Casting my characters.

I did something last night so exciting and helpful that I had to share. While struggling through editing of my latest novel, I'm working on bits and pieces of my fantasy series. Over the week I had compiled a list of actors that remind me of the heroes. Last night, I looked up images of them and saved them under each hero's folder for safekeeping...as if I was casting for that story's movie.

For some of these, it was rough, and as I perused many Google Images pages it became quite clear--and I don't know why I didn't think of it before--that I need to consider the character that actor played, and not necessarily that actor himself. The same actor could look so different in a few different movies, so much that he would fit the archetype and appearance of different heroes.

Here are a few choices I have:

For Kray's "Rok", here's Dougray Scott ("Ever After" is what I like him in. This picture is not from that, but damn hot):


For Kayt's "Rowan", I chose Josh Duhamel (also playing with Timothy Olyphant and Ryan Reynolds):


For Kailyynn's "Sebastyan", here's Alexis Georgoulis ("My Life in Ruins"), and Jake Gyllenhaal ("Prince of Persia"):



For Karyi's "Dagibyr", here's Josh Holloway, but I want him with darker hair and lighter skin. I'm also interested in Colin Farrell and Gerard Butler, in the right movies:




The middle child, Kayla, has a story that has barely been started. I don't know what her hero looks like, so that's going to have to wait. Also, I don't know what the girls themselves look like. Next step is finding some actresses to fit my heroine archetypes.

J

Editing is a bitch.

Is it common for a writer to feel unenthusiastic about the work he or she just completed?

On November 30th of last year I finished my first novel. My self-imposed deadline for editing completion is January 31st. Like, done done. Finished. Ready for peer critiques followed by manuscript submission. I feel like I have postpartum depression.

My husband told me that he has read in many books that a writer often feels anything from disinterest to total dissatisfaction for the novel he or she just wrote. That's why editing sucks so much. Sometimes it's best to put your novel away for six months before you even consider editing.

This makes me feel better, and it explains why I'm turned off to my completed work and am turning my attention to the development of a new fantasy/erotica series. Of course, who wouldn't be excited about erotica?

Although, I have to say that I'm being obstinate. Editing requires reading my novel from start to finish, and running it through a fine-tooth comb. Why wouldn't I want to read through the stuff I wrote? It's something of a bad habit of mine, for when I should be writing I end up sitting down with my favorite passage and reading that over and over...

J