Blogapalooza 2016 - Day 5: How I Organize Characters

I forgot that today was the first day of a dogsitting job which means I got no sleep last night, which meant today did not go as planned.  I figured I'd pull back the curtain so to speak and show you a bit of how I organize my writing, specifically keeping track of characters, using a supporting character from this year's NaNoWriMo.  To begin with, I use GoogleDrive and create a table with two columns.  The left is smaller and here is where I put each character's name and any pseudonyms along with basically a head shot for each character.  I, of course, usually have many reference pictures for each character but it gets too busy visually if I include more than one in the cast sheet/archive/whatever I call it that year.  On the right is where most of the vital information goes such as appearance, family, occupation, where they live, and their personality.  Any details that reoccur and are important to the story also goes there, such as where the character lives, important ways they relate to other characters, or, for example, if there are superheros/mutants in the story what their powers are and a bit of their origin story.

     You will notice that Stephanie's table background is colored in.  I will often brainstorm scores of characters, family members, and acquaintances long before I write a word of the story and most of them will never make it into the written work.  When I begin the actual writing I will often color in the squares of characters who have actually appeared.  When my casts are too huge I will sometimes have to resort to making a whole new document with just the appearing characters and/or break it down by location (for example, Robyn has family in England and Aurelia or Rayella lives in different locations depending on the point in her life).

Robyn Batch 12 - Oatmeal cookies

200. Relaxation:  Every performer has a post performance routine to decompress from the show.  Some are more intense or complicated than others but everyone has them.  When Robyn was young, her family always took her out to dinner afterwards with her friends.  As she grew older and was in more and more productions sometimes they would only get ice cream or pie, but they always met to celebrate a job well done.  And then she discovered her newest way of decompressing.  After coming home she would draw a bath, light a few candles (this number grew and grew until she would fill the room), sprinkle in bath salts (menthol or lavender or neroli or vanilla), twist her hair above her head, and sink to her nose in the hot, tension draining water (sometimes with a rubber duck or four).  She would have preferred silence the first time she tried this method but her family inherently made noise so she had played a CD with sounds of wind in the trees and ocean waves gurgling among rocks.  Eventually she grew to prefer that so even when she had her own place and the opportunity to revel in silence, she listened to the sounds of nature to soothe her fried nerves and tired mind.

     My family and I had the same tradition as Robyn and her family, either dinner at Shari's or a snack from Dairy Queen.  After I quit eating ice cream in seventh grade (I found out it was bad for your throat and my allergies thank me) it was the only time I allowed myself to indulge.  Now we go out after my brother's choir concerts, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

142. Standing Still:  Jericho was leaning against the brick wall of a building across the street from where Robyn was chatting with a shopkeeper.  Finally she had stopped moving!  He had spent the morning following her around per Henry’s orders and quite frankly he was becoming exhausted.  First she had made a trip to the florist’s to pick up two bouquets, then driven her teal, old-fashioned VW Beatle to her aunt’s inn to drop off one of the bouquets.  Evidently the older woman was under the weather so Robyn hadn’t stayed long, driving then to her piano teacher’s home.  There she had again dropped off a bouquet, though not before removing part of it he noticed.  From there she had driven to the downtown shopping district, parked her car and had been walking from shop to shop, picking up various groceries, until she had been caught in a conversation by the owner of the cheese shop.  With a sigh he looked back across the street and was startled to find her gone!  With a startled muttered curse he began scanning the street trying to find her, finally finding her near her car.  She had evidently dropped off her groceries, retrieved the flowers she had set aside earlier, and was now striding straight for him.  Henry had not briefed him on what to do if she approached him.

    “Bored yet?” she asked when she was close enough that they didn’t have to shout.

    “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he decided to play it cool.

    “Of course not,” she smiled.  “I hope you’re here on Henry’s orders and not on your day off.  Because then we might have to have a talk.”

    He wasn’t sure how to respond to that so he just shook his head in mock shame.

    “That’s what I thought.”  She held up a stem with many white bell like blossoms on it, intertwined with a vine with purple flowers, and extended it toward him.  “Would you give this to Henry for me?  I’m going straight home after this and promise I’m not leaving for the evening.  I have several exams to study for.”

    Jericho gingerly took the flower and gave her a quizzical look.  “What is this?”

    “White heather and sweetpeas.  He’ll understand.  Ta ta for now!”  With a wave over her shoulder she turned and returned to her car, waving again as she drove off.

    Jericho looked in confusion at the blooms then hurried to his own car.  He drove past her house to make sure she was indeed home, then drove to his employer’s office.  After assuring Henry that nothing out of the ordinary had happened Jericho handed him Robyn’s gift.

    “This is from her.  She said you’d understand what it meant.”

    Henry twirled the flowers in his fingers and thought for a moment.  “Protection and thanks.  I believe the meaning is fairly clear.”

    Jericho looked at his boss in confusion for several long moments.  How the heck did he know?  How much time did they have to plan out flower meanings?  Henry could read the questions in Jericho’s eyes and gave a half smile.  Too bad he wasn’t in the mood to let him in on the secret.  Let him figure it out on his own.

     I had this wonderful vision of Jericho following Robyn around because he was ordered to and she spends the entire day going turbo, then during that one moment she holds still, Jericho loses track of her.  His freak out was most humorous but this is what ended up being written.  And I love the Victorian flower language so I try to include it when possible.  If I mention flowers by name in a story, you might find it interesting to look up the possible meanings.  I feel many of our modern day exchanges are missing a level of richness and meaning.  It is just the sort of archaic thing Robyn and Henry would both know.

198. Puzzle:  A sigh holding the weight of the world came from Darren Tolliver’s living room and reached him in his kitchen.  Spooning hot clam chowder into two thick ceramic bowls, he carried the steaming food into said living room where his little red headed niece sat brooding over a partially completed Beverly Doolittle puzzle.  As he set the bowls down around the mostly complete edge Robyn heaved another heavy sigh.

    “Are you trying to compete with the gale outside?” he asked gently.  He didn’t always know what to do with the little girl, currently entrusted into his care while her parents, his brother and an English lady, were out on a date.  Usually their sister took care of Robyn but evidently his niece had decided he needed company.  The best he had come up with at the moment was a puzzle likely too hard for her.

    “Do you think Mom and Daddy will be OK?” she asked in a small voice.  She was trying to be brave but he could hear the worry plainly in her voice.

    Putting one of his hands on her head he stroked her silky hair.  “Your daddy’s a good driver Greenling.  He is smart too.  If he thinks the wind is too strong he will call and tell us.”

    Robyn tapped her chowder spoon against her pouted bottom lip as she considered his words.  He was right, her daddy was a good driver, and smart too.  But she didn’t want them to stay away.  *Storm,* she thought, *be quiet until my mommy and daddy get me.  Let me go home and then you can be as strong as you like.*

    As if in response there was a momentary break in the rain hammering the window before it resumed, no harder than before.  With a little smile Robyn acknowledged her uncle and the storm.  “OK.”

15. Blue:  The two men stared around the room they had been given by the woman at the front desk.  When she had said it was the sapphire room she hadn’t been kidding.  The walls were a warm white but the curtains, bedspreads, and lightly jeweled lamp shades were a deep, royal blue.  The carpet was a soft grey to hide stains, the same shade as the floor tiles in the modest sized, white walled bathroom containing a toilet, sink, and bathtub with sapphire colored accents and opaque blue shower curtain.

     They are mob drug runners who spend most of their time in roach infested motels.  They don't know what to do with what they would consider fripperies.

171. Obsession:  Jericho wasn’t sure when protecting Robyn had become more than just a job, when it had become important to him, personally as opposed to professionally, to know her favorite color and flower and song.  When had a week, then a few days, without seeing her and exchanging at least a smile become boring or uncomfortable or lacking?  When had he begun looking for excuses to ‘drop by’?  Taken up his guitar again on her behalf?  Practiced her favorite meal on his day off?  Walked his dog through the forest she so loved instead of merely down the street as usual?

     At first I couldn't decide if I was going to write about Jericho or Henry but decided I could make Jericho less creepy, although I swear Henry has nothing but the purest motives and interest.

120. Fortitude:  They stood firm together against the onslaught, two stones against the rushing fire of opposition.  The invaders might have brute force and money behind them but Aurelia’s children had history and and family and a lifetime of friendship on their side.  As long as they were together and both alive, they would stand strong.

156. Danger Ahead:  When Talulah relayed her colleague, Cissy’s, report of suspicious men in the woods to Austin and when Robyn glimpsed the two strange men in the audience, none of them had any idea of the adventure and danger the pair would bring them.

Robyn Batch 11 - Peanut Butter Cookies

37. Sound: Nothing could get the Tolliver siblings’ attention like the M*A*S*H theme song. They would all drop whatever they were doing and flock to the living room like moths to a flame.

     Why was this prompt so hard to write?  I kept wanting to beat the subject of music to death.  Branch out woman!
     In our family the Star Trek theme and the M*A*S*H theme have a similar draw.

54. Air: There was nothing quite like the last few seconds before a performance began, whether it was a dance recital, a piano recital, or a choir concert. The performers buzzed with adrenaline and from the other side of the curtain/stage came waves of energy from family and friends. The air positively crackled.

    See, I can't get off the subject of music and performance.  I apologize.  That is what comes easily to me.

59. Food: “Mom, what are these pictures of me?” Robyn called down the hall. She had been looking through her baby album in search of a cute photo she could share for a class project when she came across several of her with a messy face and those contorted faces that only a baby can make. She heard her mother’s footsteps and felt her warmth behind her. A soft chuckle came over Robyn’s shoulder.
      “Those are your first time trying a bunch of foods. That one,” Athena pointed to a particularly scrunched face, “is when you tried lime. That one is avocado. And that one is raspberry puree. Even then you wanted more.”

     I watched a slo-mo video of babies trying different foods for the first time on BuzzFeed or YouTube and was inspired to write this piece when it came up.  Really funny stuff!

70. Storm: The horizon had been rumbling out a warning for the past two days, thoroughly creeping out most of Aurelia’s population and giving them time to brace for the oncoming cataclysm. Large front windows were boarded up, roofs were nailed down, food was stockpiled, and tourists were mostly gone when the first sheet of rain soaked the empty streets. Robyn was at her uncle Darren’s house, pacing in anticipation of the storm when she heard the musical tinkle on the window. She ran to the window then let out an excited whoop and ran into the kitchen. Spying her uncle she took a running leap and grabbed him from the side, wrapping him in a bear hug and pinning his left arm. He barely rocked from her weight and went on stirring the pot of chowder with his right hand while her purple socked feet dangled just above the floor.
      “I gather the storm is finally here Greenling?”
      “Geeeeeeeee!” was all the response he got, along with a peck to his cheek before she launched herself away and to the library on the second floor of his modest house. Shaking his head he returned his attention to the pot that was beginning to burble. As a fisherman, a storm meant loss of income and strange behavior from the stock for a day or two so he couldn’t join his niece's joy but he could understand her appreciation for the power of the ocean during a storm. From his library upstairs Robyn would curl into the chair that had been bought for her use, a ragged, green armchair, and watch with arm hairs on end as the ocean, vast and endless before her, writhed and foamed. Rain and a fair amount of wind were normal weather patterns for Aurelia but she loved it when one of these heavy squalls came in. She could spend hours watching the waves tear themselves apart and she and her uncle made a tradition out of it, which in time would come to include Salmon. She would come over and spend the first day and night with him, he would make a pot of New England clam chowder, she would make a pan of brownies, and they would sip hot apple cider while watching the waves and reading books together. They may not get to see each other much the rest of the year because of busy schedules but they always spent parts of storms together and caught up and got to know and appreciate each other.

      I dedicate this piece to my sister, Deanna, and her love of Oregon coast storms.  Who else wants clam chowder and brownies after this?  I think they are a very comforting and warming combination.

102. Love: One of the drawbacks to spending so much time in a fictional world as a dancer and performer was that sometimes she disconnected from reality. Love and hate became much more intense and a bit skewed. She fell intensely for boys in the plays and fell out of love just as quickly for many years. Things evened out after high school and with Rosamund’s guidance but it took work to have a calm head when the heart was involved.

      I was talking with one of my friends the other day, a woman who spent much of her life in ballet, dance, and music, and she mentioned that this was one of the problems she faced as a dancer, a disconnect from reality and expectation that life was as romantic as the sweeping epics she performed.  I thought it was a very interesting observation and would fit Robyn's type-A personality so I am trying to integrate it into her character.  We will see if the graft is successful in time.

Robyn Batch 10 - Pecan shortbread

HAPPY 100th POST!

71. Broken:  Robyn cried out in pain as she collapsed to the ground.  She had known she was coming down wrong and now she could feel her heartbeat throbbing in her foot, mostly centered around her outer toes.  Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to rise but ended up back on her butt on the floor with a grunt.  She focused on her breathing until Madame Jacobs arrived to help her up and to one of the chairs at the edge of the practice room.  Ice was applied, medication was taken, mothers were called, and two weeks later she danced, broken toes be darned.

     Seriously folks, anyone have a better name for her dance teacher?  Updated her dance teacher's name to Camille Elizabeth Smythe-Jacobs on 16.June.2013.  And I'm only guessing how it feels to break toes as I have never broken any bone.  I've sprained my ankles and jammed fingers more times than I can count but no breaks!

87. Life:  “To life, to life, l'chaim!  To Zeytle, my daughter!”

    “My wife!”

    “Life has a way of confusing us, blessing and bruising us!  Drink l’chaim, to life!”

    Robyn and her fellow chorus members danced around, arms linked, laughing and singing.  They had stayed after school for an extra practice before the performance, and now they were amusing themselves while waiting for their parents to pick them up by singing show tunes.  So far they had jumped through CATS, Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, and Seussical.

     This may or may not be based on true life.  I admit to nothing.  Lyrics belong to Sheldon Harnick and those associated with Fiddler on the Roof.

98. Pride:  Stephanie soared through the song she had been given, nailing every note and emoting through every line.  When she took her bow the panel of judges and the staff that were hanging about all applauded.  It stung Robyn to note that the response was louder than it had been for her own audition a few minutes earlier.  Logically she knew that the older girl had more experience and was devoted to only one craft, but emotionally it still rankled Robyn to not be the clear favorite, and to someone who simply viewed it as another job (not that Robyn would ever admit to such petty feelings).

     One of my biggest pet peeves in high school was people joining choir just for the A.  They had no passion and because they weren't emotionally invested in the songs they goofed off and brought down the morale of the choir.  They were snide and snarky and didn't take things seriously.  Some days I wanted to tear out their hair for making me want to tear out mine.

99. Prejudice:  Robyn looked Jericho up and down.  Henry had just told her that the young man would be their new contact and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.  She had heard stories about Jericho, how his father was never up to any good, always off on some half drunken scheme (after a failed marriage Keith Moran was looking for something to make him feel successful again but his sons had to bail him out, which only made him feel worse), and his brother was in some bigger city, dabbling in crime and living off the good graces of the bad (OK, Gaven lived on the edge but most of his income was from honest car repairs).  Jericho himself had been a loner for the most part in high school, not fitting into any clique (all those people who didn’t know what they wanted and put up idiotic fronts to fit in).  He now went to college but she wasn’t sure how he had gotten there (scholarships and grants, and how would it change her opinion if she knew he was majoring in accounting and passing all his classes with As and Bs).  She had seen him around town in his old, classic, black Mustang or riding his slick motorcycle (earned penny by penny from odd jobs and restored with loving care).  She questioned why Henry would hire him, or at the very least trust him alone with her (because he knew how to treat women and once she was seen with him any bad element would leave her alone, though the ‘good’ element might be another matter).  She had seen the handful of girls Jericho had dated and quite frankly she wasn’t impressed (girls who hid their insecurities better than most, or had an idea where they were going).

     The parentheses were not there to begin with but I think they add a nice flavor and depth.  What do you think?

154. Tower:  It would probably always be Robyn’s favorite trip ever.  She had been newly sixteen and therefore able to fly by herself so her aunt and uncle Buchanan had invited her, and her alone out of family, to go on a European tour with them.  Robyn  said yes in a heartbeat and spent the next month doing all she could to convince her parents  she would be responsible and good and obedient.  In the end they had relented (they were going to say yes anyways but Robyn had been so helpful they decided to milk it) and Dawn and Elizabeth could barely understand the words in her squealing phone call but perfectly read the tone and dissolved into squeals themselves.  The family of four plus their two add-ons (they also invited their best chum Adiana) toured Ireland, Germany, Italy, Scotland, and ended in France, with a view of the Eiffel Tower and crepes every morning.  She had grown closer to her aunt, uncle, and cousins and made memories to last a lifetime and a half.

    Who else wishes they had family in Europe now?

Robyn Batch 9 - Coconut Macaroon

20. Colorless:  She floated in a void, lacking sound and color and sensation and, strangely, emotion.  She was aware that there were people around her and some part of her knew that they were speaking because their lips were moving but no sound issued from their grey lips.  It was nearly two days before color seeped back in and sound rushed to assault her ears.  She barely felt Austin’s touch as he hovered near her but her heart was still numb.  She wasn’t sure if that could ever recover from the loss of her grandfather.

42. Triangle:  From the beginning it had been Austin and Robyn, Oz and Bobbie.  Wherever one was the other wasn’t far behind (and if one had caused trouble, chances were the other was simply hadn’t been caught).  Then Talulah had moved into town and into their fourth grade class.  Talulah had been painfully shy and withdrawn from living in her sister’s shadow in a high pressure family but Robyn would have none of that.  She currently had an opening for a female best friend (her previous one had committed some sort of unforgivable offense like trying to kiss or exclude Austin) and Talulah fit the bill.  Best of all, Talulah and Austin hit it off and RAT was formed.  Slowly the shy, dark haired girl blossomed with two fast friends to encourage her, defend her, and vent to.  Then, in their junior year of high school Robyn’s two best friends finally admitted their feelings for each other, even if they didn’t officially start dating until senior year.  Most of the time Robyn couldn’t have been more thrilled (she and Austin had thought about it at one point but it was like kissing a sibling), but then there were moments where she would admit she was insanely jealous.  Tal and Oz were made for each other and very happy together and Robyn wished she could have the same happiness, someone as perfect for her as those two, especially when they went on dates.  Robyn dated once or twice, boys from the productions she was in, but when the play or musical was over, so was the storm of emotions and the relationships fizzled.  She hated feeling like the third wheel but she never allowed it to affect her friendship with Oz and Tal.

115. Silence:  Robyn knew that something wasn’t right because of the silence permeating the forest.  None of the animals were making their usual noises, no birdsong rang through the trees.  She hadn’t noticed the quiet growing as she read the latest book from her favorite horse book author but when she looked up she realized what the animals had known some time ago.  Dark, angry clouds filled the sky and a gust of cold, sea scented air rattled the trees above her, a breath of the storm flicking down into her clearing and chilling her. 

170. 67 Percent:  Robyn’s heart sank as she received her latest physics paper and she couldn’t help but let out a disappointed and dejected sigh.  This did not bode well for her final grade.  If she passed the class, at this point it would be with a C at best, at worst she would have to take it again, along with another science class to hedge her bets and assure that she had enough science credits to graduate.  Physics had seemed so easy in middle school and was easy in application but combining the math to calculate when things returned just didn’t seem to sink in. 

56. Breakfast:  At one time Robyn imagined she might not have enjoyed eating breakfast in the morning but she had been in dance so long she couldn’t remember the time.  It was important to her to start off the day in the best way possible, which for her was an egg scrambled with extra whites, a smoothie with added protein and calcium, and a strip of bacon.

     It was so hard coming up with something for this prompt but there ya go!  Thanks Joey Graceffa, I borrowed your trainer suggested breakfast routine.

Robyn Batch 8 - Molasses

63. Summer:  The wedding was beautiful.  The day dawned bright and clear, small white clouds adding to the character of the blue sky, matching the flowing white dress of the bride.  The sun shone clearly on the guests at the reception on the beach and Oregon was surprisingly kind on the new couple.

     Who is getting married?  Dunno.  I could see Robyn having a summer wedding, though she is one of the few.  Most of my characters and I are autumn wedding sorts.

 

125. Trouble Lurking:  Robyn held her breath as she held her position.  Somewhere out there in the darkness was something or someone out to get her.  She had heard rocks move and a branch snap, a sign that these were not people used to stalking in nature, but rather in more man made environs.  when she felt she had frozen for long enough she slow counted to fifteen, listening.  There!  And it had paid off.  The scuff of a shoe to her left told her where her hunter was and she was off, edging silently to the right.

     Dun dun DUN!!

144. Two Roads:  Robyn was only six when she discovered the path that led to her secret hideaway.  It had begun with a fascination with animals and the paths they wore into the ground, subtle to all but the discerning eye.  She would follow the faint trails here and there through the local woods when she was supposed to be doing chores or studying or helping her aunt, who would forgive a child’s inquisitiveness and love of nature.  If she came upon a branch in the trail she was following she would take the one most travelled, or if they were equally worn, the one to the left, returning after finding the end, or the next day, to take the other fork.  Soon these became as easily identifiable to her as streets with signs to adults as she methodically mapped the trails in her head and sometimes on a map she hid in her favorite horse book.

     She hasn't yet discovered the magic of mirrors.  :)  I did quite a bit of research about The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost and thought about tying it in, but in the end, the poem had nothing to do with the final product.

50. Spade:    “Honey, where are you going with that?” asked Craig Tolliver as his young daughter walked by, hauling behind her a shovel that was nearly as tall as she was.

    “Austin and I are digging a hole,” Robyn said, not stopping as she continued across the yard.  (If she didn’t stop maybe he wouldn’t stop her or ask anymore questions).

“Where are you digging this hole?” Craig’s ‘father senses’ were tingling.  This was no ordinary hole.  Not that any hole from those two would be ordinary.

“In the woods,” Robyn didn’t seem deterred by the fact that her father was following her down the street.

“Why?”

Robyn finally stopped with an exasperated sigh and turned to face her father.  She propped the shovel on her shoulder and hip as she planted her hands on her hips and began to explain with exaggerated patience.

“Austin has been taking care of a baby bird that fell out of it’s nest.  It died last night so we are going to bury it.  He’s bringing the box and the Bible and I’m bringing the shovel and flowers.”

Robyn indicated the daisies and dandelions from their yard and lavender and rose bloom, likely from Mrs. Carlyle's, sticking out of her back pocket.

“I see … may I come along?”

“Only if Austin says yes.” 

DAWW! ^_^

178. Thirst:  Young Robyn stood before the audience, her auburn hair slicked back into a ballerina’s top knot, her lean dancer’s body clad in a form fitting, pink leotard and gauzy pink tulle skirt.  She was positioned as she ought to be for the beginning of her routine, left leg extended at a 45 degree angle, left arm reaching to the side and behind, right leg supporting her weight and right arm extended to reach the lights above.  Despite all this physical perfection though, all she could think about was the icy, condensated, cold water bottle she had turned down from the mother backstage.

     I don't know how well this describes the pose in my head, I was sitting at a library computer and wasn't going to start contorting myself.  :)

195. Advertisement:  She couldn’t believe the gall of the man.  There, just outside of the Peacock Lounge back door was a notice, an advertisement, asking for singers to apply to the new club that was slated to open, The Labyrinth!  The Boss was coming in and trying to take over the town, she knew it, and he wasn’t being totally subtle about it either.

Robyn Batch 7 - Orange macaroons

12. Orange:  She was astonished at the gourmet feast spread before her.  Chicken garnished with oranges and some kind of herb, green beans sprinkled with sesame seeds and crumbled cheese, and bread (store bought but heated in the oven, buttered and sprinkled with herbs) were attractively placed on the table.  “Jericho, I didn’t know you could cook like this!  This is amazing!”

     Jericho is turning into the perfect man.  He has a classic Mustang, a motorcycle, an Irish Wolfhound, can play the guitar well enough to pick out a tune, and can cook really well.  -sigh-  Become real and wait a couple years?

     Swooning aside, I based this on iJustine's boyfriend Ryan aka Fwiz.  He makes the most amazing things that look like they are straight from the Food Network or Cooking Channel, which I would not have expected considering he is known for his gaming.  The two do not naturally/automatically co-exist in my head which makes his considerable talent that much more awesome.

33. Too much:  “Robyn, that is enough.  You need to take a break right now.”  Madame Jacobs stood firm, walking stick held firmly in her hands before her like Madame Giry.

“I know I can get this move!” Robyn cried, frustrated, as she began to go through the movements of the dance she was rehearsing.  The sequence of moves normally wouldn’t have been all that difficult for her but she had recently begun working, on top of her vocal lessons, homework, and the production of both a play for school and the local theater company, along with this, preparing for the upcoming dance revue.  She was spread thin, working at physical things until mid evening, then working on her school work into the night and early morning hours.

“Robyn, you are tired and not thinking clearly.  Take a break.”  Madame Jacobs instructed but before she could finish speaking the young auburn haired ingenue fell to the ground.

A weakness!  Robyn doesn't know when to quit and is very much an overachiever.

67. Snow:  The three siblings shrieked and ducked and flung themselves about in the thick coating of white powder.  The weather people the night before hadn’t been optimistic about them getting any of the snow that had been brewing near the mountains, after all, this was the coast, but they, and all of Aurelia, had awoken to a thick layer of fluffy white snow coating the town, shutting down school, most businesses, and trapping tourists for at least the day.  

105. Seeking Solace:  Robyn could classify periods in her life based on who she turned to for comfort and support with her problems.  Early in her life, it was naturally her parents to whom she turned when she fell or had a fight with a friend or was worried about something that happened.  Around six or seven she began relying more on her grandparents, then transitioned into Austin by age twelve or thirteen.  At this point any girly problems she confided in Mrs. Rosamund but Austen and Talulah were her main confidants.  Now she found herself in a startling and confusing quandary, possibly at the beginning of a new phase; she was torn between fleeing to the comforting presences of her two best friends and turning to her silent, dark, and handsome assigned protector.  

160. Rejection:  Robyn’s shoulders slumped and her head fell, tears already welling in her eyes.  She had seen it coming in some ways but hadn’t wanted to believe it.  Still, she had to ask.  “You’re sure?”

“Yes,” Blake said.  “I want to break up with you, I am breaking up with you.  I don’t think this is working out and I think you see it too.  We don’t have time for each other and we don’t have enough in common anymore.”

     They had been dating for nearly two years now after meeting in theater class their sophomore year but gradually over their junior year Blake had become more and more involved in sports, track and field, football, and tennis, as Robyn became more and more involved in choir and theater.  He was right, they barely saw each other and their social and interest spheres no longer intersected much anymore, but she had been willing to try.  It seemed he no longer was. 

     ... she had a boyfriend?  Cool!  Most of the time my characters are smart enough to not date in high school but I thought I'd make her more typical and imperfect.  :)

100. Persuasion:  Boss swept into town and did his best to sweep Robyn off her feet.  The Labyrinth club was designed around what his men had been able to glean about her likes and dislikes and music styled around the theme and what she enjoyed.  To his great frustration though, he didn’t factor in her loyalty to Henry Sterne, Aurelia, and her steel backbone when her friends were threatened.

     He doesn't have a name yet so he is just "Boss".

 

83. And:  “Yes it goes on and on my friends.  Some people started singing it not knowing what it was and they’ll continue singing it forever just because it the song that never ends.  Yes it goes on and on my friends.”  Robyn danced around her friends in circles singing loudly and grinning like a fool.

     “I told you she shouldn't have had that second Mountain Dew,” Talulah grumped at Austin who merely grinned winningly back at her.

     Austin is a combination of Landon Austin, Bradley Cooper, and a touch of Martin Freeman and Steve Zhan.  Imagine that grinning back at you.  You aren't going to stay mad for long!  ^_^

Robyn Batch 6 - No bakes

60. Drink:  Robyn could handle her alcohol, except for tequila.  True to the song, nothing hit her like tequila and her clothes did tend to ... shed.

     Based on the song Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off by Joe Nichols.  Thank you country radio!

199. Solitude:  No one could find Robyn when she hid in her grove though she always enjoyed anywhere else in the forest when she was alone.

183. Heal:  The forest healed any hurt in her heart with its quiet balm.  So did performing for others. 

112. Insanity:  Doing the same thing over and over and over and expecting a different result.  Or in other words, taking Physics science class for Robyn.

     Sorry Rob, you inherited my weakness.  Physics in application makes sense but combining the math in any way other than linearly doesn't work.  It's like there is some physical block in my brain which is really frustrating.  I know how things should work and that it should be easy but something just isn't clicking.  Other things I can comprehend with work and study, but physics ... GAH!!  I first took it my freshman year of high school along with geometry, failed out of the first semester, retook it my junior year and barely passed.  My teacher the first year was awesome (thank you Mr Steiner!!) but I didn't have enough of a math foundation and had too much of a homework load.  My teacher and I junior year only had a so so student teacher relationship.  He didn't always explain things in a way that made sense to me but by that point all the things I learned freshman year sunk in so I was able to make it farther.

95. New Years:  It was New Years day, the first time she showed Jericho her sacred grove.  She was incredibly nervous, as she had shown no one but Talulah, Austin, and her parents, and the last two had been a necessity in case anything happened to her, they had insisted that she show them where she disappeared to in the woods.  The ground was still covered in frost and frozen fog, even in the early afternoon, when she lead him first towards the old cabin, to mask their footprints, then into the underbrush.  Robyn had developed a bit of a homing beacon over the years, she could approach her grove from anywhere in the woods, and so avoided wearing a trail, other than the ones animals already used. 

     (The girl is seriously paranoid.)

163. Do Not Disturb:  Jericho knew about Robyn’s wooded retreat, he had followed her there enough times but, after observing how well and how far she went to cover her tracks, he had never actually been in.  It felt like too much of an invasion, besides which, he had spoken to Austin and learned of the vows they had made; he had no desire to anger her.  He was therefore very honored when she invited him to her grove.

133. Expectations:  He wasn’t sure what to expect when she invited him to see her favorite place in the world but is exceeded anything he could have come up with.  Chips of colored glass glittered in the cold afternoon air, casting a rainbow of patches on the frosted ground which was as flat and smooth as any house floor.  A bench with wrought iron flowers was tucked under the giant tree, facing a square of driftwood planks that were set into the ground, surrounded by candle holders of various colors and shapes.

Robyn Batch 5 - Raspberry thumbs

5. Outsides:  Robyn loved the fuzzy feel of raspberries on her tongue.  She could have done without the seeds on the inside.

     Raspberries are her favorite fruit.  Num!  Also her favorite color in many ways.

25. Strangers:  These days it was hard to imagine that she and Jericho had never been friends in high school. They shared stories about the same teachers and yearly pranks and laughed and joked, but once, they had been strangers.

44. Circle:  Raspberry pie, apple pie, strawberry pie, cherry pie.  County Fair ROCKED!  Robyn could spend the entire week of the County Fair eating pie, morning, noon, and night.  She even volunteered for pie eating competitions and to have pies thrown at her face.  She could and would forgo all of the corn dogs and hot dogs and caramel corns and burgers and such, just to eat pie.   And ethnic food.  She loved Indian food and lamb gyros.  The rest of the year she wasn’t nearly so pie crazy but that one week, she went nuts!  

     Why is she pie crazy?  Do you have any quirks that come around once a year or foods you only like on certain occasions?

78. Where:  Like any young one, Robyn enjoyed visiting her aunt, uncle, and cousins, and did so over summer vacation.  Unlike most young ones, she had to cross a continent and an ocean to do so.  While other kids didn’t go more than a few hours away or to Disneyland, Robyn got to fly for hours to go to England, Buckingham Palace, and cross the border to Ireland or France or Germany.

150. Breaking the Rules:  Eleven year old Robyn looked in curiously at the now open door before her.

“Now what did I tell you about your powers?” came Lucian LASTNAME’s voice over her shoulder.

“But I was bored!” she protested, looking up at him.  He wasn’t as tall as most adults which she liked.  Plus he had taught her more about picking locks, which lead to the current situation.

“That doesn’t mean you should break into the playground.” 

     A little insight into a NaNo writer, when we can't think of a last name for a character but we want the word count, we use all caps.  I randomly decided very early on that Robyn can pick locks.  She had the natural talent from a very young age and when Lucian, a former gang/mob member who is hiding in their little-nowhere town, discovered this, he decided to share his talent and teach her more tricks.  I had worried that her talent might be slightly unrealistic, as she begins her slightly illegal course around age three, but with the week I heard a story, completely unsolicited, about a friend's stepdaughter who picked locks nightly by that age to retrieve a Pillowpet.  Thank you reality for supporting me!

 167. Playing the Melody:  If anyone asked, Robyn would say falling in love with Jericho was a gradual thing from sheer exposure and time spent together, but secretly, and someday she would tell Jericho, she fell head over heels for him the day she caught him playing the melody of the song she had been practicing (her favorite song at the time) on his guitar.

     Jericho, your talents are increasing.