the process
I've been working on my novel really since mid-2009, but the germ of the idea (and the first 30-40 pages) began from the idea I had for a Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying character. I wrote some background for the character, just intending it to be a funny side story. It was indeed very funny, but I didn't know quite what to do with it.
Then, when I dropped my teaching degree in early 2009, I found myself sitting at home, depressed and not sure what to do with my life. I finally started poking around with the story, and found myself enjoying the story more and more. What's more, my parents enjoyed it, and one of my best guy friends encouraged me to keep writing.
Many thousands of words later, here I am, with almost two-thirds of my original story told, and at least one sequel (and perhaps two or three) planned! I'm so deep into the story now that I find myself dreaming about future story events (some sad, some scary, some downright hilarious).