M is for Mitchell #atozchallenge

Tall and mysterious were definitely the words most people would use to describe Mitchell, but those that really knew him would say soft and sensitive.  Mitchell was not the school type, but he did finish his vocational program and was working hard and steady to establish himself as a line mechanic. His meticulous nature and determination made him an excellent mechanic. Working the night shift made him seem mysterious to the day crew, why would someone want to work late at night, especially a young guy. At only 20 he was  the youngest mechanics at the dealership. Since he was single and not really interested in a relationship , the night shift suited him well and allowed him to work on his own projects during the day.  His buddy went to school at night and was available to work alongside him on their joint venture toys so he really couldn't ask for more.  Yes, there were days when he missed having someone to hang out with, but he still had feelings for that one young lady he lost.

L is for lost #atozchallenge

I should have taken the easy way out which was to use L for Lists (my previous post on character interviews), honestly  I don't have any characters with L names, I don't know why it isn't a letter I use. Never even thought of L names when I was pregnant.
I'm lost of an L name, I'm lost in a mess of chaos right now and the only thing keeping me above water is my escape into the little worlds/ scenes I create when I am writing. Writing has become once again and escape for me, no matter what is going on around me I can set it aside and write, create, daydream.

Character Interviews I use #atozchallenge

Since I am working on a list of characters, I thought I would take the time to share a couple lists of questions to answer about characters you a writing.

Basic Character Interview: (this is my own personal collection of things)
1. Name
2. Age/ Birthday
3. Physical traits (list 5)
4. Favorites (list 5)
5. Marital Status/ views on marriage
6. Children (have/ want)
7. Siblings
8. Religion / views on religion
9. Political views (party affiliation or list 5 or 6 general views)
10. Philosophy (personal and professional)
11. Career or career path
12. Hobbies (list 3)
13. Interests (list  5)
14. Childhood dreams
15. Fantasy
16. House (where lives, what kind of setting : house, condo, dorm, apartment, etc...)
17. Car
18. Darkest secret
19. Greatest Accomplishment
20. Fears (list 3)
21. Desires (list no more than 5)
22. Regrets (list 3)
23. How the character sees his/ her self.

I find this list helps get to know the person I am writing about (leaves enough room to grow.) I also don't answer every question right off the bat, sometimes I get to know the character while I write and will jot down  answers as I go.

Worksheet on Attraction (complete one set for heroine and one for hero)
***This is something I was given in college, I did not write it, but don't know who the original author is to give credit to****

1 Why is the hero attractor to the heroine? What does he respond to in her beyond the physical? What aspects of her character and personality draw him in?

2. How will the heroine fulfil his emotional and internal needs? Heroes often think they don't have any emotional needs - this is a part of growth.

3. Emotionally speaking what does he want that he has never gotten from a woman and how will the heroine give that to him? Again he may not even know he has such a need

4. What does he find in her that he lacks in himself? How do her strengths make him stronger?

5. How is he different with the heroine that he is or ever has been with any other woman, emotionally speaking again?

6. How is she his best friend and understands him in a way that no other person does? There things come up over the course of the book.

7. What secret or secrets do the two of them share?

8. What makes this hero different from any other heo. List the two or three traits that I want to reveal in his speech and actions? Good or bad.

K is for Katherine #atozchallenge

Katherine seemed rushed no matter how hard she tried to get things done, her days were filled with no less than 3 full classes everyday, 4 hours working in the campus bookstore , and working to get all her homework done just to start the next day with only 3-4 hours of sleep each night. Life for this college student was a push, but yet she felt something was missing.  She really did not have time to find the missing something today though, she was late for a lecture in Psychology on the other side of campus. Thankfully her bag wasn't as heavy today and she could cut across the commons and dash behind the Student Union building and up the backside of the Social Sciences building ducking in the back way.  As she cut across the commons she felt like someone was watching her, but brushed it off as nothing in her rush to get where she needed to be.
Falling into her seat among the rest of the Psychology class she was relieved to see she made it with time to spare. Pulling out her notebook, she began jotting down some questions that she wanted to ask the speaker following the reading of his latest book related to birth order in young adults.

Katherine pulled her blonde hair into a quick ponytail and straightened her campus Bookstore staff shirt as she freshened up her makeup, ready to hit the floor for her afternoon shift. Thursdays in the bookstore were pretty mellow, usually the only traffic they saw would be from the students that actually did their projects over the weekends instead of waiting until the last minute. As she reached her assigned register, she caught a glimpse of a tall, slender guy with a black cowboy hat on. Most people didn't surprise her, but something about his caught her by surprise, where had she seen him before?

J is for Justin #atozchallenge

His black hair shone as ebony when  he tipped his black stetson hat passing the girls in the hall. Most of the guys on the 4th floor thought Justin was a little weird, but the girls all seemed to blush when he gestured and smiled at them. He might be something of an anomaly on campus, but he grew up with a strong belief that a lady was something to be treated with respect. While his cowboy hat seemed out of place in Avery Hall he had earned his spot on campus working hard , maintaining his grades and showing compassion and chivalry to those around him. As a business major he spent a lot of time studying trends in marketing, finance, and crunching numbers; one thing wasn't going to change his compassion.
He caught a quick glance of her across the common area and wondered who she was....

I is for Insanity #atozchallenge

I is for Insanity, hey I'm just keeping it real. As a homeschool mom of 2 boys who dreams of writing all day and not worrying about the real world, the dishes, or even the laundry I tend to get in over my head. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who can't go a day without doing a load of laundry and an amazing mother who comes over once a week to help me clean up the messes the boys and I manage to make.  The insanity is all the crazy chaos circling around inside my mind. Most people don't even try to understand me thank goodness and those that try and actually get me learn rather quickly that I don't fit into a box, I actually create my own box and it doesn't have 4 sides , a top, and a bottom it is actually more of a cylinder. I dream big and reach higher each time, and that is all I can ask for.
I am spiritual, thoughtful, romantic, and whimsical all of which tend to land me in hot water no matter which way I turn.
My characters come from inside this crazy brain of mine and all stem from parts of my existence or my dreams.  I try to follow the advice a professor gave me in college to 'write what you know', but honestly I often question what I know.
There are days when it is all clear and I can write (usually on paper) for hours, but most days I  am lucky to find the time to blog here much less my normal blogs. I love my boys and the insanity of being a homeschool mama and will take the quiet moments I can steal from the day and savor them.

F is for Facebook #atozchallenge

This isn't a character or setting per say, although I do share characters and ideas here.
My creative writing blog has a Facebook Page and I would so appreciate anyone that feels like it , stopping by and liking the page, you can even leave a comment if you feel like it.

On another Facebook note... If you are writing in a modern setting do you use social media like Facebook or Twitter ? How do you feel about reading sections that incorporate those into the story? I have a story I am working on that the original setting and scenes used AOL instant messenger, but the setting has now moved forward enough that I am trying to figure out how to incorporate those conversations.

D is for Daniel #atozchallenge

Daniel sat in the cafeteria waiting for the girls, he wasn't waiting for just any girls, he was waiting for his crew of girls; his friends and counterparts in the upcoming production.  Daniel was one of only 2 guys in the upcoming production so he was always surrounded by girls.
His dark brown hair looked almost black and his tall slender build made him just that much more intriguing to the girls he worked with. His dark eyes and pale complexion only added to the mystery that was Daniel. Most people didn't get to know him at all really. He was quiet unless he was on stage then he commanded a presence. He was multi talented and managed to handle his class load with grace and ease , never complaining just getting it done and submerging himself in the arts as much as he could.

C is for Corinda #atozchallenge

Corinda sat quietly in the back row of the theater reading her next scene. Something about this scene just wasn't right, she was struggling with the purpose and the characters involved. What the worst part of the issues, she wrote the script. This play was her senior project and so far she was having more issues and ready to throw in the towel, this had to work, the message was import and she had worked to hard to get it right to fail now.
THe house lights were still dimm when she finally got up and walked to the tech room door, she was always more at home sitting in the light booth, maybe she could work out the issues the script was having under the cold blue light of the booth with a steady stream of music.
"Where is that darn key?" she searched through her oversized canvas bag lookign for the crazy faces key chain.. "There it it " She carefully turned the key in the tiny lock.
Tossing her bag on the floor next to the desk, Corinda pulled her hair away from her face and wrapped it in a messy bun with a pencil to hold it in place. Her midnight black hair looked like glass under the cold blue light of the booth. Flopping down on the overstuffed chair she began to play the scenes in her head visualizing the characters and trying to listen in to their dialogue.

B is for Brieanna #atozchallenge

Blonde hair, blue eyes, taller than average with a small but strong build; that's Brieanna in a nutshell, on the outside anyway. Spunky, inspired,  and fiercely opinionated, when she sets her mind on something, nothing will change her mind or her path.

"Hey Brieanna!" the high pitched excitement from the far end of the hall caught her attention , although she couldn't miss it if she tried. "Are you coming to rehearsal?" that was kind of a dumb question, why would she miss rehearsal, she was the lead, some people!?

"Of course, just have to drop off a paper to Mr. Bolin's office. I'll be there in a few minutes." her English teacher had given her 1 extra day to hand in her mid term paper and she managed to finish it a bit early so figured she would just get it out of the way.

Who is Brieanna?  Brieanna is a mix of a couple of characters that finally came together. She is talented but not too confident, she takes inspiration for life and when she gets an idea there really is no changing her mind. She is the oldest daughter of 5 children, her parents are existing characters you will meet later. (She is actually the second generation to a story I previously wrote)

A if for Andora #atozchallenge

Andora stood by the window, gazing at the dark looming clouds quietly praying the storm would stay at bay just a few more hours. The creaky old latch on the window squealed as she turned it to open the window, the gentle breeze swept through her long auburn hair bringing with it the scents of an impending storm.
Andora loved the sea, it called to her stirring emotions long burried.

Who is Andora? She hasn't revealed all of herself to me yet, I only catch a glimpse of her standing by the old window watching a spring storm move in from the sea. She is on Italian heritage, her name comes from a region on the coast of northern Italy. Her mother was Italian, her father Irish. I only hope I learn more about her and can tell her story.

15 Day Blog Challenge? Sure why not?

I need all the help keeping this fire going so I signed up for the Winter Author Blog challenge in March. Should get the spark going...




If you are looking for a Winter challenge, check it out!

AtoZ Challenge 2013, ready or not here I come

I signed up for the A to Z Challenge 2013. This will be my third time setting out on this journey. This year I'm going to stick with a theme; characters and places. That will give me 26 characters and places/settings to write about... I think I can fill that pretty easily. I will then have a collection of characters and places to use for projects I have in my head.

Here is looking ahead to April.