It's been a minute since I did a tag! And since there are several that I've been tagged for...it seems like a good time to get that ball rolling. (Also, I'm in the middle of the end of the semester, and things are stressful, so...tags.)
And because it's November, and I miss NaNoWriMo (which I definitely don't have time for, and might have politico-moral quibbles with), I'm going to finally get around to a tag which Jem tagged me for in March...the Voted Most Likely Tag!
This tag has been intimidating me for a bit because
1. I don't talk about my writing much on the blog, so you don't really know my characters
2. I don't write to the volume that many other writers do, so I don't have that many characters
3. I've been toying with the idea of giving up on writing fiction and focusing on nonfiction, so I feel like a fake writer
But I have been tagged! So, I shoulder on!
To give you all context for the characters I'll be referring to in this tag, a quick guide to my WIPs (or retired WIPs) and the characters therein:
Project Jacob: An extremely derivative fantasy involving dragon-type-things, a magical school, magical powers based on the four elements, and no sense of how to pace a story. (But do I still love it? Yes. Yes, I do.)
Jacob: My sweet boy, just trying to make sure no one gets hurt and that the world keeps spinning.
Leah: Extremely hotheaded, extremely like me as a young teenager, and very likely to maim people if they hurt her friends.
May: Soft-spoken, shy, sweet, and good with her hands. A grandma, but as a teenager.
Mira: Extremely bubbly, bouncy, and energetic. The youngest of eight--brothers. You can guess whether she's a bit spoiled or not.
Into The Dark: Based on this Quirk
The MC: No, she doesn't have a name. Dealing With A Lot...just trying to stay alive from one day to another, and maybe find some joy in life. (A lot like me in the last few years of high school in one way or another.) She loves her family, but if only they weren't so...loud.
Em: Basically, the MC's adopted older sister, wise beyond her years, but also trying to keep her life together while helping the MC, whose life is falling apart.
Project Monday: Introduced (sorta) in this post
Chiara: The nerdiest sheltered homeschooler who ever lived (that's what happens when you grow up in a secret seminary)
Father Maximillian Mary: Chiara's spiritual father, very humble and soft-spoken, but with a wry sense of humor
The Novella With No Name: Very little details disclosed, but let's just say there are many babies involved
The MC: No, she doesn't have a name either. A young mother, trying not to drown in babies.
James: The Best Husband Every, officially. Trying not to die while he finishes his surgical residency and his wife drowns in babies.
Martin: Well-intentioned, but only four.
Annemarie: Terrible Two (and that's all you need to know).
Now, shall we hop into the questions?
(And yes, there is no context for the aesthetics. ;))
The Questions
. . . Most Likely to Be a Poet . . .
Probably the MC of Into the Dark. She tends to think Deep Thoughts. Going blind will do that to ya. (Milton, anyone?)
. . . Most Likely to Dance in the Rain . . .
Mira, no question. In addition to being my character who is probably most likely to do something crazy and manic-pixie-dream-girl-y like that, she also has water powers, so the rain would dance with her.
. . . Most Likely to Look Good in a Kilt . . .
We're going to go with James. Because he is The Perfect Husband, so obviously he would look good in a kilt. (I'm not sure my MC would approve, though. I don't think she likes kilts.) (Also, how does one determine who looks good in a kilt? Jem had this question, too, and I wholeheartedly concur. It's kind of a weird criterion.)
. . . Most Likely to Get Punched in the Face . . .
Leah. She's also the one most likely to punch someone else in the face. I can absolutely see her getting in a brawl over something stupid either she or someone else said...
. . . Most Likely to Drop Everything and Become a Sheep Herder . . .
My gut is saying May, here, just because if she was a shepherd, she'd be all by herself. (But maybe Father Maximillian Mary, for the same reason.)
. . . Most Likely to Be Found in the Library . . .
Chiara! There aren't many rooms in the underground seminary, and she's an avid reader, so both by inclination and by sheer probability, she's the character who's most likely to haunt a library.
. . . Most Likely to Sleep Through an Earthquake . . .
Probably my Into The Dark MC. She spends a fair portion of the manuscript sleeping and/or having weird hallucination-dream things, and a lot of that time is also spent having almost no will to live, so...I don't think an earthquake would interrupt things much. (She's also one of the few characters who lives in a place where earthquakes are likely to happen, so it works on several levels!)
But also, my MC from The Unnamed Short Story is severely sleep deprived, and ALSO lives in an earthquake-prone area, so I guess it's a toss-up.
. . . Most Likely to Steal Food from Other Peoples’ Plates . . .
Annemarie. But only because she's a two-year-old, and that is definitely in character for someone who draws on the walls and wakes up the baby by pulling on his ears.
. . . Most Likely to Cheat on a Test . . .
See, I don't think any of my characters would be likely to cheat on a test? I mean, besides my villain from Project Jacob, who I didn't even mention, because he's just a generic I Need Revenge, Dark Aesthetic, Blood Sacrifice villain. Most of my characters are very moral? So I guess we'll go with that villain. (Thank goodness I've progressed to writing stories in which the situation is the antagonist. I am not a villain person.)
. . . Most Likely to Say “Oops” After Setting Something on Fire . . .
I'm going to say Leah, just because she has fire powers, but she's generally a good person, so she probably wouldn't set something on fire on purpose. Probably.
. . . Most Likely to Open an Orphanage . . .
The answer to this question is a toss-up between Em, Father Maximillian Mary, and Jacob. I guess I just tend to write character who are really good at taking care of other characters (especially my MC). But of them all, I think Em's the one who'd most realistically do it. Father Maximillian Mary has a whole bunch of student brothers to worry about, and Jacob has two younger siblings, not to mention his hands full with his friends... but Em has her life in front of her, a supportive unofficial adoptive family, and a nurturing nature.
. . . Most Likely to Run off with the Circus . . .
Mira, I think. Her bouncy nature would fit right in at a circus, plus she's the one most likely to be able to do all kinds of acrobatics.
. . . Most Likely to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse . . .
Well, Chiara & Fr. Maximillian Mary already have, in a sense (only, the anti-Catholic apocalypse, not the zombie apocalypse). But after them, I think I'd say Jacob. He has a fair assortment of powers (that's all I'm going to reveal about that...but let's just say Chosen One vibes), and is very determined to stay alive and keep his friends alive, as well.
. . . Most Likely to Fake Their Own Death . . .
Probably Father Maximillian Mary or Chiara, either to stay safe from the government...or just to have some time to themselves. XD (Like spiritual father, like daughter, I suppose.)
. . . Most Likely to Die and Haunt Their Friends . . .
Mira, probably, just because she'd think it's hilarious. (I don't usually write goofy characters, so she's getting more than her fair share of tag time, I think. Oh well. She was one of my favorites, so I really don't mind.)
And I Tag:
The Nutmeg, because she has all kinds of interesting characters
Sarah Seele, because ditto
The Grim Writer, because I want to hear more about her characters (including the ones she's killed...)
Anyone who wants to do this, because I'm too overwhelmed with school to tag anyone else! XD
So, what do you think? Which of my projects sounds the most intriguing to you? Could you guess which aesthetic goes with which? What of these things are you most likely to do?
Love this, Sam!!!
ReplyDelete"I feel like a fake writer" <<< i mean, like, relatable, but was c. s. lewis not a real writer when he wrote Mere Christianity? was g. k. chesterton not a real writer when he wrote The Everlasting Man? Reconsider your feelings, madame.
I so love getting glimpses of your characters and this was scrumptious. James as The Best Husband Ever. LOVE.
Thanks, Megan!
DeleteOkay, well comparing me to Lewis & Chesterton isn't exactly helping?? 😅😅 I don't aspire to be either of them--I'm nowhere near their level! (But okay, I get your point. Nonfiction writers are writers, too.)
I'm glad you enjoy glimpsing them! They were fun to "show off" a little bit. :) (I really do adore James. XD)
Hi, Sam!
ReplyDeleteIt's so cool to see into your projects. Especially since the kinds of characters that you like to write and the kinds of characters that I like to write are very different, which I guess I hadn't realized until just now. Reading through your character descriptions, I was like, "Oh. Huh. That's cool. Wouldn't have done that. Ooh--interesting, hadn't thought of that, maybe I'll steal that for one of my people."
Also, I am officially joining you in the 'doesn't write villains' club, because the only ones that I've written have turned out to have zero depth beyond being totally evil and edgy, but without feeling emotions, but also they feel many emotions especially anger and regret.
Yeah. Maybe not.
I think I'd most want to read Project Monday, because it sounds a lot like I Am Margaret and that was a fun book. I think Project Monday corresponds to the last aesthetic, Novella with no Name is the one in the middle, and Project Jacob is the first one.
Hi, Legolas!! Good to "see" you. :)
DeleteAww, thank you! That is really interesting, because we're not that different of people? And I kind of think that the way people write characters is influenced by who they are as people, if that makes any sense? Hmm. Would love to discuss this further with you at some point. :)
I KNOW, it's STUPID why will they not have DEPTH. But really, situational conflict is better anyway. Not that I'm biased at all, of course. XD
Hmm, Project Monday is a fair bit like I Am Margaret! (Maybe a leeeeeetle less hardcore?) Maybe you'll get to read it someday... You're on point with your aesthetical guesses! Good work. :)
Okay, so I knew I liked Chiara from the snippet. Then every single mention of her in this post cemented it that she is AMAZING and I really like her. I don't know why I like her so much without having read, like, anything of her story, but I DO. (Also Father Maximilian Mary is kiiiiinda giving me Ambrose vibes? Is this at all valid?)
ReplyDeleteAll of your characters sound delightful, though, actually. "Well-intentioned, but four"? YES. Also "Chosen One vibes" made me laugh, it immediately brought a very specific image to my head.
(bonus extra thoughts on nonfiction: leaving aside the fact that chesterton is one of my favorite writers and definitely real and his nonfiction is my favorite, i am currently reading a nonfiction book [history] that is making me exceedingly grateful that the writer is a good writer. like. writers need to write nonfiction too. nonfiction needs to be well-crafted too. it's actually very important. fiction has always seemed like the very obvious choice for me, and i think it does for a lot of people, because stories. but that doesn't mean it's the only thing a writer can write? i dunno. i wish you well figuring out what you do want to write. i love the sound of your stories, though. oh, and also. from the autumn prose-poem, the sleep musings, and the flannery o'connor post [imma try to comment on that one, at least], your nonfiction writing voice is very lucid and occasionally beautiful and...you may just have a talent for writing nonfiction, is all i'm saying. whether that be in addition to or instead of fiction.)
It makes me so happy to hear that you love her! (Because I do, too, and even though I'm not sure if she's ever going to see the light of day, I want other people to appreciate her!) (Ambrose as in Saint Ambrose? Maybe? I'm not sure, though.)
DeleteHaha, thank you! All the descriptions were fun to write, and I really do love my characters, even if their stories are lacking in the plot department a fair amount of the time...
(Thank for that, too! I needed it! Thank you for your words and your well-wishes. :) And your point that nonfiction needs to be well-crafted, too, is absolutely accurate (from a person who has definitely suffered through too many dryyyyyyy nonfiction books), but something I hadn't really thought about! Aww, thank you for the compliment, too! You're spoiling me over here. :))
I don't have much time for blogging in any capacity right now, least of all commenting, but I just wanted to take a second to say thanks for tagging me. :) I had so much fun doing this tag.
ReplyDeleteAnd a couple other things:
1. if you're writing fiction, you're not a fake fiction writer. And if you're writing anything, then you're not a fake writer at all. No gatekeeping yourself, now. *wags finger* I think you're a fantastic writer [of fiction] from the little bits I've seen and I think you're a splendid writer [in general] based on your blog posts. :) So there.
2. I want to hear more about Project Monday because...I love semi-speculative fiction with priests in it. That's all. I just love it. So much. Also, I went and looked at the post and the pinterest board and GIRL THE AESTHETIC IS IMMACULATE.
3. I love the phrase 'situation is the antagonist'. Expresses everything I'm going for myself so well. *chef's kiss*
God bless you Sam!
You're most welcome! I had fun seeing you do this tag!
DeleteAnd to your other things...
1. Thank you! I really appreciate your encouragement. :) I will endeavor to stop gatekeeping myself at this juncture, since so many people are telling me to stop, lol.
2. I love semi-speculative fiction with priests in it too! (Which is part of why I'm writing Project Monday, because there's not enough of it for my tastes, lol.) I set it down for an absurdly long time, but I have plans to pick it back up again because I have New Ideas, so there may be more about it around here sometime...but I make no promises. ;) (Also, thank you! You're going to make me blush. XD)
3. But see, it works so well, because you don't have to come up with villain motivations. XD
God bless you, too, Grim!