Building a Character

I have decided to do a post about creating a character after a discussion I was in at the writing group I go to at Eden Court and we have some time to spare at the end, and we were asked to give a piece of advice, and I gave a piece of advice of developing a character.

Inspiration for your character:-

The inspiration of your character can came from anywhere and everywhere.  Your character(s) can be inspired or based on real people you may know, or on somebody you don't know, or from another fictional character whenever it's another character you've created in an earlier piece and what to change or not.


Know your character:-

You can plan your characters right from the beginning, their background, family and the plans for them through out the story, even if you don't use all your ideas, because it's your characters who will make your story.  Dan Brown suggests in MasterClass, that you start making your characters by starting with your villain to make the force the hero is fighting against.


Don't know your character:-

Another way of developing your character is perhaps a way that isn't perhaps used that much; don't know your character, discover and develop your character as you write your story.  Don't worry, you can go back and change your character if you wish to do so.


Naming your character:-

I think that names are important for a character, not just to help identify and keep track of the character while writing them, but some names can give a hint of the character, such as their background, their job, and sometimes their true nature.  One fictional example is Jack Merrdiew in the novel Lord of the Flies, his surname more or less means "lord of the place", and he's the character becomes the true villain of the story, using the fear of the "beast" to his advantage.


I hope that you found this post interesting, for everyone can write and create wonderful characters for their stories.

I hope to be posting again soon.

A Poem for the June Solstice - End of the Longest Day

Earlier this month, I found another piece I did for the writing class at Eden Court.  The theme of the piece was "the longest day", and since it's the June Solstice, I thought that I write the piece for you all.

The herbs in bloom
     For it is Midsummer
There is no need for a broom
     That won't do on the day of Midsummer

The herbs are green
     Just as the sky is cloudless
Ready to be eaten
     Good for a salad no less

What are herbs names?
     I'm afraid that I don't know
I can give my friends names
     But that is for me, and me alone to know

The sun has risen on the longest day
But now the sun sets, ending the longest day

The words "longest day" isn't a refer to war film The Longest Day about the D-Day landings, which was 75 years this year.

I hope that you've enjoyed the piece and I hope to post again soon.

The Open Garage Door

I know that it's been a while since my last post, but I have been busy with some of my other projects trying to get them organised.  This is another writing homework piece I wrote last November under the title The Open Garage Door.  In this piece, the characters are animals.

The police car drove down the street with the cat at the wheel and his partner, a vixen, beside him.
     The street was a normal urban neighbourhood street with the same neighbouring houses in file on both sides.  The day was a school day so all the street's younglings were nowhere to be seen, either on the lawns, on the street, or at the nearby park.
     Gliding to a halt, the cat turned off the car's engines before he and his partner went over their notes  together.
     "Just another nosey neighbour stuff again."  The vixen, Constable Redtail, was saying.
     "We are still ordered to investigate."  Sergeant Tamson replied.
     "But it's the third complaint this month."
     "And it'll be the fourth if we don't do our job."
     "It will still be a fourth regardless."
     "Oh come on."  The cat ordered as he got out of the car and put on his cap.  The vixen followed suit before they began their approach to the house ahead of them.
     The sergeant knocked on the door, then knocked after a moment of waiting.  The constable took a look through the living room window, but saw and reported nothing.
     Then there was a sound of something crashing down onto the floor in the garage to the right of the front of the house.
     Dull of caution, the two police officers approached the garage door.  Tamson checked the garage door handle, and it turned easily, clearly unlocked.  He gave Redtail a knowing look, which was returned with a nod of the head.
     Moving swiftly, Tamson turned the handle and pulled upwards and he and his partner was standing under the open garage door looking inwards together at the sight  before their astonished eyes.

I hope that you've enjoyed my piece, and I hope post again soon.

45th Blog Post - First Hint of Gold

September is a week away and it's had to believe that the year has past so quickly.

One form of poetry is a called a sonnet, which is a fourteen line poem,and I thought I give a try to write one.  I got the inspiration of this sonnet after looking out of the window and seeing the leaves starting to turn gold.

Oh look out of your window
     The leaves green sway in the breeze
From high above they'll float to ground low
     To land gently on the wild flowers that makes us sneeze

The end of August comes
     And upon us the summer ending
The beginning of September comes
     With the autumn season just beginning

The summer waves of heat ends
     And for that forecast I am smiling
For now there's coolness in the winds
     Beyond that coolness, I see snow flakes coming

Reach your hand out for the Hint of Cold
     Look your eyes up above to trees to see the First Hint of Gold

I hope that you've enjoyed my sonnet.  Poetry is something I have a little go at, but I hope to do some more.

End of an Era

Another poem of Inverness College by Christopher Armstrong.

Here's a link to my previous poem of Inverness College.

It is the end of the course I have been doing this year, NC Media where we have made animation, taken and altered photos and images and have a great time.

I remember them
     Midmills and Longman
I started at Midmills
     I could walk between the two
I found peace
     At the library at Longman
I saw the end
     Of their eras
I saw a Princess
     Made into the Chancellor
As Highland Colleges
     Joined into one University
I enter the Era
     Of Beechwood new
One could view new college
     As a naval aircraft carrier (no jets, sorry)
Eights years I have studied
     But eight years, life has past by
Many students have come
     Many students have gone on
I have an understanding
     Of the levels and expectations of studies hard
Now it's my turn
     To leave and go on
I had entered Midmills
     As a young teenaged adult
I now leave Beechwood
     As a young man adult
Wish me luck for future
     For future I'm approaching
Now it's my turn to leave
     For it is now my End of an Era

I hope that you've enjoyed this post.  Hope you will come back for more.

Snowing at the Bus Stop

Happy New Year everyone.  Sorry it's been a while since my last post, but I've been busy with other commitments and with other writing projects.

I got the inspiration for last last week with waiting for the bus into town, and last week was snowing here at Inverness (I guess about 2 inches).  I hope that you'll enjoy this piece.  

Darkness of night cometh
     White clouds signal the weather cometh
The road is white
     Save for the black tyre lanes
Falling snow whitens them again
     Till the next car darkens them again
Ah the poor snow
     Start over again
Your wrappings keep you warm
     The winter wind keeps your face freezing
You listen for the bus
     You hear wind and passing cars
You stand like a statue
     The snow floats down
Old footprints faded
     New footprints fading
Nobody outside
     Just you outside
You see the bus cometh
     You loosen your wrappings
So you can get your money
     But the pocket proves hard to work with
Snow fun to walk in
     Slippery to stop in
You get on and pay
     Plenty of seats to pick
You take your seat
     Your bus journey begins

I hope that you've enjoyed the piece and will come back for more.  I hope that I might be able to get back and post more writing pieces for you to read.

Golden Leaves

The end of September is approaching, and we've had the Autumn Equinox just last Friday.  Learning this and seeing the leaves start to turn golden gave me the inspiration for this piece.

The Golden Leaves
     That is always the first sign
Today the sky is clear
     Tomorrow the sky is grey
Today the day is sunny
     Tomorrow the day is raining
Yesterday was June's Solstice
     Tomorrow will be December's
People talk of their lives' autumns
     I wish we autumn hints of oncoming end
I wish autumn is taken by her beauty
     I see autumn as Nature's display of herself
Look at the great towering trees
     Nature is painting them golden once again
The leaves will snow brown upon our gardens
     The leaves will be raked, be swept and be sent
From our gardens tidy
     To become part of the ground again
They may be slow at first
     But there will be a flood of them
If you don't know what I mean
     Then look out your window and look
For they're coming again
     Look out for the Golden Leaves.

I hope that you've enjoyed this piece.