Beautiful People: March

Hey everyone!

The questions from last month's Beautiful People for writers thing (Still don't know what to call it!) really got me thinking about the characters in my series, and you seemed to like the post (See here for my reply to the February questions), so I thought I would do March's questions too! I found them on the blog Paper Fury. Without further ado, here are my answers!

1. What first inspired this character? Is there a person/actor you based them off?
Esme is based on another character I created for an earlier version of this story, and I can't remember what first inspired the early draft of her character! I know she was called Arianna, but I prefer Esme now. Looks-wise she was based on Lily James, as I was watching War and Peace when I started redrafting this series...I haven't watched the end because I'll cry!

2. Describe their daily routine.
Esme generally wakes between eight and nine, and arrives at the Department of Supernatural, which she is the head of, by about ten. She stays here, sorts out any business - attending meetings, visiting struggling supernatural people - and stays at the Department for most of the day, getting lunch during a small break. Then, she goes home, perhaps meeting some friends for tea, but mainly just stays inside. She isn't too exciting before the books start, but she's very dedicated to her job.

3. If they joined your local high school, what clique would they fit into?

 To be honest, I feel like Esme would be in a popular clique! Either that, or she would have her own clique that annoys the popular people constantly and gets into a bit of trouble but manages to get their way out of it again...that seems to be her speciality at the moment!
 

4. Write a list of things they merely tolerate. Ex: certain people, foods, circumstances in their lives…

• When people underestimate her
• Most of her colleagues in the government
• Coffee
• People insulting her uncle
• Mushrooms (unlike myself...as I hate mushrooms!)

5. How do they react in awkward silences?

She's the type of person that would allow an awkward silence to go on for only so long before she remembered something they needed to do! Esme always has plans whirring away in her head, and she can be quite bossy when she wants to be. 

 

6. Can they swim? If so, how did they learn?

Esme can't swim as she lives in the middle of a city, even though it is a coastal city. Her uncle never thought that she would need it, and she was never that bothered to learn how to swim either. 

 

7. What is one major event that helped shape who they are?

The biggest event that happens in her life occurs a few months before the series begins, and it is the death of her uncle. Esme has been raised by her uncle all her life as her parents passed away when she was a baby, and she has to mature a lot in a short space of time to take over her uncle's role in the government.

 

8. What things do they value most in life?

Esme values her friends most, and loyalty is very important to her. She loves her house as it was where her uncle and father grew up and it contains lots of happy memories for her, and later on in the series she values a certain ring as well... no spoilers! The portraits of her parents and uncle are incredibly important to her.

 

9. Do they believe in giving other people second chances? Do they have any trust issues?

If Esme really cares for the person who has wronged her, she will give them a second chance as she doesn't let a lot of people into her life and doesn't want to lose anyone. As for trust issues, she doesn't particularly have any, but because she didn't have many friends when she was young she isn't very open and doesn't share things with lots of people, although as the story progresses she does try and share more.
 

10. Your character is having a rough day…what things do they do to make them happy again? Is there anyone they talk/interact with to get in a better mood?

If Esme was having a rough day, she would find her love interest, Henry, and he would know the way to cheer her up, or let her rant until she feels better. If Henry was busy, she would probably find her best friend Jay and they would complain together and Jay would go beat up whoever had made her unhappy! And, if all else fails, Esme would go and sit in her uncle's study and read one of his favourite books.

Hope you liked my answers! Let me know what you think of Esme!
(This post took a lot longer than it needed to because I kept getting distracted by Hamilton...)
Thanks for reading(:

Beautiful People

To make up for the severe neglect of this poor blog, I've decided to take part in the Beautiful People for writers thingy! The lovely Cait over at Paper Fury and Sky from Further Up and Further In host this every month, and it's an opportunity for readers to get little pieces of information about any current works. I'll be answering for the novel I'm planning rather than the one I'm writing, as I feel like then this will help me develop my characters!
As it's February, this is the Valentines edition, and without further ado, here are the questions!

1. How did they first meet?
My main couple in this are called Esme and Henry, and they met when Henry came to Esme's uncle for help after his family disowned him. Because I am a writer, and therefore a nice person to my characters...(I lie, I am not).

 

2. What were their first impressions of each other?

Henry basically fell for her straightaway (because I'm a sappy romantic at heart) but was content just being her friend, while it took Esme more time. When the series begins, she has a sort of kind of very large crush on him, so the first book is just them two being awkward and cute around each other - until things get serious and wars start happening...please refer back to the part about me being a nice writer!

 

3. How long have they been a couple?

Technically, at the start of the series, they aren't a couple. But, I mean, that could change..possibly... probably...

 

4. How committed/loyal are they to each other? Would they break up over a secret or a disagreement? Could stress drive them apart? Would they die for each other?

They're fairly dedicated to each other even when they aren't together. So, they fall out over stressed arguments, but they still have each other's backs and never really stop caring, which I think is going to be fun to write. I want them to have a supportive relationship, as that's what Esme needs, and a loving one as that's what Henry needs.

 

5.List 5 “food quirks” they know about each other. (Ex: how they take their coffee, if they’re allergic to something, etc….and feel free to mention other non-food quirks!)

This is a hard question! I think I'm going to have to make a few things up on the spot, but I guess that doesn't matter too much? (I hope!)

• Esme only drinks tea, never coffee, while Henry needs several cups of coffee to function.
• Henry is a little scatter-brained, so snacks often, which leads Esme to making sure that he's eaten meals.
• Esme can fence nearly as well as Henry, and neither of them brings this up as Henry doesn't want to lose and Esme doesn't want to hurt his pride.
• Esme taps her fingers when she's nervous.
• Henry paces when he thinks.

6.Does anyone disapprove of their relationship?

Henry's parents do, for reasons that would contain spoilers so I'm not going to put them here! And a few other people will, I think...But they get over it eventually, so everything's fine!

 

7.What would be an ideal date?

Probably a walk around the museum, because Henry loves history and Esme likes pointing out who's supernatural in history! Either that or a day in the park with no one to bother them.

 

8.What are their personality dynamics? Similar? Contrasting? Do they fight a lot or mesh perfectly?

Generally they get on very well, with Henry calming down Esme's rants and outbursts and Esme convincing Henry to stick up for himself. They contrast quite a bit, as she's outspoken and he's quite calm, but that's how they make a good team, and they don't generally fight about big things (apart from when they do, like once).

 

9. What have been their best and worst moments as a couple? 

Best moment: A certain scene on an actual ship that I have planned, involving a sense of impending danger, a ring and a romantic captain! (A ship on a ship...it makes me laugh!).

Worst moment: The time when they argued about a big thing at the end of the first book...and it causes issues for the second book which I'm not looking forward to writing!

 

10.Where do they see themselves and their relationship in the next few years?

About a year passes in this series, and from the start to the end they go from friends to a lot more than that. As for after the books, I know where they're heading, even if they don't yet (;

 

So they was my fairly cryptic answers! I'm sorry there isn't perhaps as much detail as there should be, but I'm still working on this and I don't want to ruin anything! I don't think I'll get to write this anytime soon, as I need to plan five books' worth of complex plots, and then a sequel for my other project...the problems of being a writer, eh?

Thanks for reading(:

Bookish Resolutions 2016!

First of all, Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all have amazing 2016s filled with equally amazing books.

1. Conquer my TBR list! It feels like I have a million and one books to read - okay, maybe only

   

   (Some of the 70-80 books I need to read!)

   70-80 books - and this fact is stressing me out a bit. So this year I have a plan to Read More, Buy Less! I doubt this will work, given all of the incredible books that are coming out in 2016, but I want to try and limit my book buying, maybe only buying as many books as I read in a month? I'm still not 100% about how to go about this, though.
2. Read the Harry Potter series - Don't kill me, but I haven't read the Harry Potter books! *runs away from angry mob* I never really had an interest in reading them, but this year I have decided to try them
3. Read Crown of Midnight (and reread Throne of Glass) - I read Throne of Glass last year and, while I thought it was all right, I was not blown away by it (unlike most of the book community!). However, I want to give this series another try to see what everyone loves about it.
4. Be a better book blogger - A little bit of a vague resolution, but I want to post more often and develop a posting schedule, and maybe write more review and tag posts. I haven't devoted enough time to this poor little blog!
5. Finish the novel I'm currently writing - This story feels like my first proper attempt at writing a full-length novel, so I really want to finish it! (I have a bad habit of starting stories and then forgetting about them for years...and years). I may participate in NaNoWriMo - although I already know I'm going to be so busy in November - and, if I finish it, I may post up a couple of chapters on Wattpad.

Let's see how many of these I end up completing by the end of the year! (Probably not many, but I can dream!) I've set my Goodreads challenge to 50 books, as I know I'm going to be busy this year, but it would be nice if I read more! In 2015 I read 61 out of 60 books. Do you have any bookish resolutions for 2016? What have you set your Goodreads challenge to?
Thanks for reading(: