Month: January 2011

Character Profile

| rachelhamm

I’ve been going back and forth with myself on whether or not I should post this, because it is part of my current WIP and I don’t want to jinx myself, but I feel like I need the opinions of others.  I have a character profile for one of my MCs and I need to know if it sounds like a real person- not like some cut and pasted character from another book or movie- and if it feels consistent within itself.  All thoughts welcome!

 

Profile for: Cara Renee Apple
Gender: Female
Race: Caucasian
Age: 25
Birthday: September 1, 1985
Astrological Sign: Virgo
Height: 5’5’’

Weight: 165 lbs

 

Basic Description: Good straight teeth, but not super special, think but not too thin lips- always wears gloss and chapstick.  Prefers Clinique over commercial brands, shops at Sephora or Nordstroms for makeup.  Has straight nose, not pointed, with slightly rounded tip.  Smooth, naturally tan complexion.  Wears moisturizer and sunscreen every day, washes her face every night, gets a facial twice a year.  Never had freckles or moles, no scars on her face, but ½ inch scar under chin where she fell and cut it on a coffee table when she was 6.  Heart-shaped face.
Hairstyle: dark brown, layered, a little past her shoulders, not thin or thick.  Usually is frustrated by the lack of body and volume.  Always wears it straight or pulled back in a ponytail or low bun.  Doesn’t dye her hair.  Dyed her hair once in high school and it turned bright orange- she’ll never try dying it again.
Eyes: 20-20 vision, dark brown, long, dark lashes but not thick
Body: approximately 30 lbs overweight, C cup breasts, almost a D cup.  hates her body.  tries to work out 2-3 times a week but struggles to motivate herself because she’s never seen weightloss results.  Wears size 10 or 12 depending on the brand.  Size 7 ½ shoe; has become very good at dressing for her body- enhancing her curves and minimizing fat and flab
Marks, Scars, Tattoos: Has a birthmark on her thigh shaped like a distorted flower.  No other scars besides the one on her chin.  No tattoos
Clothing: For work she wears business casual/ suits.  She shops at Ann Taylor Loft but only buys clothes on sale- always looks nice- knows how to dress for her body- wears a lot of black, navy blue, and grey.  On personal time, she sticks to jeans and fitted t-shirts, comfy boots or cute tennis shoes.  Doesn’t wear a lot of jewelry- has a ring from her high school boyfriend which she occasionally wears, but just because she likes it, not really out of nostalgic attachment or residual affection for him

 

Birthplace: Wilmington, NC- Mom moved girls to the Triangle when she and dad divorced

 

History: Parents divorced when the girls were 5 and 8.  Mom (Janice) remarried at ages 7 and 10.  Cara looked up to Ashton when they were growing up, but when Ashton graduated high school and moved out of the house, Cara began to look out for herself more- was always independent, but missing Ashton in that brief period solidified it.  Now she acts more like the older sister, taking care of Ashton and helping her out when she screws up.

 

Home: Lives in Durham- rents a townhouse- 2 bedroom 2 ½ bath.  She’s very neat- pays her bills on time, always hangs her jacket/ coat in the closet when she gets home.  Everything has its place, but she’s not one who freaks out when someone else makes a mess in her space.

Pets: None until Mr. D!

Personality: Very calm, very practical and rational, often told by Ashton to loosen up, but she’s capable of letting loose- just doesn’t around Ashton.  She’s confident in her intelligence and skill as an employee, confident that she is generally right, but not sour when proven wrong. Enjoys a good debate- both being part of one and observing one.  Speaks her mind, but usually softens any harsh judgments/realities.  She can seem cold, pompous to someone who doesn’t know her, but she’s really warm and caring to her friends and family- it just takes a while to get to know her, to get her to open up
Likes: Tea, crime dramas and comedies, maps, making lists and checking things off those lists
Dislikes: coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, gambling, commercials- especially radio commercials
Fears: failure, being in debt forever, losing her mother and sister
Goals: to go to law school and be a corporate lawyer for a bank or big company
Hobbies: Reading, taking photos, scrapbooking
Occupation: Works as a personal assistant to a lawyer @ a prestigious law firm in downtown Durham.  Duties include answering the phone, scheduling appointments and keeping track of his calendar, filing and typing briefs and other documents as well as general clerical work, pre-qualifying clients, and some light research.  Has worked there since graduating college in May of 2007.  Went to UNC, has a degree in business?? and minored in political science.  Decided not to go to law school right out of college because she wanted to work at a law firm first to find out if she still wanted to be a lawyer- also, working for a few years would allow her to save money so she wouldn’t have to work through school or take additional loans out for living expenses.
Favorite Food: Potato soup
Least Favorite Food: red peppers
Most Prized Possession: a ceramic jewelry box given to her by her grandmother (her father’s mother).  She doesn’t keep jewelry in it, though.  She keeps mementos from her childhood: seashells from Wrightsville Beach collected on walks with her parents before they divorced; ticket stubs from favorite movies; photo booth pictures of her and Ashton; her first driver’s license.
Vernacular (Way of Speaking): Thinks very carefully before she speaks- never stumbles- never says “Um,” “Well,” or “huh.”  Doesn’t use a lot of contractions.  Ashton laughs at her for speaking like she’s got a stick up her ass.  Cara doesn’t use a lot of swear words or make a lot of exclamations.
Character Behavior: precise- everything she does is done with purpose.  She doesn’t get excited or confused easily.
Aptitude: Easily picks up on any problem and won’t stop until she finds a solution.  Prides herself on her intelligence.
Social and Other Pressures, Problems: She’s shy in social situations- doesn’t know how to put herself out there to meet new people.  Doesn’t particularly want to meet new people.  Confident in the relationships she already has.
Relationships (With Who and What Kind): Most important is the relationship with her sister, Ashton.  Though Cara acts like the oldest, she knows she isn’t and has a lot of deference for Ashton when it comes to family decisions (like what to get mom for her birthday).  she loves her sister more than anything in the world and that’s why she often overlooks Ashton’s flakiness and flightiness when she wouldn’t overlook the same qualities in herself or others.

Relationship with her mother is strong.  She values her mother’s opinion and often doesn’t make huge decisions without getting it, even if it differs from her own.

Relationship with her father is strained.  She maintains it through email and the occasional phone call simply because he is her father and she’d feel guilty if she didn’t have some kind of contact with him.  She never forgave him for the divorce, though she doesn’t really understand that this is the reason for their limited relationship.  He has always wanted more, but she has turned down his attempts at closeness.

Relationship with B is growing.  She has a great deal of respect for him- sees a lot of the qualities in him that she wants to see in herself or thinks she already sees in herself- determination, focus, hard working, honest.  She doesn’t see that he has further interest in her other than employee and boss.
Belief, Superstition, Moral Value: Is not superstitious, but values hard work and honesty above almost anything.  Slightly judgmental when people don’t live up to her high standards.
Positive Characteristics: She cares very deeply about her family.  She’s a hard worker.  she doesn’t over-react to negative situations, instead looks for the solution; wants to help others when given the opportunity
Negative Characteristics: Very strict in her ways of thinking, i.e. this is the right way, this is the wrong way.  Needs to be right; can be judgmental; can appear to lack a sense of humor

I Had a Bad Day

| rachelhamm

I found myself crying today while visiting friends.  I realize this really isn’t a new phenomenon, but I haven’t cried in over a month.  Things had been going so well, but today, well, it was just a bad day.

Everyone has bad days.  My friends were having a really bad day, too, so while I did feel a little guilty for crying and making a spectacle of myself in front of them, I didn’t feel as guilty as I normally would have because they understood that some days are just really crappy.

I don’t want to go into what made it a crappy day, it was a lot of things, really, but nothing of significance or importance.  Nothing in my life is.  I live the most mundane, insignificant existence of anyone I’ve ever known.  But I thought writing it down and getting it out in the universe might help me feel better.  Purge the crap, if you will.

Because I don’t want tomorrow to be a bad day. I hate being this person who is cranky and can’t focus on anything positive.  So, deep breath.  And another one.

I’m going to bed.  Hopefully I won’t keep myself awake tossing and turning over the wretchedness of the day and my behavior and hopefully if I dream, it will be of Eric Bana, who I’ve decided is my new future husband.  Good night and God bless you for reading this horribly self-indulgent pity-party of a post.

Unfortunately, I don’t pay for the right to post videos on my blog, so you’ll just have to follow this link to see the music video of Daniel Powter’s one-hit wonder “Bad Day”

2011 Writing Exercise

| rachelhamm

I’ve already blogged about one goal I have for 2011- to write another book.  I’m going to write another book this year, I’m going to write another book this year!

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But I have another goal, and one that will hopefully help me reach the goal above.  I’m going to spend at least one hour a week doing nothing but writing.  No laptop and internet, no phone, no ipod, just a pen and a notebook.  I did it this past Saturday and it was amazing.  I’m hoping that eventually I’ll be able to commit to one hour a day, but I know that while I have 2 1/2 jobs, that’s probably not possible.  Eventually, the writing will be all story/novel focused, but this past weekend, and probably for the next several, it will be free-writing, plotting, and character sketching.  Saturday’s hour really helped me tap into the idea I have for my next book and the time produce 12 notebook pages of notes, questions, thoughts, and chronology.

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I’m determined that I’ll be focused and prepared when I actually start writing this book.  I want to be in a place where I want to write every moment of the day, a place where I cannot get the story or the characters out of my head.  If this method works, maybe I’ll be able to go back to one of my earlier, unfinished ideas to revamp and finish it.

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I’m not going to include any notes about the concept I’m working on right now, because I don’t want to jinx myself, but I found the exercise so cathartic, that I want to share some of what I wrote during the exercise.

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I’m sitting in B&N and I’ve decided that for 1 hour, I’m going to write.  It doesn’t have to be fiction, or a story or a poem.  I just need to write to practice.  To get back in the habit.

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I’ve set my alarm,  So here we go.

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I just checked my spot on the shelf and came across a book only a few authors over called “29.”  The blurb sounded interesting.  I need to add it to my goodreads list.  It’s almost fate-like that I’d see a book with such a similar title in a spot so close to where my book would be if it were published.  But I don’t believe in fate, really.  Because that would mean my sucky life was on purpose or something.

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Thinking about the book I’m going to write this year, I feel really connected to MDMD (title withheld for now- sorry!  and no- it has nothing to do with doctors) even though I thought UN (sorry again!) would speak more to me.  I think MDMD just has more plot and character opportunities.  I hope so because I’m about to take the plunge.

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I’ve been reading The Weekend Novelist and when it gives tips or advice, sometimes I think about how I would use them on MDMD.  I think I should just go for it.  But I’m going to be prepared.  I can’t just write willy nilly without knowing where the characters are going and who they are.  I think the biggest problem I’ve had in the past is that I didn’t know who the characters were or I had too many of them for them to be unique and real.  Not this time.  I’m going to focus the story on 2 individuals again, but flesh out the personalities and back story of the secondary characters as well so I know who I’m working with.

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I need to get a timer so I can shut my phone off while doing writing exercises.

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(4 1/2 pages of story-centered notes skipped)

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Yay!  another pen just ran out! (I know that seems weird, but I love writing with a pen until it runs out of ink.)

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I think the purpose of today’s exercise is to ask all the questions but not come to conclusions.  I’ll make conclusions the nest time I spend an hour doing this.  I wonder if I should share this exercise on my blog.  I wonder how long it will be typed up or if anyone will be interested in reading it.  Should I not give information on the book I’m working on until it’s ready for edit phase?

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(and the rest of the pages were all story and character centered)

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Does anyone have any suggestions for helpful writing exercises for me?


I’m Going to Write a Second Book This Year, I’m Going to Write a Second Book This Year

| rachelhamm

I’m going to write a second book this year.  I’M GOING TO WRITE A SECOND BOOK THIS YEAR!

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I’ve been really slack about writing for at least the past twelve months.  I lost all faith in myself and my writing abilities and I couldn’t seem to find a story where I liked the characters enough to want to get to know them.  I kept telling myself that writing Twenty-Five was a fluke and that I’d never be able to write another book because I don’t have what it takes.  That Twenty-Five was the only story inside me.

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But I’m determined.  I want to write.  I want to be someone and do something.  I’m sick of feeling sorry for myself that I’m in debt and stuck in a dead-end job and living with my parents.  When I was writing and editing Twenty-Five back in 2009, I felt like I was moving forward and doing something with my life.  I don’t know why I let that momentum slip away.  Fear of rejection and failure, I guess.  Fear that the nagging thought of “I’m not good enough” would be confirmed.

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But that’s all bull shit.  In the end it doesn’t matter if I’m never published or if no one else reads what I write.  If I’m happy with it, if it makes me happy, then everything else is inconsequential.

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In order to boost this determination and momentum that I’m feeling right now, I’ve gathered some books and tools to help me make 2011 the year of my second novel.

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Candice at I Don’t Want To Write! posted a character profile a few days ago that I’m hoping will help me develop real, complex characters.

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I’ve started reading the weekend novelist by Robert J. Ray and Bret Norris and while I don’t plan to actually use it only weekend by weekend, so far it’s giving me some great tips on plotting and I’m only on page 34.

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Creating Unforgettable Characters by Linda Seger.  I began reading this last year, but never finished.  I think I found it too much work, honestly.  But I know that’s what it takes to create an unforgettable character.  Work.  Hard Work.  So I’m going to work harder.

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On Writing Well by William Zinsser.  I haven’t read any of this book yet, but I’m excited to!  It’s meant for nonfiction, but I think the techniques for writing good nonfiction are the same as writing fiction, but nonfiction is more difficult!  Hopefully if I can master nonfiction than fiction will be a breeze!

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And for fun, I bought How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely.  It’s a fictional account of how one man tries to become rich and famous by writing a best-seller.  I wouldn’t mind being rich and famous (obviously) but I don’t think I ever will be.  I bought the book because I’m hoping it will help me see writing with a more comical and lighthearted view and not take myself so seriously.

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I also plan on reading extensive fiction this year, classic and modern.  You can be my friend on Goodreads to follow my progress.  My screenname there is rach_elle19.

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I’m really excited to read My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares, which was recommended to me by my friend Jaclyn.  (Maybe this mention will get her to finally COMMENT on my blog!)  Here’s the blurb:

Lucy Broward is an ordinary girl growing up in the Virginia suburbs, soon to head off to college.  As she prepares for her last high school dance, she allows herself to hope that this might be the night her elusive crush, Daniel Grey, finally notices her.  As teh events of the night unfold, though, Lucy discovers that Daniel is much more complicated than she is imagined, and perceives that there’s something going on here that she really doesn’t understand.  Why does he call her Sophia?  And why does it make her feel so strange?

Daniel Grey is no ordinary young man.  Daniel has “the memory,” the ability to recall past lives and recognize the souls of those he’s previously known.  And he has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl.  Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Lucy (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together — and he remembers it all.  It is both a gift and a curse.  For all the many times they have come together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart.  A love always too short.

As we watch Daniel and Lucy’s relationship unfold during the present day, interwoven are glimpses of their history together.  From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long and sometimes tortuous path of seeking each other time and again.  But just when Lucy begins to awaken to the secret of her past, to understand her relationship to Sophia, and to understand the true reason for the strength of her attraction to Daniel, the mysterious force that has town them apart in the past reappears.  Ultimately, they must confront not just their complicated history, but a persistent adversary as well, if they are ever to spend a lifetime together.

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Sounds pretty good, right (if you ignore the cliched language, which I really hope is from the publisher and not the author)?  You guys know I’m a sucker for a love story.

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So everyone, please cross your fingers for me that I don’t crap out!  I really want to write a second book this year.  I’m GOING TO write a second book this year.

A Brand New Year, A Brand New Decade

| rachelhamm

I was 16 years old when the clock changed from 11:59 to 12:00 on January 1, 2000.  I was 26 years old at the New Year moment last week.  Ten Years.  A Decade.  Amazing to think of the life events and milestones one goes through in that amount of time.  And if you’ve been following my blog at all, you’ll know I love milestones.

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2000 I got my driver’s license approximately a month before the year 2000 began, got my first cell phone and first car, my older sister graduated high school, I took the SATs twice, and became really active in the local community theater.

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2001 9/11 happened during the first semester of my senior year of high school.  I was in my AP US History Class, a class that was full of juniors plus me and my friend Kelsey.  We had chosen to wait a year to take it because it was at the same time as our drama class junior year.  On September 11th, all the juniors in our class were gone because there was a career fair at a different high school that they were attending, so the classroom was empty except me, Kelsey, and our teacher Ms. Messiano.  Ms. Messiano had stepped out of the room for something and when she came back she turned on a radio and we listened to reports of the towers falling.  I was 17 years old, but it took several hours before I realized the significance of the events we were listening to.  By lunch, everyone in the school knew what had happened.  My friends and I listened to more reports on the radio in my car and during the last period of the day, we looked up pictures and videos on the internet in the library.  I’ve always been a bit naive, but I think the events of that day really showcased how clueless I was about the world.  I, like most people, never could have imagined an act of such terror and violence occurring in my country and I still don’t understand it.

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2002 I graduated high school, turned 18, got drunk for the first time, and moved to Wilmington to attend college.  I know, drunk for the first time after I’d graduated and turned 18.  I wasn’t kidding when I said I was naive; I’ve been on the under-experienced side of things pretty much my whole life.  Part of me really regrets that I didn’t get wild and crazy during high school, but mostly I’m glad.  I don’t really enjoy being drunk and I kinda like that I’m not like every one else.

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2003 my younger sister graduated high school and my older sister got married, but I can’t think of anything else significant that happened that year.

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2004 my younger brother graduated high school and I moved into my first apartment with one of the most wonderful people I know, Kim Fern.  I love her and miss her!

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2005 I turned 21 years old.  It wasn’t a wild and crazy night.  I remember I had a few drinks, but I don’t think anyone else did and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t drunk.  The main thing I remember about it is that my roommate (Brad- Kim had graduated and moved home to Maryland) and his girlfriend broke up and he came into my room upset and I had to comfort him.  Happy Birthday to me.

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2006 I graduated college, applied to and decided not to go to law school, and moved back home to Burlington to try and decide what I was going to do with my life.

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2007 I moved to Raleigh and took a semester of graduate level English courses as a lifelong education student.  I loved those classes.  Really really loved them.  I wanted to apply to grad school and get a Master’s in English.  I started studying for the GRE and looking into colleges with good programs, but the expense of taking the tests and actually applying to school was too much.  I could have gotten loans to actually attend school, but I didn’t have the money to apply to school.  It sucked.  My younger sister also graduated college this year.

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2008 I began an internship with a wedding coordinator which led to an apprenticeship and eventual coordinator position with another company.  I earned my Association of Bridal Consultants Novice Wedding Consultant distinction and coordinated my first wedding as a lead consultant.  My brother graduated college.  I moved back to Burlington, but continued working in Raleigh and Durham.

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2009 I wrote a book.  I turned twenty-five years old.  My younger sister got married.  I completed my first full-service wedding (meaning I helped the couple plan the event from start to finish, rather than just coordinating what they already had planned).  I started my blog.

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2010 Honestly, not a lot happened this year.  I mean, a lot did, but not a lot that I’ll remember in another decade’s time.  The most significant thing was probably the birth of my best friend’s daughter, Gracyn.  I love that little girl so much!  She’s the most adorable, most loveable, sweetest, happiest, smartest baby I’ve ever encountered.  I had a lot of hopes for 2010, and while I don’t think any of them were fulfilled, I still had a fairly happy year.  I’m not completely satisfied with where I am in life, but I feel more contentment now than I have in a long time.  I know that someday I’ll go back to school and get that Master’s in English.  I know someday I’ll be a full-time wedding consultant.  And I know that someday I’ll hold a bound-copy of my book in my hands, even if it’s through self-publication.  I don’t really want to make 2011 New Year’s Resolutions, because I can’t imagine that I’ll actually follow any of them, but I have more hopes.  I hope that I’ll gain more confidence in myself and my writing so that I can pursue the path to publication and possibly writing a second book (or finishing one of the ones I’ve started!).  I hope that I’ll put myself out there a little more and make new friends and date more people so I don’t feel so alone in this world all the time.  I hope that I’ll continue to grow professionally and financially, so that I can get closer to being out of debt and closer to going to grad school.

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I hope that you all have a fantastic 2011!

2010 in review

| rachelhamm

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Healthy blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

Featured image

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 5,000 times in 2010. That’s about 12 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 106 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 135 posts. There were 45 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 61mb. That’s about 4 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was January 6th with 54 views. The most popular post that day was What’s at Stake.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were networkedblogs.com, WordPress Dashboard, mybadpants.com, clairelazebnik.com, and thenextbigwriter.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for pen, pride and prejudice 2005, while you were sleeping, bridget jones diary, and colin firth bridget jones.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

What’s at Stake January 2010
14 comments

2

About the Aspiring Author October 2009
7 comments

3

The Look December 2009
5 comments

4

Instant Gratification: I Blame America September 2010
13 comments

5

Twenty-Five October 2009
4 comments

I’m pretty happy with how things went here at I Picked Up A Pen One Day.  I hope my wonderful readers have enjoyed my writing, rambling, and random insights and comments this year and I hope you’ll continue to enjoy them into 2011!