Which comes first: Character, plot, place or picture...?

Today I'm delighted to welcome the Occult Detective, Bob Freeman, to my blog as he tours the internet with Descendant: A Novel of the Liber Monstrorum! It's a tour that will bring you thrills and chills in the heart of the holiday season , and the book is a supernatural thriller that readers of horror will also love. It is interrelated with Bob’s short story collection First Born: Tales of the Liber Monstrorum, but can be read on its own.

The book even includes several original illustrations from Bob Freeman (see below)! Which is why I asked him...

Which comes first: Character, plot, place, picture...?

 So, over to you, Bob...

That's a great question and one not easily answered. When I write, I seldom have even the slightest inkling as to what I will be writing about. Everything just sort of tumbles out of my head and onto the page.

I suppose, if one were to look over the majority of the things I've written, it begins with place. I imagine the setting, the climate, the mood and timbre, and then slowly begin to populate the location.

The mystery, when I'm free-writing, is who will show up. Will it be one of the many personalities from my stable of characters that have already taken the stage in one of my novels or short stories, or will somebody new introduce themselves?

Obviously,if I'm consciously writing a sequel to a previous work, that bears a different fruit, but only marginally. I'm a seat of my pants writer all the way. I enjoy the sense of discovery one gets from not knowing where the story is going. I've never been able to follow an outline and hate pitching synopses for unwritten stories. I don't know how plotters do it, to be honest. For me, an outline sucks the energy right off the page.

But, to your original question. of the four possibilities presented, I have begun stories from each, though plot only a small handful of times. Character and the aforementioned place are the obvious starting points in most stories, but sometimes character comes into it from a piece of art I've created.

It's all so intertwined for me — words and pictures. A lot of my writing is born out of my sketch book. A spark is ignited and it all just sort of flows forth, sprung from my imagination like someone else is sharing with me a story and I get to be the vehicle through which its delivered.

So, I guess, to fully answer your question, which comes first? None of the above. At the heart of it, the thing that comes first is listening to the creative spark, somewhere out there in the ethereal, and doing my damnedest to get it all down  properly.

The truth is, I'm my own first reader and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Thank you Bob, and that's a great answer! The spark that lights the fire! And here, with thanks, are some of your illustrations to spark the reader's fire.

About the author: 

Bob Freeman is an author, artist, and paranormal adventurer whose previous works include Shadows Over Somerset, Keepers of the Dead, and First Born.

A lifelong student of mythology, folklore, magic, and religion, Freeman has written numerous short stories, articles, and reviews for various online and print publications and is a respected lecturer on the occult and paranormal phenomena.

He lives in rural Indiana with his wife Kim and son Connor.

Where to find him:


Twitter: @OccultDetective
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/authorbobfreeman/
Website:  www.occultdetective.com

About Descendant:  

Descendant is a supernatural thriller filled with daring action, adventure, and artifice set against the backdrop of a very familiar world – but it is a world in which preternatural entities, clandestine magical orders, ancient bloodlines, and unholy alliances converge within the shadowed recesses of our darkest imaginings.

Federal Agents Selina Wolfe and Martin Crowe are called in to investigate a series of bizarre deaths in a small rural community. What first seems to be a misadventure involving black magic and satanic ritual soon takes on even more deleterious overtones, as the agents become embroiled in a plot by a sinister cabal intent on unleashing Hell on Earth.

Where to find it:


Kindle Version:  https://www.amazon.com/Descendant-Novel-Monstrorum-Bob-Freeman-ebook/dp/B07XNSLQBW/
Amazon Print Version:  https://www.amazon.com/Descendant-Novel-Monstrorum-Bob-Freeman/dp/1948042878/
Barnes and Noble Link:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/descendant-bob-freeman/1028498347?ean=2940160816678


Then find out more: Follow the tour!
11/18   Dark Bites        www.darkbites.ca       Guest Post
11/19   Armed with A Book     www.armedwithabook.com   Guest Post
11/19   Sheila’s Guests and Reviews   http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com       Guest Post
11/20   Sahara Foley    https://saharafoley.com/blog/           Author Interview

11/20   Honestly Austen          http://www.honestlyausten.com       Review
11/21   Jazzy Book Reviews     https://bookreviewsbyjasmine.blogspot.com/          Guest Post
11/22   The Book Junkie Reads           https://thebookjunkiereadspromos.blogspot.com    Author Interview
11/23   Sapphyria’s Books       https://saphsbooks.blogspot.com/    Guest Post
11/24   The Seventh Star Blog http://www.theseventhstarblog.com            guest post
11/25   Carol Preflaish, Mystery Author          http://CarolPre.blogspot.com            Author Interview
11/25   I Smell Sheep   http://www.ISmellSheep.com            Top Ten’s List