I think writing changes you. No, I mean really… psychologically.

Remember when you were a kid, and you made up stories, with your toys and whatever debris came to hand? Supplied the dialog? Bounced them about your bed a bit, to support the tale you were telling?

My grown-up frolics with my own creations work much the same way. The characters live in my head — can’t get rid of them. If I gave them life in print a while ago, they’re still perfectly lively, Now, it’s not all my characters, mind you — some are just bit players — but the ones that matter, the ones I’m invested in, really do stick around and make themselves comfortable.

But this is as nothing compared to the ones I haven’t written down yet, to the ones that are just living in my head at the moment, still uncommitted. They might do this, or they might do that, all sorts of things might or might not happen as a consequence, and (at least initially) your guess is as good as mine. The plot (or at least, large parts of it) hasn’t gelled yet, and I ruminate over the possibilities as I drop off to sleep, or drowse in a nap. The pad of paper and the pen by my bed are essential for taking notes on the actions and motives that rise to the surface at these times. A lot of plot choices gel this way, as the characters sort of grow into the possibilities and make their choices.

This is an essential part of my personal process. What works for you?