php
ASSIGNMENT–Month #3 (March): Write 10,000 words. Do not edit at this point! Just keep writing. Editing will come later. Also, use whatever method you like, such as index cards or Excel Spreadsheet, to create ‘maps’ of all of your characters. This will not only help you keep things straight as you progress and introduce more characters but this will also help you discover and define your characters.
***Author’s Note: This is an open forum, meaning your comments and questions are welcome, so feel free to share your writing experiences, tips, resources, and general queries.***
Coming in April: Who’s Telling Your Story… 
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