Characters

I've been doing more and more thinking about characters because I know that is where the fault often lies in my writing, especially when you mix in the pacing of the story. Trying to get my characters emotions out on paper in the midst of whatever danger or mystery to solve that I've given them is hard.

My rough drafts generally end up being all about the non-romance plot with the occasional attraction and love scene through in as after thoughts. This would not be a problem if I could go back and revise with that emotion, but whenever I look back at the story I find so many other things wrong with it that I just want to shout out "do over" and chuck the first rough draft.

That's what I've done with my current one work in progress. Now, as I try to incorporate more of the by-play of the heroine and hero I find the writing much harder to do. I read and hear about people who can slip right into their characters' heads and povs with no trouble at all. I envy that so much. I have never felt that connected to one of my characters. Never ever. There is always a very definite line between them and me and I can't help but wonder if that is a fault that lies within me: this inability to look at my characters as real living people. To think like them, to talk like them. It is all a struggle some days.