Character Profiles of "The Doonies"

It would be fair to say that "The Doonies" created themselves - to a point.

Back in the Fall of 2022, I was getting used to having a new energetic dog in our home by taking him for walks along the path behind our house. Even though we had been living there for years, I had never really explored the forests until we brought Kevin into our lives. It was during these walks that the idea of tiny, magical creatures living in the beautiful woodlands I stumbled upon just popped into my head.

Out of nowhere, The Doonies made their grand entrance into my mind and demanded to be written about. And when they made their debut, they came out swinging - in a single fevered night, I mapped out all 10 of their books with interconnected storylines. And on that very same evening, I started writing Book One.

Even though I rely on my laptop and phone for pretty much everything in my daily routine, this was a whole new experience. As someone who is neurodivergent, I was over the moon to finally put to good use a notebook I had held onto for years.

Everything in their stories is written out long-hand in this notebook first, with one mechanical pencil I've also had for years. And that feels right somehow - I absolutely labor over each word when "birthing" their stories, and end up erasing half of it before it's right. Only when I can re-read the story and smile and laugh along with it myself, without wanting to make more changes, is it ready for typing out on the laptop.

So where did AI come into the equation? Well, I am a writer - not an illustrator. And late one night, deep into trying to "birth" Book Two, I realized I needed to be able to see Schnarf - the tiny, cute purple tree frog that lives at The Pond with Doonie Kevin. And I found a free AI tool online that allowed me to create images of each of The Doonies, and of WOOT and their magical crystal forest.

The Doonies is a unique mix of old and new - combining old English language (think Flapdoodles! or gigglemug) with a modern understanding of mental health and crystal therapy. It's no surprise that bringing their world and stories to life involves me hunched over a notebook with a pencil, followed by using cutting-edge technology to polish them up.

No matter how it all comes together, I feel privileged to share their tales for kids of every age to delight in with their loved ones. I'm glad they chose my mind to walk into :) 

(originally published as LinkedIn article July 2024)