Re-familiarization with Characters

I’m a semi-organized writer, which means that  I try to keep on the straight and narrow. Somewhat.

I’m back at work on the next in a series of books which involve the fictional Caribbean island of Xantrope. The main character is Phillip, brother to Paul from my debut novel Contraband.

This time around, I’ve started out with character charts that are not quite finished. I’ve had to re-read the material I wrote to reacquaint myself with the story and the characters.  Knowing the painful process that editing can be when I take a harum-scarum approach to writing, I’m conscious that I have to know my characters.  Phillip has to be like his twin, not only on a  physical level, but also in his mental makeup.  Both men will naturally have similar tastes and therefore like the same things.

I’m going to print out each chapter as I go, which is how I write when I’m not NaNoing. Part of my editing process will involve capturing the similarities between the two men, along with introducing them to each other and having them discover that they are indeed like two halves that make up a complete unit. 

I’ve also highlighted character traits and tidbits about them in the first five chapters and I plan to continue doing this to ensure continuity and verisimilitude. Now that I’ve re-familiarized myself with this set of individuals, it’s time to get down to the business of mapping out their adventure.