Ten:Five Questions

By Pamela

When you first meet me you might notice my eyes but probably not--they're not particularly big or an unusual color. Hazel, really. Unless I'm wearing a particular shade of blue and then you'd say they are blueish-hazel. My hair? Shoulder-length, auburn-ish--depending on the box I've used to color out the grey. Average height. Average weight. (OK, this is getting a little depressing.) An accent? Midwest speed-talk, a bit nasaly with a hint of southern twang from spending nearly 20 years way-way south of the Mason Dixon Line.

Does this seem normal to you? Does to me!

But if you started to dig, really ask me questions, some weird stuff might come out. Not crazy-weird but different-than-you-weird. I'm boringly domestic in that I love to bake and cook. I sew my own drapes and pillows. I feel empty if I skip church. I got divorced at 25 but have been remarried for 22 years. My little toes are hideous and I feed my dog the last two bites of my yogurt every morning. I like to iron. I was 15 before I ever stayed in a hotel room; 20 before I ever rode in an airplane. I have a particular fondness for flea markets, antique malls and thrift stores. I'm adept with a bow and arrow and could survive in the wilderness for days if I had a fishing pole and some matches. And some water. And a knife would be good.

So, if I were a character in your novel, what would make me different than the other characters in your story? At first glance, I'm average. Dull, even. But ask me some questions and suddenly I'm a little different than the other moms who drop their girls off at the neighborhood elementary school. How well do you know your characters?

Here is a list of ten categories with five questions in each that might help you learn a bit more about your characters. Maybe start with your main character and then go from there. Will you need or even use all this in your novel? Not likely. But knowing it will help if your character ends up in a situation you didn't see coming. Who we are and where we've been factor into how we react to events that happen in our lives.

1. Childhood 
Where did she grow up?
Who was her best friend?
Did she have siblings?
Did her parents stay married?
What kind of student was she?

2. Family and Friends
Does she have children?
Is she married?
Does she stay in touch with distant relatives?
Does she have a best friend?
How much would she tell someone she just met?

3. Health and wellness
What does she eat?
Does she drink or smoke?
Does she exercise?
Does she regularly visit a dentist/doctor/therapist?
Has she ever had a major health episode?

4. Appearance
What does she look like--height/weight/age?
What type of clothing does she wear?
Is she aging gracefully or getting Botox?
What does she sleep in?
Heels or flats; sandals or tennies?

5. Lifestyle 
What kind of car does she drive?
What type of house does she live in?
Where does she shop?
What part of the country does she live in?
What does she do for fun?

6. Humanitarianism
Does she volunteer?
What is she most passionate about?
Does she own a pet?
Does she give money to any causes?
Is she aware of events beyond her social circle?

7. Quirks
Does she have any annoying habits?
Is there a particular word or phrase she often uses?
Does she whistle/sing/hum when she walks/showers/cleans?
Does she talk with her hands or frowns when she's deep in thought?
Does she have an unusual talent?

8. Pleasures
Does she like to read or watch movies or both?
If she had an entire day to herself, what would she do?
What's her one indulgence?
What food would be her "last meal" choice?
How does she view sex?

9. World view and Technology
Is she political?
Does she watch/listen to the news?
Does she believe in God?
Does she own the latest gadgets/phone?
Could she change a flat tire?

10. Traumatic events
What is the worst thing that has happened to her?
What does she fear most?
What would she do if confronted by a killer/rapist/robber?
What keeps her awake at night?
If she had one do-over, what would it be?

There are many more questions you should be prepared to answer about your main character as they apply to your story. Celebrity crush? Favorite song? One regret? The list is endless! But maybe this will give you a place to start. What will you learn about your character today that you didn't know?

Empty Nest - Full World

by Joan

Last year at this time, I was harvesting tears for my soon-to-be graduating senior. Last basketball game, last months at a beloved school, last high school dance pictures. The term empty nest was ringing in my head and it sounded so, well, so empty. And cliché.

Fast-forward a year. While I do miss my son--the uplift in his voice when he says ‘Hi, Mom,’ the shared dinners and movies, the waiting up and worrying (oh, wait, I don’t miss that at all!)--this empty nest business is pretty fun. (Really must come up with a better name—otherwise I’m in danger of cliché-ing myself out of an audience.)

I’ve been accused of being a hermit. Left on my own, I could sit in my office or my comfy chair or the back porch and write and read til the end of time. I suppose I would break occasionally for movies and wine and food.

Luckily my husband doesn’t let me get away with this hermit business for too long, because it’s only in the “real world” that a writer can view humanity with all its flaws and quirks and charms.

At the Dallas Arboretum, I see ripe raspberry tulips, snowing cherry trees, grannies with oxygen, and Glenda-the-Good-Witch quinceanera dresses. I hear screeching kids splash through frog fountains, frustrated moms reining in toddlers, and the click-click of my husband’s well-executed camera.

At the Kimball Impressionist exhibit I see monks viewing Renoirs and Monets, retired couples holding hands, cackling church ladies in matching red-ribboned hats.

At the Fort Worth Botannical Japanese Gardens I see plump koi fish and Kyoto-style stepping stones, hopeful brides and weary groomsmen.

And everywhere I see the faces of my next characters. Features, yes: wide noses, close-set eyes, stringy hair. But also expressions: resigned fathers, flirty twenty-somethings, sad botoxed cougars.

I've not settled on an idea for my next manuscript, but I can already see some of the characters' images and personalities auditioning before me.

Perhaps I need a few more outings. It won’t take long to exhaust Dallas and Fort Worth. Pretty soon we’ll be planning hikes in Ireland and Wales, a photo jaunt to Yosemite (with me hiding in the car from bears), and a return to my favorites, New York (may I stay here, please?!) and London.

Where do you get your best ideas?