Like millions of others I have jumped on the NaNoWriMo bandwagon for the second time this year. I seem to be more productive than last year, so far. I am very excited with my possible novel. As a way of getting a structured plot going, I began to figure out who exactly my main character was. I used these questions that I found at Script Frenzy that helps your develop your characters. Although it was made with characters for television or movie scripts in mind, I think it can be applied with just about the same effect to characters for novels.

1. Name: Ichabod Anderson

2. Age: 14

3. Height: 5’3”

4. Eye color: One eye blue the other white. It grows red (and painful) when spirits are nearby.

5. Physical appearance: Short, skinny, and pale, Ichabod looks delicate and unhealthy. It isn’t far from the truth. In fact, this is very much the truth. He’s a picky eater and is allergic to most things so his diet is composed mainly of brown rice and some kind of poultry.

6. Strange or unique physical attributes: Icchie wears a leather eye patch to cover his “blind” eye. He’s a bit short for his age so he gets lost in the crowd a lot.

7. Favorite clothing style/outfit: Despite living in a wealthy household, Icchie doesn’t often wear name brand clothing. He is rather meticulous about his appearance though, so everything is tucked in where it should be and ironed to near perfection. He is particularly attached to collecting Vans shoes and different hats. He hopes the hats will distract people from his eye patch. His clothing isn’t extremely baggy but definitely not tight because it makes him feel claustrophobic.

8. Where does he or she live? What is it like there? Graymoore, West Virginia. The summers are warm. Since it is a town that is pretty elevated from the other towns, summers are rarely hot. There have been some record breaking days that are tied in to weird happenings in the town of Graymoore. Winters are cold, some winters more than others but nothing severe. It’s a small town so most families know each other. The town is full of gossips and strange characters that aren’t afraid to tell you all about their mundane or not so mundane daily life.

9. Defining gestures/movements: Ichabod has the habit of sucking his teeth when he’s annoyed at someone. Often, it is a thoughtless action. He doesn’t mean to be impolite but he has a low tolerance for stupidity. When he’s thinking, he pinches his bottom lip between his thumb and index finger. He walks with long light steps, hoping it will make him seem taller.

10. Things about his or her appearance he or she would most like to change: His height.

11. Speaking style (fast, talkative, monotone, etc.): It’s not that he speaks slowly. Rather, he just thinks a lot, making his responses slow. His wit is sharp though, when he can be bothered. He does understand humor and if pressed he can crack a joke but he likes to pretend he’s a humorless guy. It keeps people distant from him. He answers in the shortest sentences as possible when speaking to someone he dislikes or is annoyed by.

12. Pet peeves: Idiots, people who actually use chat speak out loud, people who cry in public, loud breathers.

13. Fondest memory: His 5^th birthday, when his father bought him a bike as a present—right before he discovered he was allergic to pistachios.

14. Hobbies/interests: Sleeping, studying, and remaining hidden from the public eye.

15. Special skills/abilities: Able to see and feel ghosts/spirits.

16. Insecurities: He worries over his height. He hopes to hit a growth spurt before finishing High School. He is also self conscious over his eye/eye patch although he pretends he doesn’t care if people stare.

17. Quirks/eccentricities: Counts steps going up and down stairs. He won’t step on odd numbered steps. He has an odd fascination for good luck charms.

18. Temperament (easygoing, easily angered, etc.): For the most part he is rather benevolent. Even if he is annoyed he wouldn’t yell or react violently. However, he tends to be judgmental upon first meeting and a little reckless when it comes to other’s feelings.

19. Negative traits: Judgmental, inconsiderate, over thinks everything, superstitious to a fault, overly cautious, unable to trust.

20. Things that upset him or her: Betrayal of secrets, gossip, having his short height pointed out, having his eye issue pointed out, being gifted/cursed.

21. Things that embarrass him or her: Girls who openly flirt with/around him, when he trips, his grandmother

22. Things this character really cares about: Family and himself.

23. Any phobias? Heights, pigs, getting lost in the dark, and the dark.

24. Things that make him or her happy:  Not seeing ghosts. Not sensing ghosts; His grandmother not bringing up the damn ghosts; His mother not bringing up the damn ghosts either; Remaining just another student for the rest of his high school years; Getting top grades in school, sleeping, and Sudoku.

25. Family (describe): Although Ichabod’s parents and siblings are incredibly normal, his grandparents from his Dad’s side make up for it. With a seemingly mute Grandpa and an overly eccentric Grandma, Icchie doesn’t know what to make of them. His family unit is composed of Wendy Buchest (Mom/Mrs. Anderson),

26. Deepest, darkest secret: He has a missing twin sister that only the immediate family knows about. The night she disappeared, Ichabod was with her. He doesn’t fully remember the night but has dreams with flashing scenes of that occurrence. He refuses to talk about it with anyone, especially his pushy Grandmother.

27. Reason he or she kept this secret for so long: He might be partially to blame for his sister’s disappearance. Unable to cope or accept the guilt and consequences, his mind has blocked the memories of this night.

28. Other people’s opinions of this character (What do people like about this character? What do they dislike about this character?): Ichabod’s short height and slightly feminine bone structure attracts a lot of attention, particularly from girls because he has a very cute appearance. Despite his cold personality, he is a rather reliable person. Ichabod believes that a man is as good as his word and this wins him some respect amongst his peers. However, Icchie sometimes tends to be too honest and inadvertently hurts others without meaning to. This has caused him to gain some enemies in the past.

29. Favorite bands/songs/type of music: Ichabod doesn’t have much of a preference over music. He listens to whatever is playing on the radio although he does pride himself in knowing a few indie bands but it isn’t much. At the moment, his favorite band is The Killers.

30. Favorite movies: Anything that has nothing to do with the paranormal or supernatural, the more boring the better. Needless to say, he has a large amount of documentaries in his DVD library. His favorite collection is the Planet Earth series he has in Blu-Ray.

31. Favorite TV shows: 24, Arrested Development, Community, Parks and Recreation

32. Favorite foods: Eggplant—actually, all vegetables are his favorite.

33. Favorite sports/sports teams: He doesn’t ‘do’ sports.

34. Political views: Politics have nothing to do with him, thank you.

35. Religion/philosophy: Atheist for the time being. He figures if you don’t believe in something long enough you’ll stop seeing it. It hasn’t quite worked out for him yet, but he surmises it’s a long-term process and he just needs to give it more time.

36. Dream vacation: Somewhere incredibly normal and droll, where he can hide away from peppy individuals and the sun.

37. Description of his or her house: His parents own several ski resorts across the United States, as such, they aren’t beyond having any kind of home they want. Still, despite being economically well off, the Andersons own a rather humble looking home in the mountainous region of Graymoore, West Virginia, very close to a ski resort named Shellac’s Ski and Snowboarding resort that—you guessed it—is owned by Mr. Anderson. The home has a lot of windows, letting in ample natural light. In the living room, while you sit near the all stone fireplace, you can watch the skiers and snowboarders come down Shellac’s Staples Trail. The home also possesses a hot tub that the happily wedded couple tends to overuse in Ichabod’s opinion. Not once has the frail boy stepped inside it. He doesn’t want to think about what his parents have been up to in there. The hot tub also functions as a Jacuzzi. In the second floor are four bedrooms and a guest room which you can reach by going up the wooden spiral staircase. The nice originally a vacation home is equipped with every amenity imaginable. The cable has over 250 channels, even though Ichabod only watches about five channels. Nearby the home is a wildlife refuge, dumb looking deer distract Icchie from his homework, hiking trails, fishing ponds, rivers and creeks, caverns, places to go hiking canoeing, white water rafting, and even scuba diving. Their home is about a four hour drive away from Washington D.C.

39. Any pets? Absolutely not. He’s allergic to pet dandruff.

40. Best thing that has ever happened to this character: Graduating from 8^th grade with little emotional damage has, so far, been his greatest accomplishment.

41. Worst thing that has ever happened to this character: Losing his twin sister and being unable to shake off this pesky curse.

42. Superstitions: Ichabod has too many to mention.  Some of them include: its bad luck to put a hat on a bed. You must get out of bed on the same side that you get in or you will have bad luck. Bees can be messengers of doom. The sound of bells drives off demons because they’re afraid of the loud noise; wearing blue protects you from witches; do not lean a broom against a bed. The evil spirits in the broom will cast a spell on the bed, etc. 

43. Three words to describe this character: Superstitious, Self-conscious, and Vulnerable.

44. If a song played every time this character walked into the room, what song would it be? Reckoner by Radiohead

I see you made it to my writing blog! Welcome. Nice to have you. I’m really no good at these introductory posts. I always draw a blank and only after have I posted do I realize there was so much I could have added. In any case, this is a little journal for my one shots, short stories, character development, and for me to ramble about what inspires me to write or doesn’t inspire me to write. I might go off about pet peeves too. I apologize in advance if I deviate from the topic. I tend to do that a lot. I’m working hard to correct this. Please support me from the cyber sidelines. \o/

If you have any questions regarding me or my writing, don’t hesitate to click on the ask button and dropping me a line or two. I swear I don’t bite if you are nice. >]