Beautiful People is a writer's meme hosted monthly at the lovely blog Further Up and Further In. It's a wonderful way to learn about fellow writers' characters, while discovering more about your own "beautiful people". And it's just plain fun. I'm excited to join in this month!
There's so many characters spinning around in my head that I wanted to do, but in the end, I went with the main character from my current fantasy novel The Count. Meet Talie Renspur, Tal for short.
1. What type of laugh does he/she have? You could call it a "belly laugh". Very full and very free...it spills out.
2. Who is his/her best friend? Kionan, the son of the king. She's also quite close to her little brother, Rowan.
3. What is his/her family like? Tal's family...is hard to be with. Expectations are high and rigid, and there's no room for anyone who doesn't fit the mold. They're charismatic, sophisticated, and always seeking greater power and prominence. While they're not cruel to each other, they don't show much affection.
4. Is he/she a Christian, or will he/she eventually find Jesus? Since the novel's set in a fantasy world, there's no "Christianity". However, there is a God/Christ figure, and she will come to know Him at some point.
5. Does he/she believe in fairies? Fairies don't exist in her world, and she doesn't really dare to believe in anything mythical. Yet. :P
6. Does he/she like hedgehogs? In the woods, yes. In her bed, courtesy of a little brother, no.
7. Favorite kind of weather? Warm, green summer days where everything is alive.
8. Does he/she have a good sense of humor? If so what kind? (Slapstick, wit, sarcasm, etc.?) Hmm, Tal's a quiet girl and isn't witty or sarcastic. However, she has an appreciation for absurdity--in life, in the people around her, and in herself.
9. How did he/she do in school, or any kind of education they might have had? Girls at the court are given a basic education, but their training revolves more around court etiquette, music, dancing, and whatever else a young lady needs to know. So, while Tal did fairly well at her "education", she owes nearly all of her knowledge of weightier things like politics and history to books from the court library.
10. Any strange hobbies? She's an avid reader and likes walking alone in the country, which are both "strange" things for a young woman at the court to do. Other than that, she prefers to stay ordinary and mostly invisible.
And done! Fleshing out bits of these people that live in your head is so satisfying. It's just as lovely as a friendship unfolding in real life. :D
