Thursday, March 15, 2012

SFP3: Character Developement

Here is an example of irony:  When I was younger I use to sit around and make up lists of baby names that I loved.  Like to the point that it was probably very unsettling to anyone who happened to come across one of my one million and five notebooks.  I could not wait to grow up and have a baby so that I could name him or her.  Now that I am a grown up older and I have two babies... I didn't end up getting to choose either one of their names as they are both named after their grandfathers.  BTW, getting to name a baby?  NOT that awesome.  I’m glad I didn’t have babies just to name them as I had down in the original plan for “adult life”.

So really... all I have left in life at this point is to become a writer because how else am I ever going to get to pick a cool name to give to a human being unless it's in one of my stories?  If we were to get a pet at some point I am 1000% positive anything I suggest will be out voted.  If my boys end up procreating, I have a strong suspicion their wife or partner will not be down with their MIL naming their kid.  This is pretty much the only avenue I have left.

That being said, here I am at my MOMENT.

I’ve thought about it a lot.  I like the name Beau for a female lead.  Not too many girls are named Beau and it certainly hasn't been used enough for anyone to have an image pre-conjured in their head.  I imagine her to be a fairly generic pretty woman.  Not beautiful... just pleasant looking.  Not skinny, not fat, not perfectly proportionate... just normal.  I think she should be a brunette with blond highlights and blue eyes.  To give her depth maybe I'll give her crappy skin, some stretch marks and slightly crooked teeth.  Personality wise, I think she should be witty, sarcastic and very pragmatic.  I think she should like making excel spreadsheets and organizing things.  I’ll most likely haver her work from home making things for an etsy shop and being a "virtual assistant" for some local businesses.

Where will she live:  The South?  The East?  The Midwest?  The Pacific Coast?  I would love to set her in the south because I think it would provide ample opportunity to deal with the religious aspect of the main ideas.  The problem is what I know about the south, I've only read in "The Help" or seen in "Forest Gump", right?  I don't remember too much about living in Texas except that I was an obvious outcast and did not fit in at all... and that Texas’s idea of "Mexican food" sucked.  So maybe the Mid west then?  Still ample opportunity to deal with the religious theme.  I have enough friends and family members that have lived there all their lives that I could probably either ascertain enough of the information or ask questions.  OR... should I write about what I know and set her in CA?  Maybe on the central coast?  Hmmmm....

Beau's Husband:  I don't know his name yet (something normal though like Tom or Tim or Peter) but I am 99.99999% sure he is going to be an astrophysicist who considers himself an "Ancient Alien Theorist".  And let's just be upfront right now... I am going to 100% model him after Bill.  How could I not?  Bill is the perfect balance of everything… unless I am currently pissed at him.  But that would be the point in modeling the husband after him.  He'll interact with Beau and his kids the way Bill interacts with us.  Physically he'll be a moderately attractive dork.

Beau's kids:  How many?  2 or 3.  Sexes?  I don't have girls, I only have boys... but I think there should be at least 1 daughter.  I'm thinking 2 boys and a girl with the girl being the oldest.  Ages?  Names?  ........ Maybe 8, 6 & 4?  Tabitha or Sadie or Alex (Lexy?) or (?)for the daughter.  For the boys maybe I'll make it easy and just name one after his father (He'll be TJ or PJ)... and the other one can be Jake.

Here is a pretty important thought:  Where do astrophysicists even live?  Where (besides NASA) do they even work?  What do they even do all day for their job besides be awesome and introduce themselves like, “Yes.  Nice to meet you.  I am Peter and I rule at life because I am Astrophysicist.”   I don’t even know.  Perhaps I begin here.


1 comment:

  1. You should be a writer. And, I like Lexy. I think that the first line of the book should be the "Yes. Nice to meet you. I am Peter and I rule at life because I am an Astrophysicist."

    Yes. You should DEFINITELY be a writer. I will (super excitedly!) stay tuned.

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