Sat 2 Jan, 2010
A Tale of Twelve
Come Join the Discussion! (3) Filed under: Fiction, Noelle, Other Writers, Rosewood, TwitterTales, WritingTags: #tfe, character development, Rosewood, Short Stories, Twitter Fiction
It’s been waaay to long since I’ve updated my writing blog (I’ve been off writing!) but now I’m back, and diving in head-first with an introduction to a crowd of characters!
I’ve been tagged by author Jeanette Bennett to participate in the “Tales of Twelve Characters” Challenge. The idea of the challenge is to list any twelve fictional characters, and answer the questions that follow.
Instead of tapping others’ books, Jeanette used the fabulous characters from her own “Adventures of Serendipity Brown” series. I loved that, because it helped me get to know them better! Plus, it inspired me to use characters from my own stories and the series I write with my sister StacyJMT.
Some of our brainchildren are known to the world through Twitter Fiction Events and the sample chapters of our upcoming novel; some will be arriving soon. I wrote their names on slips of paper & drew them from a hat to avoid subconsciously prearranging the outcome of the challenge (since I’d already read the questions). And, seriously—it’s freaky-spooky how some of this worked out.
So, here we go! Allow me to introduce:
1. Dierdre Bailey – Financial analyst [Barrister Mystery series]
2. Andrew Peterson – Lawyer, 1938 [Noelle]
3. Cassie Barrister – PR & marketing consultant [Barrister Mystery series]
4. “Cascavel” – Black market antiquities dealer [Kit & Sierra series]
5. Jeff Barrister – Security expert, businessman, co-founder of Barrister-Norman Security Technology [Barrister Mystery/Kit & Sierra series]
6. Kit Wiley – Physics professor, researcher, adventure travel writer [Kit & Sierra/Barrister Mystery series]
7. Sierra Dodge – Freelance photographer with a military background [Kit & Sierra/Barrister Mystery series]
8. Rusty Norman – Inventor, programmer, co-founder of Barrister-Norman Security Technology [Barrister Mystery/Kit & Sierra series]
9. Victor Vladimir – CEO, Innovation Media [Barrister Mystery series]
10. Palomar Blu – Refugee & star traveler from a distant future [Twitter Fiction Events]
11. Willoughby Atson – Burglar alarm sales manager with a PI license [Mystery series TBA]
12. Todd Patterson – Deputy Sheriff, skeptic [Barrister Mystery series]
Challenge Questions
1. Who would make a better college professor, 6 or 11? (Kit Wiley, Willoughby Atson) Both are qualified in scientific fields. But Kit IS a college professor – she’s enthusiastic about imparting knowledge & communicates in a gentle manner. Willoughby would arrive at class, get nervous, bumble a lecture, quit in frustration, and go find something more active to do.
2. Do you think #2 is hot? (Andrew Peterson – Lawyer, 1938) He spends most of his book fighting a fever, so…yeah, he’s hot all right.
3. 12 sends 8 out on a mission. What is it? Does it succeed? (Deputy Todd Patterson, Rusty Norman) If Deputy Patterson gave Rusty something to do, it would likely be orders to “Stay out of this investigation!” In off-hours, though, they’re friends; so the mission would probably be: “Russ, go pick up some burgers for the barbecue.” The mission would succeed, unless Rusty got distracted by a pretty face, in which case he’d come back with a 12-pack of soda and a loaf of bread.
4. What is or what would be 9’s favorite book? (Victor Vladimir) His checkbook register.
5. Would it make more sense for 2 to swear fealty to 6, or the other way around? (Andrew Peterson, Kit Wiley) Andrew & Kit live 70 years apart, so wouldn’t likely cross paths. If they did, Andrew would be more likely to swear fealty to Kit, as he’s a gentleman of a protective nature, and a lawyer accustomed to confidentiality.
6. For some reason, 5 is looking for a roommate. Should (s)he room with 9 or 10? (Jeff Barrister, Victor Vladimir, Palomar Blu) Oh good Lord. Jeff doesn’t trust Vladimir as far as he can throw him; but he cares too deeply for Kit Wiley to room with any other woman. Vladimir it is!
7. 2, 7 and 12 are going out to dinner. Where do they go and what do they discuss? (Andrew Peterson, Sierra Dodge, Deputy Todd Patterson) They’ll probably grab a quick sandwich at the Trellis Cafe while they discuss the time anomaly that deposited Andrew in the 21st century & swept Jeff Barrister & Kit Wiley to parts unknown.
8. 3 challenges 10 to a duel, who wins? (Cassie Barrister, Palomar Blu) This would most likely be a duel involving video games. Palomar’s proficiency in futuristic technology would render this a close call; but by the time she got used to the archaic interface, Cassie would probably whip her rear.
9. If 1 stole 8’s most precious possession, how would (s)he get it back? (Dierdre Bailey, Rusty Norman) Wow. 
Dierdre *did* steal Rusty’s heart, then discarded it carelessly. Luckily for Rusty, another woman found it…but I don’t think he wants her to give it back.
10. Suggest a story title in which 7 and 12 both attain what they desire. (Sierra Dodge, Deputy Todd Patterson) “Justice.” Both Sierra and Todd are militant about protecting the innocent & bringing evildoers to justice. Todd does it because he’s a peace officer; for Sierra, it’s personal.
11. What kind of plot device would you have to use if you wanted 1 and 4 to work together? (Dierdre Bailey, “Cascavel”)
Actually…that’s not out of the realm of possibility…(*makes notes for later story*) Cascavel is a black market antiquities dealer and the main enemy of Dierdre’s former boyfriend’s business partner’s girlfriend. I don’t think anyone could convince Dierdre to risk her own safety in order to rescue Kit from Cascavel; but it would certainly be possible for Cascavel to show up at the bank where Dierdre works & enlist her financial expertise in the sale of certain artifacts. She’d have no clue he was a bad guy, and would get into all kinds of trouble, making it necessary for Rusty to step back into her life, complicating matters in his current relationship and…(*wanders off to Google Documents*)
12. If 7 visited you for the weekend, how would it go? (Sierra Dodge) The visit would go really well for a while. Then Sierra would get stone-cold bored of me rambling about characters & fonts, and she and my sister Stacy would go off rollerblading.
13. If you could command 3 to perform any service or task for you, what would it be? (Cassie Barrister) I’d probably ask her to speak up more in Twitter Fiction Events. She tends to get really shy and step into the background.
14. Does anyone on your friends list write or draw 11? (Willoughby Atson) This is kind of an ambiguous question. *I* write Willoughby. But in the boundaries of her story-world, she gets infrequent emails from her mysterious employer, Peter D. If anyone were to draw her, it would probably be her friend Ted, who would do it to amuse himself. However, this attention would send all kinds of mixed signals to Willie, and she’d go off wondering if he finally likes her.
15. If 2 had to choose sides between 4 and 5, what side would (s)he choose? (Andrew Peterson, “Cascavel,” Jeff Barrister) Andrew would choose Jeff, hands down. Jeff’s one of the good guys. Cascavel is cream of the crud.
16. What might 10 shout out while charging into battle? (Palomar Blu) “Shields up, divert power to fore cannons!”
17. If you had to choose a song to best describe 8, what would it be? (Rusty Norman) “Phenomenon” by TobyMac. [Lyrics]
18. 1, 6 and 12 are having a dim sum at a Chinese Restaurant. There is only one scallion pancake left, and they all reach for it at the same time. Who gets it? (Dierdre Bailey, Kit Wiley, Deputy Todd Patterson) If they all reached for it, Kit would draw back because she’s self-abnegating. Todd’s a gentleman, so he’d defer to the ladies. Dierdre’s pretty preoccupied with herself, so she’d be munching pancake.
19. What would be a good pickup line for 2 to say to 10? (Andrew Peterson, Palomar Blu) Man of 1938 vs. woman c. 3800? Cheesy lines about Destiny come to mind; but keeping it in character, decorous Andrew would say, “We haven’t been introduced, but those machine gun guys in the tinfoil armor seem to be giving you some trouble. May I offer assistance?”
20. What would 5 most likely be arrested for? (Jeff Barrister) If that little misunderstanding in Majorca caught up with him, he’d be arrested for conspiring with thieves & kidnappers.
21. What is 6’s secret? She thinks it’s a secret that she’s head-over-heels in love with Jeff Barrister. But as far as secret information goes, she has knowledge of her late father’s research that [**spoiler redacted**] causing a lot of trouble.
22. If 11 and 9 were racing to a destination, who would get there first? (Willoughby Atson, Victor Vladimir) This might be a tortoise and the hare scenario. Victor has money on his side, so he can hire planes, trains, and automobiles to get there first. But Willie is young, athletic, resourceful, and neurotic. While Victor lingers smugly at the door, Willoughby will be sneaking in a back window.
23. If you had to walk home through a bad neighborhood late at night, who would you feel more comfortable walking with, 7 or 8? (Sierra Dodge, Rusty Norman) I’d feel more comfortable walking with Rusty. I wouldn’t want to see what Sierra did to any aggressors.
24. 1 and 9 reluctantly team up to save the world from the threat posed by 4’s sinister secret organization. 11 volunteers to help them, but it is later discovered that s/he is actually a spy for 4. Meanwhile, 4 has kidnapped 12 in an attempt to force their surrender. Following the wise advice of 5, they seek out 3, who gives them what they need to complete their quest. What title would you give this fiction?
Dierdre Bailey’s financial consulting for Cascavel has resulted in her discovering that he’s linked with terrorists. Fearing for her own safety, she bypasses the authorities & contacts another client, Victor Vladimir, for help. Vladimir sees the advantage of playing the hero, while incidentally not compromising some of his “business affairs” that are indirectly associated with Cascavel’s network.
Meanwhile, Cascavel assumes the persona of a wronged lover & hires Willoughby Atson to get close to Dierdre & find out how far her “relationship” with Vladimir has gotten. Willie takes the job, not realizing that she’s imparting information to a black market criminal. Before long, however, her instincts set off alarm bells, and she plies Dierdre for details until she learns the truth. When both parties refuse to go to the police, Willie advises them to contact Jeff Barrister, who’s dealt with terrorists before.
Elsewhere: While following a lead in the Ventura hills, Deputy Todd Patterson gets captured by an ever more nervous Cascavel, who hopes to use him as a bargaining chip to buy the others’ silence.
Back in town: Jeff Barrister finally learns the whole story, and tells Dierdre & Vladimir to just go talk to Cassie Barrister’s dad, the police chief, which they should have done in the first place. They do, the SWAT team rescues Todd, vital information is recovered, and Cascavel escapes into the mist to torment the world another day. TITLE: “Tangled Webs.”
As a writer, this turned out to be a great exercise for character development—and I came up with a couple plots I hadn’t thought of before!
Your turn, as a writer or reader. Who would you pick for your Twelve?
© mousewords 2010 – All characters & story outlines copyright Christine and Stacy J-M Taylor, unless otherwise noted.
