Write a list of 100 short fragments about 1 character you are working on in your story (or could imagine inventing); the sentences don’t need to connect or follow in a logical way; the idea is for you to outrun your own ideas of this character; don’t be monotonous; ask everything you can of this character, everything you must know…not just physical attributes, but also what they typically eat for breakfast, what they dream about, what they keep in their pockets or under their bed, who they love or have loved, the rituals, habits, and nuances of their personality and lifestyle, the events that have shaped their lives so far, the futures they imagine, etc. Remember, these 100 characteristics will not all make it into your story, but you as the author need to know what they are in order to write the character as realistically and consistently as possible.
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She is tall, but likes it.
She has dark hair and dark eyes
Always wears Doc Marten oxfords
From a poor family but a genius father (chip on her shoulder)
Only child
Never loses a debate or engages with a fight she can’t win
Incredibly large ego (hubris)
Bad cigarette habit
Surprisingly vain, but wants to look androgynous (no makeup, femininity)
Lesbian
Lived her life for her best friend for much of her life
Loyal to a fault
Majored in philosophy and classics
Cat person
Italian
Favorite book is The Picture of Dorian Gray or My Brilliant Friend
Bad driver
Loves lilies (calla lilies)
Loves poetry
Speaks Italian, learned Latin and Greek
Hates Donna Tartt
Night owl (chronically sleep deprived)
Coffee drinker (but always espresso)
Dreams about giving everything up and running away with Lila
Ambitious to a fault
Hands are always cold, they shake a lot
Generally easily attains vices
Addictive personality (undiagnosed ADHD)
Always thinks there is a way out of things
Good at networking (charming)
Hadn’t been on a plane until late in life
Politically very radical (left)
Discerning art taste
Misses when she was younger and life was easier
Terrified of wasted potential and regrets
Atheist?
Favorite color is dark red
Favorite band is Fleetwood Mac
Favorite song is Black Magic Woman by Fleetwood Mac
Dad used to treat her like a son
Respects intelligence
Believes everything is morally gray
Hates beer
Loves wine (red)
Casanova
Commitment issues
Horrible relationship with mother (resentment)
Always has noise canceling headphones on hand
Can sleep anywhere, any time
Will always sleep in if given the chance
Never gets hungover
Generally never gets caught (never learns a lesson)
Believes you never need to forgive OR forget
Revenge is the best option, always
There is only one person in the world that she will forgive, no matter what
Has crazy fines at the library
Addicted to video games at one point in her life
Bad driver, TERRIBLE
Favorite christmas movie is charlie brown christmas
Favorite rapper is kendrick lamar
Favorite singer is joni mitchell
Favorite movie ever is everything everywhere all at once
Only social media is goodreads
Needs to sleep with at least three thick blankets
A Pisces
Has crazy, vivid dreams
Doesn’t believe in destiny (pro free will)
Hard to reach (except for one person)
Loves Shane from the L word
Wanted to be a rock star when she was little
Loves to be in the forest
Has only ever been in love once, and will never love again
Favorite meal is lobster (cracked open with hands, eaten with butter)
Loves rich, decadent things—the best of the best of the best
Tried to sue a professor over a grade
Writes in a journal every day, keeps them under lock and key
Lives in NYC
Secretly likes podcasts
But real secret pleasure is romance novels—soulmates, enemies to lovers, etc
Does the NYT crossword every day
Has an incredible spice tolerance
Hates dairy milk
Took the LSATs for fun
Has one tattoo, nobody knows about it
Short hair (sharp cut to the jaw)
Takes boxing lessons
Has bad eyesight but tries to hide it, always wears contacts
Would break before bending on an argument
Obsessively brushes teeth
Favorite show is Veep
LOVES stained glass windows, hates religion
But comes from a family that has lots of legends about magic practitioning
Favorite animal is every apex predator basically (except for house cats, which are #1)
Favorite holiday is Halloween
Gets chronic migraines
Always has a litany of drugstore medicine on hand for migraines
Father went to prison once, and that was the most peaceful time in her life
School was her salvation and also what imprisoned her
Will never feel good enough
Internalized everything her parents said to her growing up
1-5. Soon after he was born, in a small town in the southmost tip of the northernmost island, at the turn of the century, his grandmother says that she came home to an Aswang at the window, its wings beating loudly, right by where his crib stood. She ran in brandishing her scapular, but by then it had gone. A priest would come the next day, blessing the house in the name of the father, the son, the Holy Spirit. Luis would grow up with a pendant of St. Michael, the Archangel, hanging on his neck.
6-10. In Catholic school, Luis was something of an oddity. Loved by the priests, hated by his teachers, and tolerated by most of his classmates, he was constantly holding up class, asking an endless series of Why’s, arguing with professors when the answers didn’t satisfy. He was, at first, curious, and then indignant, and then bored. In sixth grade, he started questioning the idea of a divine birth. Then the priests hated him too.
11-15. He is short. Very skinny. Overall, very childlike in stature, and he wouldn’t start to look his age until his thirty years. He hates his stubby fingers. An artist, he thinks, should have long, delicate fingers. He thinks if he had just learned piano as a child, he would have developed long, delicate fingers. This is his only point of vanity.
16-20. He is mestizo, which is to say, lucky. Incredibly lucky. Able to study at the Ateneo. Able to go where he wanted—within reason. Able to say what he wanted—within reason. Safe from spontaneous beatings and violent whims—within reason. His lightness was both amulet and warning sign. Hurt him, and it would matter to someone who mattered. So, for the most part, nobody did.
21-25. It is strange that he is mestizo. The old women in the town credit it to Father Miguel, who they said visited over his mother every night of her pregnancy, to pray over the child, to will it to be well. Such kindness was hard to come by these days, they said. He was very lucky. After church sometimes Father Miguel would come to talk to their family, lay a stubby-fingered hand on Luis’s head. You are becoming more and more a man, he would say. Luis would roll his eyes.
26-30. It is Father Miguel who immortalised this luck. Who made it permanent. Who found him a way out. He comes to Luis’s family after mass in Luis’s fifteenth year. I have found you a place on a ship and a place in a school. You will leave in three weeks. Make the necessary preparations. Luis’s parents can do nothing but give their thanks.
31-35. Luis is not mestizo in San Sebastian. He is decidedly foreign, and dark, and unfamiliar. His classmates call him a monkey. Luis shares a room with two other boys in the house of an old widowed lady. Pedro and Juan are older, don’t have much patience for him, are always out. He spends much of his time alone in his room. He reads. He learns to be quiet.
36-38. Luis will never set foot in his country again. He remembers his father only vaguely, a tall, dark man with heavy eyes. He thinks, often, about the weight of those eyes on him. He would remember those eyes for a long time.
39-40. Luis cannot think of his mother without crying, so Luis does not think of his mother. He stops opening her letters.
41-45. Luis will remember his town forever, will jolt awake from dreams of splashing into its bay, falling from its trees. When he does, it is all he can do to hold himself back from sprinting, to keep himself at a walk, to keep this pace to San Sebastian’s harbor. The water is cold but otherwise familiar. Water is water, wherever you go. He swims out until his muscles tire, then gives himself leave to float. He swims back in when the sun rises.
46-50. Luis finishes school quietly, starts a job as a copywriter, takes classes in translation at night. Pedro and Juan move out, and he is alone in his room for all of two weeks before he decides to move to France. He has seen pictures. Things might be different, in France.
51. Luis doesn’t really know what he’s looking for.
52-57. Luis is acerbic and superstitious. Jaded and naive. Only twenty-one, he is remarkably composed, in Paris, when first confronted by its misery and squalor. Shakes hands, sincerely unimpressed, with the writers and artists and strivers that swarm Paris’s streets, fill its cafes. He is desperately eager to make friends. He has never loved a woman, never touched a cigarette (never will). St. Michael the Archangel still hangs on his neck.
58-63. Luis will spend the next few years a copywriter-slash-translator. He will feel that he has not found what he was looking for in France, but that if he has searched three countries and hasn’t found it still, he never will. He will frequent the same cafes again and again, will take the same black coffee and eat the same cheap bread, day after day. He will, eventually, make some friends. They will expect nothing from him but friendship. He will be grateful for them, will genuinely enjoy their company, will respect their kindness. It is a fine life.
64-69. He will awaken one day thinking he has sleepwalked through life, has been puppeted. He will have nowhere to go, no bay in which to swim, so he will be driven by the fury of his terror to write. When the day breaks, he will have become a writer. The story will take place before this.
70-73. Luis has considered getting a pet before. He has visited a few shelters. He thinks he wants an orange cat, fat and fluffy, a little cross-eyed. He agonises over her for weeks. He decides he cannot afford it.
74-79. Luis sometimes thinks about the Aswang. Usually, he remembers it when he walks past the Notre Dame, past the gargoyles and saints, all of them watching him. (I want the Aswang to come back to him someday, I think it visits him in a dream, and maybe this is the dream that wakes him up?) Luis still goes to church, but he doesn’t necessarily believe in it. Luis still prays.
80-84. Luis never experiences instances of violent racism in Europe. But he is very aware of a tightening of life, a narrowing of freedoms. There is nothing he can do about it, so he doesn’t try. What would be the point? He makes a joke of it instead. Luis is often smiling.
85-87. Luis reads the newspaper everyday, cover to cover. Talking about what he reads, what he sees, will change nothing, so he says nothing. But he is quiet long after, thinking.
88-90. To say that he is silent because he is indifferent would be wrong. To say that he is not deeply angry, that there is no violence coiled tightly inside him, would be wrong.
91-95. Luis is endlessly practical. He is neat to a fault, not due to vanity, but to pragmatism. He works hard. He appears mild-mannered, soft spoken. He speaks precisely. He can be cutting when he wants to be, crushing sometimes, without you realising. He is irreverent, has no qualms with insincerity. You would not know he disliked you until he wanted you to. He hates hypocrites, hates levity, finds seriousness useless.
96-98. Luis misses home, but it is his own fault that he never sees it again. He never tries to return.
99-100. Luis never finds a home elsewhere. Luis never tries to.
1. The character is female.
2. Her name is Lucille.
3. She’s 29 years old.
4. She’s a brunette.
5. Lucille is tall, almost five feet, seven inches.
6. Her favorite color is pink.
7. She’s married to her college sweetheart, Matt.
8. She went to Duke for her undergraduate degree and majored in Psychology and Economics.
9. Went to Harvard for law school.
10. She has a daily planner where she schedules everything.
11. Every Thursday, she eats a raw papaya salad for lunch.
12. Lucille hasn’t met a fish taco she hasn’t liked.
13. Her parents have been married to each other for the last 40 years.
14. Her father is a lawyer too and her mother works in talent management.
15. She has a sister who is younger by 2 years, Andy.
16. Her husband is a doctor, and they met each other at Duke.
17. She was born and raised in New York City.
18. She’s been living in Boston for the past 6 years.
19. For Breakfast, she eats a toasted everything bagel with honey cream cheese.
20. Every Saturday, she goes to Trader Joe’s to buy her groceries.
21. She’s pregnant with her first child.
22. The pregnancy was not planned but they are still very happy.
23. No one knows about the pregnancy except her husband, but she cannot hold secrets.
24. She’s 11 weeks along and doesn’t know the gender of the baby.
25. She’s secretly hoping that it’s a girl.
26. Her husband is a doctor.
27. They met when they took Psychology 100.
28. They started dating a year after that.
29. On their first date, they went to grab ice cream.
30. They’ve been married for a year, together for 8 years.
31. Lucille knew he was the one when he took her to grab fish tacos within their first month of dating.
32. They live in a luxury apartment building in the Back Bay area of Boston.
33. Lucille and her husband have a very active social life.
34. Lucille is talkative and a social butterfly.
35. Her best friends are her sister Andy and her best friend from Duke, Daisy.
36. She has a great relationship with her parents.
37. Daisy has recently moved to Boston too, and Lucille loves that.
38. She’s allergic to cats.
39. Her favorite animals are cows.
40. Her first concert was Justin Bieber at his ‘My World Tour’
41. Going to the Eras Tour was a life-changing experience for her.
42. After her family, her next love is Taylor Swift.
43. Target is her happy place.
44. Lucille hates driving.
45. She’s hated driving since she was 20, when she got into a fender bender while driving her dad’s new car.
46. However, she has a lot of road rage.
47. Lucille also loves being a passenger princess, especially when her husband is driving.
48. She’s allergic to shellfish (barring crawfish and lobsters) and mushrooms.
49. Her favorite flowers are tulips.
50. Lucille hates dogs.
51. She was chased by a friend’s pet dog when she was 5 years old and has hated dogs since then.
52. There exists a video of Lucille on YouTube (no one knows what it’s about or has seen it except her husband).
53. She loves having football games playing in the background while working.
54. She, however, does not understand football. Her husband has been trying to explain the game to her for as long as he knows her.
55. In the spring semester of her sophomore, she went to a frat party.
56. When she came back to her room, she spent 3 hours crying till 2:30 a.m., feeling like a terrible girlfriend and friend. Daisy and Matt spent that time reassuring her.
57. That was the last time she went to a frat party.
58. Lucille cannot cook, despite trying her hardest.
59. Her cooking skills have improved since her time at Duke.
60. Her husband, on the other hand, loves cooking.
61. The first time he saw Lucille cook, he knew he would be the one cooking for her throughout their relationship.
62. Lucille is addicted to Hot Cocoa.
63. She has them throughout the year, not just in the winter.
64. Lucille loves traveling.
65. Her parents took her and her sister for a big trip almost every summer.
66. Her favorite trip was the one they took to Croatia and Scandinavia.
67. Lucille is hydrophobia.
68. Due to her hydrophobia, she never learned how to swim.
69. She also has a big fear of boats.
70. Due to her fear of boats, she refuses to go on any cruises, much to the dismay of all her loved ones.
71. Lucille loves collecting frequent flyer miles.
72. She dreams of visiting all the Disneyland’s in the world. So far, she’s ticked three off her list.
73. Lucille loves Harry Potter.
74. Matt gifted her a charm bracelet for their third Valentine’s Day together and she still has it.
75. She’s obsessed with collecting charms for said bracelet.
76. She also loves collecting fridge magnets.
77. She often takes candid pictures of her loved ones using her Polaroid camera; it’s her favorite hobby.
78. Her favorite picture she has ever taken is one of Matt and her.
79. She’s a secret artist.
80. Lucille would not be able to live without her daily planner.
81. She’s ruthless and blunt at times.
82. Lucille loved getting piercings while in college.
83. She got her first lobe piercing in the summer before her sophomore year and the next one the following year.
84. While at Duke, Lucille loved dying her hair.
85. Her favorite was when she had pink highlights. That was the year she started Matt. She believes her pink hair gave him the courage to ask her out. He hasn’t ever explicitly said anything, but its true.
86. Her hair currently has blonde highlights.
87. Lucille is a very emotional person.
88. She can cry at the drop of a hat.
89. The most she’s ever cried was when Matt proposed to her.
90. He proposed at their apartment, on a whim on Christmas morning. She loved it.
91. She also sobbed heavily the first time she heard her baby’s heartbeat.
92. The way to Lucille’s heart is through ice cream and chocolate.
93. Her freezer always has an emergency pint of ice cream.
94. Her favorite ice cream flavor is Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia.
95. Lucille almost got a tattoo once: it was a butterfly on her ribs.
96. Matt, Daisy, and she went to the tattoo parlor together on her command during their time at Duke. Matt and Daisy left with tattoos. Lucille chickened.
97. Lucille thinks Matt would be a great father.
98. Her favorite word is bubble. It sounds so funny!
99. She also loves blowing soap bubbles.
100. Sometimes, Lucille lives in her own bubble.
He is broke
He is tired
He feels like a failure
He struggles with weight loss
He has been bald since his early twenties
He longs for his earlier days as a DJ
His family is kind and understanding
He is paranoid of being screwed over
He is scared to reach out to his daughter
He wants to find love that lasts
He is a heavy drinker
He is a music lover
A lions fan
A GO BLUE Michigan fan
He has had two failed marriages
He is alone
He is lost
He loves to socialize
A joker in the room
Well liked among friends
He has no college degree
He misses the days in South Carolina
He wears a silver watch of his fathers
He worries about his mother
He used to live with his mother
The family got upset with him, alone again
He loves the outdoors
He had a stubby gray beard./goatee
He still has yet to get his hair back
He is sad with the music of this generation
He misses the old rockstars
He is an avid facebook poster
He works in radio
He longs for a best friend…maybe a dog?
He’s angry with his second wife.
Tired of being the bad guy
Scared to take accountability
Regretful
Lover of carnival fried food
He is an uncle
He misses his dad
Charismatic
He is a brother three sisters
His brother died when he was a kid
He was adopted by a loving couple
He has abandonment from his biological parents
He was not a scholar
He married young
He was religious but only at his lowest
He grew up in a small town in Michigan
He loved the outdoors
He played football when he was younger
He was smaller
Then he had a growth spurt
He loved beer
He missed going to concerts
He loved lake days
He enjoyed watching hockey
His favorite color was blue
He had a broken wrist
He occasionally smoked a cigarette, it made him feel young
He hated cleaning
He was a lady’s man
He had a big heart
He made people smile
He loved comedy shows
He helped his mother with her garden
He got excited when he could spot a bear in the woods
He hated the snow
He had blue eyes
He loved turtle neck sweaters
He longed to travel
He was sober … for now
He wasn’t great with money
He thought his sisters were bossy
He hoped to connect with is daughter again
He loved steak
He was a poor cook but a master griller
He was getting his boating license
He was told his heart was getting old
He enjoyed the stars
He was fascinated by outerspace
He drove a shit used car, but it worked
He thought little about the future
He was not invited to his nieces wedding
His political preference drove a wedge between family
He loved blue jeans
He liked to roller skate
He was in his late 60s
He was scared of failure
He wanted the support of others
He was a liar
1. She’s always been drawn to animals
2. She pays close attention to the world around her and how it interacts
3. She’s a scaredy-cat, jumping all the time
4. She’s the type of person who thinks family is chosen
5. She can only cook specific meals
6. She’s always planning her life
7. Her Google calendar is chaotic, but ocd driven
8. She has social anxiety
9. She always has chapstick
10. She has M&Ms on her nightstand
11. She eats chia pudding for breakfast
12. She is very clumsy
13. She is always cold
14. She has a close relationship with her mother
15. Her father disappeared from her life at a young age
16. She has had many other father figures through the years (neighbors etc)
17. She considers herself a loner, while having many friends
18. She stores snacks under her bed for when she gets hungry
19. She visits animal shelters on the weekends
20. She dreams of living a stable life
21. She wants to afford her own home without a mortgage
22. She wants to have cats to cuddle
23. She’s a homebody
24. She has heterochromatic eyes, green and blue
25. She is always a flushed pink
26. She craves to let someone else be in charge
27. She only lets herself relax once everything is done for the day
28. She has cabinets full of any medicine she could need
29. She always eats her cravings like her mother encouraged
30. She has a love of supernatural things, especially ones people would consider monsters
31. She thinks most people are misunderstood, only understood by their most intimate group
32. She thinks love has no bounds, loving as many and whoever they should want
33. She loves walking through forests with her large dogs, feeling protected
34. She’s never been one to fight
35. She always has a carafe filled with filtered water on her nightstand
36. Her bedroom is cozy with a focus on love and comfort
37. She always lotions her feet and puts socks on after a shower
38. Her favorite cold drink is an iced dirty chai
39. Her favorite hot drink is an apple spice tea with honey
40. She loves steak
41. She likes low lighting, makes her feel safe
42. She doesn’t put herself out there
43. She has a couple of close friends but keeps them at an arms-length
44. She always wants to adopt more animals
45. She wishes she could grow a garden
46. She loves tanning lakeside with a good book
47. She is very inquisitive
48. She is always asking questions
49. Her mom and her have always been called wise beyond their years
50. She’s always willing to help others
51. She has only been in love once
52. It ended badly
53. She loves therapy
54. She is constantly in her head
55. She is an overthinker
56. She likes slow walks, absolutely no running
57. She loves the smell of peppermint
58. She loves garlic
59. She always has fans on
60. She is a minimalist for home decor
61. She considers home wherever her favorite animals or people are
62. She’s not afraid to leave where she is to try something new
63. She still has safe places that she continually goes back to
64. Her mother taught her all she knows about life issues
65. She calls her mother every week to check in
66. Her life didn’t end up where she thought it would
67. She’s still learning even out of school
68. She wishes to expand her horizons
69. She loves riding horses
70. She’s always wanted to visit Austria
71. She hates spiders
72. She loves rewatching shows that remind her of her mother
73. She loves romance, but only while reading
74. She is scared of lightning storms
75. She loves star-gazing
76. She used to have a big group of friends that brought a lot of drama
77. She never likes being in drama
78. While she plans things for timing, she’s go with the flow during them
79. She never procrastinates
80. She volunteers with different groups
81. She has a brother who she doesn’t talk to
82. She switched jobs a lot when she was younger
83. Her favorite job was working in behavioral analysis
84. She has worked as personal assistants to CEOs
85. She doesn’t know if she wants to stay where she lives or move again
86. She is indecisive
87. She always writes out pros and cons
88. She can’t imagine a world without logic
89. She loves watching crime shows even though they scare her
90. She loves visiting different people for different holidays
91. She always has popcorn ready to eat
92. She speaks French and wants to learn Italian
93. She has moved all over the US
94. She loves annotating books
95. She loves doing skincare at night
96. She hates washing dishes
97. She has many styles of clothing she likes to wear
98. She loves sleeping and staying in bed
99. She is chronically ill, but doesn’t tell anyone
100. She hates chocolate with fruit, only exception is strawberries with chocolate
I have a name. I’m eighteen, maybe nineteen? I’m 5’9. I’m becoming a woman. My favorite color is blue. I never wear blue. I don’t know if I have a passion. I enjoy photography. I’ve used the same Canon DSLR camera for 8 years. I have a few friends. I drive a 2000 Honda Civic DX Hatchback 2D, silver. I only speak English. My parents only speak English. I’m from Pennsylvania. I’ve never moved. I have a tendency to hoard small things, gifts, cards, trinkets. I have an iPhone. The screen is cracked. The town I live in is dinky, small, and having a car is the only thing to do. I want to go to college. I don’t know where. I didn’t apply after graduating high school. I’ll get to it eventually. I have two parents and they love me. I have an older sister and she hates me. I have an older brother and I hate him. I work as a server at a Denny’s. I make bad money. I work with some cool people and some not cool people. My best friend moved after we graduated, but she’s still my best friend. She might be more than my best friend. I’m not sure. I know she doesn’t feel the same way as I do. I tell myself I don’t care. Sometimes I think about the boy that works at the 7/11 down the road. I stop there to get muffins if I run out of eggs for breakfast. I prefer 2% milk over skim milk, but whole milk tastes the best. My parents don’t want me to move out yet. When I’m bored I look for roommate postings on Craigslist. I love my bed, even though it’s probably what gives me back pain. I keep forgetting to get a YMCA membership. There’s no other gyms around me. When I wake up, I feel a deep fear in my stomach, like I’m on one of those drop tower amusement rides that make your guts experience zero gravity. That feeling doesn’t go away anymore. I wish I was better at math. My nail polish is chipping. I like the mountains, but I feel comforted by empty parking lots. At work, I hear about people I used to know checking into rehab, last week, a few days ago, did you hear that Amelia OD’d last night? None of the lighters I own have been bought by me. I find them on the ground a lot. My favorite lighter is hot pink. I haven’t been to church in a few months because I think I’m atheist. I like the people there, but I feel guilty being a non-believer, like I’m tainting God. The produce stand a few streets away from the church is permanently closed. I want to go explore one of the abandoned mills by the river, but I’m scared to go alone. I don’t know anyone anymore. I can’t stop picking at the cuticle skin on my right thumb. It’s bleeding. My black hoodie has some bandaids in the pocket, but I’m wearing my brown one right now. There’s some coins and chapstick in the left pocket and an old receipt in the right pocket. The strings on my brown hoodie are gone. I used them for something else one time and they snapped. My shoe size hasn’t changed since 7th grade. I love how Converse look on me, but they squish my toes. My dad had to glue the sole back on to my favorite pair. I constantly refresh my Instagram feed when I’m at home. I need an oil change. I want a new job, preferably at 7/11. I think I’ll start my college applications tomorrow. I said that yesterday, too. The chapstick in my left pocket is mango, but I hate that flavor now. It makes me nauseous. I love Smuckers Uncrustable sandwiches. I wish I knew how to braid my own hair. I haven’t gotten a haircut in two years. My mom tells me I look slovenly every few days. I owe the library money because I haven’t returned a book. I spend too much time online shopping. The weather’s getting colder. My dad always insists on waiting to turn the heat on. My face in the mirror looks tired. I squeeze acne on my forehead for 10 minutes before I take showers. I wish I had money for a nose job. My screen time averages 16 hours this week. I wish I kept playing trumpet in high school. My sister hasn’t responded to my text from last month. She blocked me on Instagram after she moved out. I dread opening SnapChat. I have a 803 day streak with a boy that used to bully me in 4th grade. I wish I liked marijuana. I have the same birthday as Kurt Cobain. My brother called the house yesterday and asked my mom for 50 bucks. My parents cried once because none of their children get along. After work, I’m always tired. My boss doesn’t let us sit down unless we’re on break. I hope Christmas is fun this year. I downloaded Tinder to get out more. It makes me want to stay in. I’m always in my bed when dinner is ready. If I go to college, who will keep this spot warm? I’m never hungry. I always want an Uncrustable. I never miss dinner. My parents are always waiting for me at the table.
1. He used to be a calm and loving man
2. Now he’s angry and furious at life
3. There’s more than anger simmering underneath the surface
4. Why is he so angry? Someone murdered his wife
5. He loves his wife more than life itself
6. Their first date was a getaway to an abandoned farm
7. Actually, they got lost and stumbled upon the property, but he still refuses to admit it to this day
8. The farm is littered with remnants of their time there
9. There are blankets stashed in corners, initials carved on the faded red walls of the barn, some fresh pots and pans neatly stacked by the firepit, and memories scattered in every nook and cranny
10. He is Jack Sullivan
11. He has no middle name
12. His wife’s maiden name is Brooks
13. Her name is Katherine Sullivan, middle name now Brooks
14. Jack misses his wife’s funeral
15. Why? Because he is planning to avenge his wife
16. His wife, who he affectionately calls Kat or Kitkat.
17. She says she hates being called Kitkat
18. But secretly, she loves it
19. The local sheriff is like a father to Jack
20. He always stops by to check in on him
21. After the funeral was no different
22. Their house was empty when the sheriff knocked on the door
23. Oh no, what is Jack doing? He missed his wife’s funeral
24. The locals can’t find him. The sheriff is worried
25. Jack insists he’s not musically inclined
26. But he can sing like a madman, what a set of pipes
27. If only he could play guitar
28. It would’ve made his proposal even better
29. He proposed in the autumn of the year after they met
30. The leaves were beautifully red at the farm. He remembers how they crunched as he got down on one knee
31. He can’t wait to call Kat “Mrs. Jack Sullivan”
32. His parents are ecstatic, they can’t wait to call Kat their daughter
33. Oh yeah, at least he has both parents
34. Kat’s father passed away from lung cancer while they were in college
35. Jack and Kat met during junior year, six months before her father passed
36. Her mother lives across the country and never fully recovered from the grief of her husband’s passing
37. They don’t see her much. They never did.
38. His favorite genre of music is classic rock
39. Guns n Roses, The Grateful Dead, ACDC, that’s what he grew up listening to
40. He’s tall
41. He’s tan
42. Why do you think she fell so hard? Oh yeah, his personality too
43. They got married right after graduation
44. Now they’re 27 and 28
45. With a baby on the way
46. And he couldn’t be happier
47. He never imagined his life could bring so much joy
48. They’re expecting a baby boy
49. They’ve already named him James
50. Jack’s favorite color is royal blue
51. His wife’s is a beautiful forest green
52. They compromised and painted their son’s nursery green
53. He hopes their son will inherit his wife’s beautiful, jet-black hair
54. His wife is a talented choir teacher at the local high school
55. Together, they sing
56. By herself, she accompanies on the piano
57. Their home is a wonderful pale yellow
58. Surrounded by a white picket fence and hosting a barrage of mini vegetable gardens in the backyard
59. It’s a lovely little home, everyone says
60. Good, Kat deserves to live in a lovely little home
61. In their house is a beautiful oakwood baby grand
62. His wife has tried to teach him, but every time he is easily distracted by her presence
63. He is mesmerized and in awe every time she plays and sings
64. He doesn’t know she swoons each time he serenades her jokingly from across the house
65. They’ve rehashed the colors of the nursery room
66. Their son’s room will be painted with a mural of a green forest next to a vast, blue ocean
67. It’s a true compromise this time
68. But no painted airplanes, she said
69. Jack is an aircraft mechanic at the local hangar
70. Grew up fascinated by the local hangar
71. Jack was wrong. There is someone he loves more than his wife
72. His son
73. His son, he’s decided, will grow up with a heart bursting at the seams from the combined love of both him and his wife
74. They have too much love to be contained
75. They’re regulars at their local church
76. His wife’s berry pie, a “local delicacy” as they say, has won over the hearts of many
77. Everyone is ecstatic to meet the newest member of their family
78. A baby Sullivan, how wonderful
79. No one expected to hear the news
80. That Katherine went in labor early
81. Oh no, the Sullivans
82. It was a collective gasp
83. And no one was surprised when Jack disappeared
84. He tends to run off at times, much to Kat’s chagrin
85. They forgive, but don’t forget the time Kat turned up to Sunday service sporting a ring of bruises around her slender neck
86. They still remember how Kat flinched as he rested his hand on the small of her waist
87. Or the fury with which he glared at her when she dared to poke fun at him in front of everyone else
88. Sometimes he was the epitome of happiness
89. He could be as chivalrous as prince charming at times
90. But he also looms around his wife like a charged thundercloud
91. Yes, he admits he’s overprotective, but that’s how he shows his love
92. That’s not overprotectiveness, Kat thinks
93. His son and his wife, they were supposed to be a perfect family together
94. He was ready to move forward
95. The existence of his son brought out a self-awareness that he didn’t know existed within himself
96. He has three great loves
97. They would be his wife, his son, and his truck
98. Jack’s red pickup truck wasn’t parked outside his quaint yellow home
99. The sheriff was horrified to discover it parked outside the hospital
100. All Jack could see was red as he walked into the NICU
My character’s name is James. He is 16 years old. His birthday is September 17th. He has two parents (married). They immigrated to the U.S. two years before he was born. His dad works as a contractor and his mom is an elementary school teacher. He has a 5-year-old sister. Had a nice, happy childhood. Was overprotected as a child because he was an only child for 10 years of his life. Has a pet lizard. James has dark hair and a tan skin complexion. His family is from Guadalajara (Mexico). He has a better relationship with his mother than his father, although both relationships are healthy. He likes to draw and read. His personality type is INFP. He likes spring because of the flowers. Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday because of the food. His favorite subject was English. He worked at an ice cream shop over the summers. He spends his money on art supplies. Has won a poetry contest. He gets scared easily. His favorite movie is “Her.” His favorite color is a muted blue. He likes walruses but cannot have one as a pet. He always carries a 0.3 ball-point pen in his pocket—he thinks it can be useful. Usually worries a lot and/or is the mom of the friend group. He is currently in high school. Is best friends with another boy called Oliver. Has never dated anyone. When he is sad, he bottles things in. His parents get upset at how much he withholds. The go-to spot for when he is upset is his rooftop. His room is on the second floor of his house and has access to the roof through his windows. Likes to stare at the stars when he is having an existential crisis. Used to play the piano when he was small but has been drawn to other string instruments. There are some woods near his home that he goes to when he needs inspiration to write. Has never been attracted to anyone romantically but has questioned his sexuality. He clicks his tongue or pouts when he is deep in thought. Gets impatient with slow people. Cannot stand loud noises but will go to a metal concert and will not mind. Typically likes artists such as The Cure, Panama, Alvvays, and The Smiths, but will enjoy a good Slipknot. If he hears a song, he will get poetic and describe a memory. When he gets excited, his eyebrows raise and he gets a little jumpy. He likes going to the outdoors, especially at night. He is both a night owl and an early bird. Is sleep deprived (approx. 4 hours of sleep every day). He became friends with Oliver when he was in first grade. Oliver was more outspoken and approached him first. They talked about superheroes and James pulled out his comic books that he liked to read. James is also friends with Emma, a girl he met in 7th grade. They go to different high schools. Emma and James write on his rooftop late at night. He likes to have philosophical conversations with her. They both bonded because they do not like eggs, especially for breakfast. His favorite meal is dinner. He likes to eat shaved ice with fruit when he is sad. He likes spicy food. James struggles to remember what he dreams. His room isn’t very decorated. Instead, he has random items he finds on his walks; rocks, interesting leaves, and signs. He has a good relationship with his little sister. He is overprotective of her. His favorite activity is to give her piggy back rides and tickle her. They like to watch movies in the evenings. He is her role model. She mimics him all the time. He was not too happy when she was born but he liked her after. He likes to cook at home and help his family. His favorite drink is hot chocolate in the fall/winter season. He is a Virgo. He hates sports. Dislikes the fact that his friends work out. His least favorite subject in school is chemistry. He is intuitive. Makes decisions based on his gut feelings. He keeps a journal under his bed and an assortment of ripped pages. His favorite activity is to jump in leaves with his little sister. His family refers to him as Jaime but his classmates call him James. He knows Spanish and English. He lives in Massachusetts. He grew up in California. He doesn’t feel like he belongs sometimes. He moved to Massachusetts when he was 6. Oliver helped him feel a little more included when he first moved. James is scared of pursuing anything romantically with people. He has commitment issues. Unrequited love (no more elaboration). He hopes to have a happy ending. He likes to daydream about impossible things. James has hazel eyes and wants to get tattoos in the future. Has high pain tolerance. James has a soothing, calm voice, that is not high or low-pitched. The first thing he thinks about in the morning is waking up his sister to get her ready for school. A cute habit James has is ruffling his hair when he is frustrated/impatient. His ideal day would be writing the entire length of it. He gets nauseous easily. He likes to send kid-show memes to his friends. He is horrible at responding to calls/texts but when he answers, he only responds with pictures. James is happy most of the time.
She carries a vanilla yogurt and plastic spoon (compostable) to work every morning, along with some extra sugar packets for her coffee
She only likes the brown paper sugar packets, which they don’t have at her office
She has emailed HR about that, but they never got back to her
She has had a small vendetta against HR for that– good coffee is a human resource
She does buy the yogurts and sugar packets in bulk (grocery day is Sunday, laundry day is Wednesday nights, and all plant watering happens while the laundry is washing)
She sleeps in as late as possible, hence the on-the-go breakfast
“As late as possible,” however, is never later than 5 minutes early
Her routine is as optimized as possible and takes approximately 45 minutes every morning (40 on a quick day, never more than 45)
She can count on two hands the amount of times she’s been late to work (and by that she means less than 5 minutes early) (six times– she’s a little annoyed that it doesn’t all fit on one hand, but the morning after her breakup was a hard one, and she was actually late that time) (almost by a whole half an hour– the woman who sat on the opposite side of her table almost called her to make sure she wasn’t dead)
She doesn’t see a point in having a coffee machine since she can get free coffee at work and she doesn’t mind buying coffees on the weekends if necessary
She wears business casual clothes to work
She prefers pants to skirts for work, but prefers dresses in general
She edits for a newspaper, so technically she could work from home, but she prefers the office as she says “she gets more done in the environment” (she doesn’t have a coffee machine at home)
She writes well, but prefers editing as it leaves her with enough time for hobbies
Writing would pay less consistently, and she enjoys being paid on a regular basis with confirmed and consistent amounts (freelancing would stress her out beyond belief)
She is 32 years old, unmarried, no children
She has two cats, Jezebel (Jezzy for short) and Lilith
She has a PhD in religious studies (of course)
She focused on Catholicism and she was born Catholic but has never felt a strong attachment to the religion as a concept aside from her heritage (then again, she tells people she’s Catholic when asked, but always adds that she’s “not really practicing, just can’t give it up”)
When she tells people she majored in religious studies, they always ask if she’s religious and she wonders why she chose the major that constantly makes people curious about her religion because she can’t really explain her affinity for it
She thinks that that’s precisely why she couldn’t not major in it
Her name is Diana
Her father wanted to name her Artemis after the goddess but her mother said that was “too on the nose,” so they ended up with the “common” (i.e. Roman) version
Her mother would describe her as “practical to the point of severe at times”
Her dad would say she’s “responsible,” likely adding on a “that’s my girl” when asked about her
She hates the dentist, but doesn’t mind the doctor’s visits
She has never had a cavity (but perpetually fears them)
She has chronically low blood pressure (not concerningly, just enough for every doctor to ask if she’s just woken up from a nap (especially given that she looks high strung enough to have high blood pressure– they wouldn’t tell her that, though, they might just ask if she’s been stressed at work lately))
She wears her hair slicked back in a mid-height ponytail
She fears that a low ponytail makes her ears look bigger
It doesn’t, the height of her ponytail does little to change how her ears look, but one time a kid in third grade told her she had big ears and she hasn’t quite recovered
She uses only the plain brown hair ties from CVS or Target
Her hair is almost red (really, it’s brown, but it’s just close enough to red that the people around her can’t reach a consensus as to whether it’s brown or red and saying one irritates some people while others argue the other way)
If you have to know, her driver’s license says brown (she has a small vendetta against the DMV for that– her hair is not quite brown and almost red) (especially in the sunlight)
She’s never dyed her whole head, but she briefly had a matching purple streak with her best friend in college
She has yet to dye it again after that grew out– now she thinks it’s a little too late, given that she’s 32 and works at a fairly strict office (nothing other than “natural” hair color is within policy) (her boss thought her hair was dyed for a while, that she had chosen to not quite commit to red, only conceding when Diana found empirical evidence to the contrary (baby photos))
She loves peaches but hates the skin– something about the texture on her teeth, the way it gets stuck
She hates picking things out of her teeth, even with a toothpick, it just feels undignified
Every peach is painstakingly peeled with a knife (she doesn’t use a peeler enough to justify owning one) (or at least she doesn’t think so, despite going through at least one peach a day for those three glorious weeks during the summer where they are perfectly in season) (she’s gotten so good at peeling them with a knife that her friends ask her to peel apples for their yearly thanksgiving pies) (she doesn’t like pies but she likes her friends and hates watching people peel things poorly) (it makes her hands crunch up to just imagine a clumsy knife slip) (she should really get a peeler)
She likes to write poetry in her free time, and also cross country ski when the weather and environment allow for it
One of the most expensive things she’s ever purchased was her nicest pair of cross country skis when she had a small breakdown mid-graduate school (she regretted it for approximately two years where she was too busy to get much use out of them, but she’s been skiing more consistently since graduating, and has gratefully come to the conclusion that they were in fact worth it)
The skis live under her bed most of the year, delicately packaged in a case so that they don’t get dusty (they are without a doubt her prized possession– she used to downhill ski with her dad, but she got into cross country skiing on a chance outing club sign up sheet in high school) (they provided skis and she was curious and a half decent runner) (she’s now been doing it for 15 years)
She particularly likes the way the skis glide, the way she can feel herself progressing forward through the wind, the way her muscles move to propel her forward with the same consistency with which she can type– it’s a rhythmic thing, her personal equivalent to music (she’s deaf in her left ear, so music feels unbalanced (even if the bass is wonderful)) (skiing does not feel unbalanced, it feels as though she is being put back into place)
Along with the skis, she keeps various containers of things from her childhood bedroom that she cannot bear to get rid of
In the back left corner lives her large, IKEA-made container of every stuffed animal she has ever received (she has never, ever gotten rid of any, aside from the one her little brother threw up on over that infinite train ride home) (sometimes she thinks of both of them when she sees a hedgehog (she’s only ever seen two hedgehogs in the great outdoors, but both times she thought of her brother and that stuffed hedgehog) (he was named Apollo) (the hedgehog, not her brother– he was named David) (she misses David often, the way he refused to grow his hair past about a centimeter long, the way she’d shave it for him, the way his adult teeth didn’t even finish growing in before he died) (she loved his smile, missing two teeth in the front– he’d laugh, and as soon as she saw the gap she would laugh, even if he was laughing at his stoic older sister)
Good listener
Listens to old Spanish rock
Looks like: Beard, 5’11, Strong/muscles, long hair aka man bun, trianga (my skin color), hairy, he’s tall compared to the love interest
Likes to work out, lifting
Hikes
mind is always running with thoughts
Likes photography
Good son, family man
Hispanic, DR
He has 2 long time past lovers
Classic Hispanic breakfast but with a protein shake because he works out
Chemist
He dreams about his love interest, travel the world,
He drives a car
He likes wrestling
Mother issues
He likes girls with glasses
He has a beard and he touches it a lot when he’s nervous
He wants to travel the world
He likes read
Inner growth, wants to learn how to be single because hasn’t been single since the start of high school
He works part-time at the genius bar in soho, it’s an actual bar
He hates tuna
He hates bad drivers
His parents getting a divorce and his mom being the cheater
His lover is 5’0 feet
He speaks 4 languages: Spanish, English, Arabic and Dutch
Sporty clothing most of the time, but can dress really nice
His pockets always has ChapStick, car keys, wallet and phone
Under his bed he has una lata de galleta con photos and documents. Most of the photos are from his childhood when his parents were still together
Older brother and younger sister
Born in New York
Gym – Monday, Wednesday and Friday
He collects Starbucks cups
He lives alone
He’s very neat
He loves his car
His likes gold jewelry
He likes pepperoni on his pizza
He likes food from the DR
He likes the beach
He likes coffee
He likes movies but doesn’t like the movie theater
He graduated from Columbia University
Respectful
Funny
Smart
Tattoos
Light brown eyes
He played soccer in college
He studied abroad in Denmark
Pharmaceutical company
Likes to go to the museums
Comedy and action movies
Can cook
Goes to DR at least once a year
Reads
Favorite color is olive green
Likes ice cream
Big nose
Wants to learn how to ride a motorcycle
Visits his family at least twice a month
Likes to dance bachata
He is 24 years old
Adventurous
Ambitious
Practical
Introverted
Polite
Tactful
Witty
Self control
Calm
He likes to go out with friends
He’s emotionally intelligent
Self-Directed
Nurturing
Likes to learn new things
Closed book
Manners
Patient
He wears a gold cross
Smells like Mahogany Teakwood
He hates people who chew loud
He likes to shop
He hates being late, but he’s latin
He’s not a picky eater
He doesn’t smoke
He’s not rude
He likes Christmas
Bad singer
Nice teeth
likes f1 racing
thinks breakfast is the most important meal of the day