Working on my MC for nano 08. I've got her backstory, and have a general idea of the plot, but I am having a hard time getting to *know* her.
Could anyone come up with some scenarios I can "imagine" her through? Sort of a pilot test run, to see how she would act in different scenarios. They can be everyday things like how does she react when she wakes up and can't find her shoes, or grander adventures like how she would react if she wakes up and the sun has gone out.
Here's what I know about her:
Name: Beatrice. She's 17. Dark hair, pale skin, average to somewhat above average looking. When she was an infant, she was stolen from her mother by a bairn snatcher, and then rescued from the snatcher by a knight, who raised her. At age 12 she was orphaned again when the knight that raised her and almost the entire council of knights were slaughtered in an attack. Since then, she has been living in the capital city, being tutored by the Librarians (who are sort of high ranked scholars in this world). Having been raised by a council of knights, she's not really all that girly-girly, but she's not a tomboy either. She is somewhat frail, not strong enough to defend herself with a sword, but she's a fairly good shot with a boy. She is interested in art and astronomy and story-telling, and combines these talents to paint murals of the night skies and constellations, and likes the mythology that surrounds the constellations. She has no magical abilities, even though the majority of people in this world do. And no, she is not going to discover a hidden talent that saves the world, or discover that she is the long lost heir to the throne.
Thanks in advance!
:) Jen
(PS, incidentally, you can read about the attack on the Knights, and the Librarians in my exerpt. Meneleus is her adopted father.)
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May 2, 2008 - 11 09
Maybe you could try writing about what would happen if she met her mother? Her father?
Or perhaps, what would happen if she found out that someone close to her was going to betray her? What if the Library burned down? What if she had been there when the Knights were killed in the attack? What if she found out that the person who organized the death of the Knights was one of the Librarians tutoring her?
Hope those help, even if they aren't even plausible with the storyline, at least it might help with some character development.
50,472 / 50,000
May 2, 2008 - 11 26
Wow, you must really be on the same wavelength as me today....
My general plot for nano '08 *is* about her going on a quest to find her mother.
She *was* there when the Knights were attacked, in my last book!
I do like the idea of the library burning down. These ideas are all for character development, rather than something that will end up in the final story, so thanks for the suggestions!
:) Jen
7,740 / 50,000
May 3, 2008 - 06 21
You didn't give any personality traits, like what makes her angry, what makes her happy, what evokes memories. Is she happy where she is, does she long for something different, does she have an overwhelming urge to find her mother or does she not know she is alive? What does she think about her work? We need to know about her senses, does she like the feel of rain on her face? Does she see better at night? Does she like the taste of meat or prefer vegetables? Is she squeamish about killing bugs, animals or people? Get personal. Use the senses as well as anger and happiness. Be creative.
50,472 / 50,000
May 3, 2008 - 11 37
Those are the things I am trying to figure out about her... I need to put her in situations and see how she reacts. The questions you posed are a good place to start, thanks.
Jen
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May 6, 2008 - 09 34
Prompt:
A group of children near her are pummeling an animal. If that animal is not enough to spur her to action, make it a small child.
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May 15, 2008 - 11 20
Perhaps the Library could be over run by rats?
She wants to take a bath but all the water has been used up? O.o
She finds a small bag of money on the ground?
Better yet, why don't you interview her like she was in the room with you? I do this with my characters and the results are usually both hilarious and revealing. The stupider the question you ask, or the more random, the more her personality will show through.
51,667 / 50,000
May 15, 2008 - 17 04
There's actually a pretty cool book I picked up that has a bunch of scenarios with various possible responses and what each response might mean about a character - What Would Your Character Do?
There's also http://www.errantdreams.com/static/writing - if you scroll down, to the "Exercises and Warm-Ups" section, the first link in the list is a character questionairre and paragraph at the end of the section has a link to a cool PDF file that has a question for each day of the year that you can answer or just think about in regard to your character.
As far as tailor-made scenarios:
- How would she react if she woke up and found that everyone who had magic had been susceptible to some sort of disease or curse and she could not wake them up?
- What would she do if she caught a bairn snatcher in the act of stealing another child?
- What if she was asked to suggest the penalty for a bairn snatcher?
- How would she react if she came across an old book that presented a way of looking at the constellations completely differently from the stories and such that she had been taught?
- What if she suspected someone who had a great deal of power of being somehow involved in the attack that killed the knights, and that person approached her with a request to paint one of her star murals in that person's home?
50,472 / 50,000
May 16, 2008 - 10 54
I have WWYCD? but it's in Storage until July 1!!! Jonesing until then.
Thanks so much for the links and suggestions. The last one in particular is intriguing.
And thanks to previous poster for the suggestion about her coming upon the scene of the children beating up an animal... that led me in some very suprising directions. I'm starting to get her. Who knew that scene would tell me wha she had for breakfast, and how she reacts when her soulmoate (though she doesn't know it) comes on to her.
:) Jen