NaNoWriMo Day 12: Character Reveal!

Introducing our Leading Lady, the main Female Character who is quite frankly more fabulous than I will EVER be...Barbara Peplum!

Barbara was made at http://elouai.com/

Age: 22 DOB: 2-7-1990


Story Role: Female Protagonist    

Archetype: 5. The Explorer
Motto: Don’t fence me in
Core desire: the freedom to find out who you are through exploring the world
Goal: to experience a better, more authentic, more fulfilling life
Biggest fear: getting trapped, conformity, and inner emptiness
Strategy: journey, seeking out and experiencing new things, escape from boredom
Weakness: aimless wandering, becoming a misfit
Talent: autonomy, ambition, being true to one’s soul
The explorer is also known as: The seeker, iconoclast, wanderer, individualist, pilgrim.


Physical
Eyes: Brown    Hair:  Curly, curly, CURLY ash brown
Height: 5”5   Build: Curvy


A little bit about Barbara: Barbara is a very talented singer and actress from the Twin Cities in Minnesota. When Padraig runs into her in London, she is going throughout Europe singing to raise money for a school for disabled children back in her hometown. She is due for a surgery on her throat when she gets home, as her voice has been overused. Barbara is an independent, confident young woman, but she is troubled by how fortunate she is when the rest of her friends and family have suffered so much.

Word Count: Currently 19,301. Padraig and Stian are about to go a little crazy in the English countryside, and there will be Deep Personal Sharing, which is like my favorite thing ever.

In other news, I just packed a whole box filled with clothes in preparation for moving out sometime in the near future (nothing definite, but its amazing how much room I have now that most of my clothes are packed away). I miss my best friend (I love you!). I read 100 pages, wrote two papers, and recited a poem today. And I just ripped seven CD's to my laptop. All while writing a 50,000 word novel.

Amen.

NaNoWriMo: 13 days to go!

I'm getting really excited! I have started creating book characters on http://elouai.com/, which is always fun. I will do some character reveals once we get closer, and I actually start writing.

One thing I'm happy to announce is I actually have a name for my main character! It comes from a minor character in a  BBC show called Ballykissangel my mother really liked for a while . It is spelled Padraig, but it is pronounced 'POOR-RICK'. I did not make this name up, just FYI. The name means 'patrician' or 'noble', which I thought was fitting for a Leprechaun.

My mom is ridiculously excited to read it when I'm done, so I'm going to strive to actually successfully write it from start to finish, which I didn't do my first two years. That was mainly because I failed to pace myself, so I'm going to write up a better story line this year, for sure.

I also have plans to sneak people I know into the book, not even as minor characters, but just as random strangers. It's going to be way too much fun.

I'm leaving for the weekend and won't have a lot of internet access, but I'm starting to do some legitimate research on Ireland so I don't look like a complete simpleton. I am Irish on both my mom and my dad's side, so I think I am up to the task!

This is going to be the best NaNoWriMo EVER.

source

Priscilla Tabitha Akron

I started a story about two years ago that was extraordinary complicated called 'Things'.

The story is a complete bust; I can't develop and keep up with that many characters, and I certainly can't make a believable enchanted world while trying to keep up with the characters.

So I doubt the piece as a whole will ever go anywhere except my 'look back on how pathetic you used to be and feel better' documents box.

But...there was one character in there I vaguely remembered. Her name was Priscilla, but you should call her Prissy.

Here are the three scenes I wrote with her. I'm captivated by this character; she's kind of mean, but very vulnerable. I think she might have her own story brewing underneath the overzealous plot that has lead me to lose hope for 'Things'.  Ejoy!

Monday afternoon, Prissy sat on the railing of the front deck, wishing for cold. It was so hot, and it was only May! The summer would get hotter, to be sure. She looked down at her black top and thick purple scarf and black jeans, wondering if it really was too hot to wear that much black, and thinking she looked kind of punk to be living in a place like Well Water. She wondered if the founders of the town realized how terrible that name sounded, or if they’d meant it to be more like, Pleasant Water. Either way, she was stuck in the tiny, hot, miserable town of Well Water.

“Hey! Hey, Akron!”

Prissy looked down, and saw with disdain that it was Calvin, the annoying son of the family who came to Well Water every 4^th of July holiday to fish in Lake Well Water. He called her Akron, despite the fact she had introduced herself as Priscilla Tabitha Akron, but you should call me Prissy.

“What do you want, Calvin?” She asked, tossing her layered black hair, which was currently streaked purple. “I’m not in the mood for you.”

Calvin snickered in the obnoxious way he always snickered. “Yeah, right. Your sitting there alone and bored, and your hot and sweaty, ‘cause you’re wearing all that black, and you were just hoping I’d show up!”

“Yeah, right. Whatever,” Prissy said, rolling her blue eyes. “I would think you’d have better things to do with your time than bug me. Then again, maybe not.” After all, how enthralling could a summer of catching fish be?
“Whatever. Look, Akron, my Pop sent me over to warn you people about some guy that’s been reported around this area. He goes around and breaks into houses. He’ll probably go for yours, since it’s so ugly.”

“More like because it’s the only house in this whole town that has anything valuable in it,” Prissy said smugly. “I doubt your family has much in that camper of yours, if you vacation in a place like this,”

“We’ve got tons in our camper!” Calvin retorted, sticking his tongue out at her.

“Sure,” Prissy said, smiling. “Like, mountains of stuff from curio shops and fishing tackle, right?”
Calvin wrinkled his nose at her. “You look so ugly when you smile like that, Akron,” And he raced off in the direction of the lake, leaving Prissy to wonder a little about the burglar going around. She slipped off the porch railing and went inside to tell her mother.

The heat wasn’t much better inside, and Mrs. Akron didn’t seem too concerned. “Yeah, I heard about that,” She walked around Prissy with the Dirt Devil. Their many cats didn’t’ like vacuums, and trying to pick up cat hairs with an ancient, powerless Dirt Devil was somewhat of a thankless task. “By the way, your father and I are driving up to Carmen tonight, for a date,”
“Mm hm,” Prissy said. “Sure,” A night of uninterrupted television and whatever food she could find. Awesome.

 Prissy sat sideways in the arm chair, her legs dangling over one side, three cats sitting in her lap. They were watching an old Disney movie from the 60’s. The cats seemed to be enjoying it more than Prissy they were purring so loud. “That guy is cute, don’t you think?” Prissy said, stroking Willow’s ears. “He’s probably like, in his nineties now. But he’s still cute,” Peaches and Patches purred in agreement.

Prissy yawned and stretched. It was nearing ten, and her parents wouldn’t be home till after midnight. They were having dinner with some friends and seeing a Broadway show in Carmen. The movie ended abruptly about twenty minutes later, and it was pitch black outside. Prissy gently lifted the three cats off of her and went to the kitchen to get a snack. She flipped on the light, and froze.

There was a guy standing in the kitchen. He was tall, wearing all black…and a ski mask. Prissy’s heart stopped and started again a few times, as she remembered what Calvin had said about a burglar going around the area. All the blood drained from her face as the guy turned around and saw her. He took a step towards her, and Prissy screamed.

“Shh! Quiet!” He clamped a hand over her mouth. “Calm down, ok? This is probably not what you think,”
Prissy stared at him over his hand on her mouth, her eyes wide.

“Be quiet,” He repeated, and removed his hand from her mouth.

 She sagged against the wall, shaking. “What are you doing here!?” She breathed.

“What do you think?”
“Robbing my house?” Prissy replied, shrugging. “Are you gonna kill me? My mom will just freak if you do…and I don’t think I’m insured…” She realized that she was rambling senselessly, but she couldn’t stop.

“I’m not robbing your house, ok?” He said. “I needed to find you,”
Prissy blinked. “Well…ok…why?”

“I can’t tell you. Can you be in Cade Center tomorrow?” He asked.

She blinked again. “Um…maybe…why?”

“It’s important,” He paused. “You are Priscilla Akron, right?”
Seemed a little late to ask that. “Yeah,”

“Your father is Professor Akron?”

“Yeah…why?”
“Be at the library in Cade Center at one tomorrow. It’s important.” He headed towards the door, and paused. “Don’t tell your parents about this.”

And he just…left. He opened the kitchen door and slipped out. Prissy let herself sag down the wall till she was seated on the kitchen linoleum, and didn’t even notice that seven cats were swarming around her, purring and meowing and begging for attention.

“Oh…boy…” She breathed.

Prissy stood in the doorway of her parents’ room, twisting the hem of her pajama shirt. She wished she knew what to do. She was scared, but curious. She hovered a few more seconds, watching her amazing mom’s shoulders rise and fall, her beautiful golden hair falling down over her face. She looked at her dad, snoring softly, his face a little scruffy, murmuring softly once in a while. Prissy took a deep breath, and stepped quietly over to the side of the bed her father was on.

“Dad?” She said softly.

Immediately, his eyes opened. They fixed on Prissy, and he smiled. “Morning, Honey. Something wrong? It’s a little early,”

Prissy bit her lip, and her father sat up. “Come here,” She sat down next to him and let him hug her. “Now, what’s the matter? You look upset,”

Prissy sighed. “Um…well…somebody was here last night while you were gone,” She said quickly.

“What do you mean?” Her father asked.

“Um…” She quickly described the scene in the kitchen the night before, and she started to tremble at the thought of it. “And then he asked if you were my dad. And…he told me to come to the library in Cade Center today…at one,”

“Hm.” Was all her father said.

“I…I’m scared. I don’t know what to do. So I came to you,”
Her father put his arms around her. “Oh, Prissy. I’m so glad you did. It’s nice to know you’re still my little girl,”

“I’ll always be your little girl,” Prissy said, wrapping her arms around him. Her dad always made her feel so safe, she wanted to be his little girl forever. She knew he wanted that, too. “So…what should I do?”

“You should go to the library in Cade Center today at one,” Her father replied. “I think I know who that was who came here. Listen to me, Prissy,” His hazel eyes met hers, serious and concerned. “If this is about what I think it’s about, you need to trust me. Say yes. I love you, but this is so important, it’s a risk I’m willing to take, if you’re willing,”

“What do you mean?” Prissy asked.

“I can’t tell you. Do you trust me?”

Prissy looked up into her dad’s eyes, and wondered how she could not trust him. “Absolutely. I’ll say yes, to whatever the question. But…what about Mom?”

“I’ll talk to her, Honey,” He said, kissing her forehead. “Go get dressed. I’ll take you to Cade Center on my way to Carmen,” He was a professor at the university there.

Prissy nodded, and left for her room. She tingled with excitement, wondering what was in store for her. It was going to be amazing, she knew that much. Her dad was sure of it.

I'll Probably Put You in a Book Someday

I need this shirt. I currently don't have a ton of money for my own personal leisure, but MAN! That's going on my wish list.

I have this weird little quirk about me (that annoys most of my sisters), where I'll see a person and go, "Oh. I have got to put this person in a book someday!!"

Because there are some pretty epic people in the world who would make for fabulous literature.

Three examples (all guys, strangely enough) would be Hank, from our youth group, who has the most expressive face and the most amazing sense of humor. Than there's two of my co-workers, who both have that amazing 'I'm an incredible person whose only working at this grocery store to serve you and make money for my unbelievably awesome dreams' vibe.

And than the random stranger, who has a great beard, an awesome hat, wicked combat boots, or just has this swagger that creates an entire personality for them in your mind!

As I get better and better at writing, I search more and more outside of myself for my characters. The plot can come straight from the depths of my soul, but if every character in my books come from me, they're all going to be cripplingly similar.

If you want to write, be observant. Notice random things about people that reveal their depth. Like the guy who locks his keys in his truck, and doesn't hesitate to climb in the back window and use a broom to hit the switch to unlock the door. Or the little old lady whose practicing giving a hard time on you for when her daughter gets home. Or the girl who holds an oven mitt with a teddy bear on it up to her face and asks if you see the resemblance.

People are amazing creatures. We all have the most obnoxiously delightful little quirks. There's only so much you can come up with on your own. For instance, in one of my books, the female main character, Georgie, is pretty much straight out of my brain and even crazier than I am. Her best friend, Cody, has little things about him from all of  my best friends, like his sarcasm his sense of adventure and his concern for Georgie. He is a much more complex and well-developed character than he would have been if I had just scrounged up a stereo-typical guy from my imagination.

I love character development. You get to write down all these little things about your character until you know everything about them, and half that stuff won't even end up in the book! And all those little things come from people...maybe even YOU.  Because I'll probably put you in a book someday.