Behold!

Allow me to introduce my cast of characters, who will undoubtedly be much talked about on this blog. Because I love them so. This is really just to avoid confusion (read: and because I love to talk about my characters), which would be completely inevitable should I not write up this post.

My Lovely Characters:

G - My beloved protagonist. The novel covers fifteen years of his life, from the age of five to twenty, and throughout these years he goes through many issues, from compulsive spending to "OMGWTF UR A JERK/BITCH!!1"-type confrontations. It might be a good idea to mention that G is profoundly gifted, and also that he is severely mentally ill. That last one is especially good to mention considering his mental illness is kind of the whole point of the story.

I - G's legal guardian. How she became his legal guardian is an immeasurably long story.

DR - G's psychiatrist. He dislikes the nearby psychiatric institution and wants it closed. He also dislikes G a little bit when G takes yet another immature fit along the lines of, "My life sucks and no one loves me."

C - G's psychologist, an expert in his disorder, who never, ever dislikes G no matter what his mood's like, who manages an entire therapy group of people like G twice a week for two hours, and who therefore has much, much more patience than I ever will.

J - G's love interest (love interest being the understatement of the year), who does not return his feelings and who is also a registered sociopath.

Y - One of G's three best friends.

Z - One of G's three best friends.

A - A young girl who lives in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada, who appears to have absolutely nothing to do with this story but really, really does.

V - Said young Sackville girl's older brother.

S - G's twin sister. She has learning disabilities.

These are my most major characters. Other characters may come up in a post, but I will make sure to clearly label them and explain their role when and if they do.

First Post

This is the part where I introduce myself.

My name is N.L. LeBlanc. I'm 18 years old and live in New Brunswick, Canada. I graduated from high school in June and am attending University in September as a psychology student. After completing my bachelor's degree, I plan on going to medical school and pursuing a career in psychiatry.

My passion is writing. I am a published author (poetry) and have been working on my beloved novel since June 2008. Before I started writing Life in Black and White, I wrote the beginnings of two other novels (at ages 15 and 16), completed one previous novel (age 13) and two novellas (ages 11 and 12). None of my novels were published at those ages. The completed novel won't be, as it was the first of a series and I have no interest in continuing in. But I do plan on someday reworking the novellas and hopefully putting them out there.

If those novels were "happy relationships" while they lasted, then Life in Black and White is the love of my life. I've been working on it for a year and two months, and giving up has never been an option (although I am currently sifting through annoying filler... but it'll end soon enough :P). Basically my life's ambition is to get it published and for it to hopefully become a bestseller.

Which is why I am working on getting smaller things (poetry, short stories) published, so that I can have a nice list of previous publications to impress an agent with. :)


Why on Earth am I blogging instead of writing my novel?

Well, kids, sometimes a writer needs a break, you know? Take today, for example. I told my mother I would be able to give her chapters 33-39 by tomorrow night, so I spent basically the whole day working on chapters 36 and 37. Now I'm pooped.

Although I always tend to feel guilty when doing something other than writing my book, the truth is that blogging, to me, is basically a writer's therapy. I love talking about my book. I especially love talking about my characters, who have a mind of their own. Blogging, I hope, will give me a good outlet to do that, even when it feels like no one is listening.

And once I've made my daily (or at least regular) post, I can plunge back into my work a refreshed, motivated me.

Or at least that's what I tell myself.