New Start

I started my novel Awaken towards the end of last year.But have only now picked it up again after having a month off over the christmas period. Now reading the fourteen thousand words i have written so far with fresh eyes i can see it is not coming across as i had wanted. The characters are just sounding too flat. Even the angel hero is sounding like a feeble wimp.Not what i was aiming at. Before starting the story i had taken notes and planned it but i can now see i have not planned it enough.All week i have been trying to decided whether to scrap this story completely and come up with something new or to keep going.But i like this story.If i can put more strength and layers into the main charcters i will even like them ;)
I want to keep going. But i can see i need a better planning and plot. After reading articles of the internet i have decided to go back to square one and give the Index Card System a try. This method involves using a selection of muti coloured index cards.Write down your random ideas for plot and scenes on a card each.Fill the cards with wild action scenes that would keep the story moving. Not all ideas may make the final cut but you would have a box full of inspiration.The best part is that once you start writing, the scenes that just won't work can be pulled out of the pile and you're not stuck starting over.
With this sort of plotting tool, you can easily drop in notes about your characters and character development, add images that spark an idea for a scene, and add little bits of research that work particularly well for a turning point. It creates a way of visually seeing what you're creating, and it's one that you can change and alter over and over again without hurting your original idea.
Finding this method has renewed my enthusiasm for the story.