Prequels - I've Never Written One Before

I'm in withdrawals. No, not the kind you get when you quit smoking. This is much, much worse. This is the kind of withdrawal you get when you publish three things in a row on Smashwords and you have nothing left to 'get out there' except full-length novels. **And** those full-length novels are no where close to being finished (not in the next month, anyway). **And** you desperately want to see numbers of sample downloads of your latest work rise. Selling books is GREAT, don't get me wrong, but having people sample  helps broaden my fan base.

So, I thought, 'why not write a prequel?'. The novella (not more than 10,000 words) - a quick-fix to temporarily satisfy that publishing craving. I immediately thought of Ysonde.

Ysonde is a complex character - not at all like Deborah who loves to joke around and laugh and 'rib' her friends. Nope, the petite, raven-haired, gray-eyed Ysonde is a clean-freak, lived many years in a terrorist cell and knows how to make 'bouquets' - explosives.

So, what caused her to become so complex? That's where writing the novella comes in. Through this story, I'm discovering much more about the child she'd been, her family, her friends and why she's a clean-freak. At one point, I wanted to cry, her story is touching me very deeply. I know, that sounds strange; fictional characters making such an impact on a writer. For goodness sakes, these aren't REAL people. Laugh at me, go ahead, you want to. That's alright. But I'm not the only one who reacts this way to my characters.

There's a famous writer (I can't remember who and it's bugging me) who once said it surprises him every time he sits down to eat and his characters aren't there with him at the table. Yes, they become that real.  Many years ago, when I started writing Orchids for Roses, there were times my characters surprised me. I'd be writing and they'd take over and start working the story for me. It's the oddest thing, really. And a couple times I'd turn to the nearest person and start to say, "I can't believe Deborah - " But I'd quickly shut up as I remembered 1. Debs wasn't real, except in my head, and 2. the person I started to tell this to wouldn't have understood, what with them not being a writer.

So, in a way this withdrawal has worked in my favor because I'm getting to know Ysonde much better, and it's going to bring her book, Laughter for Tears that much more alive.

Goal for now: get ready for the day. Hopefully the migraines will leave me alone!