Character Creating

Well, it’s been more than a year since I last made a post. Although I did write some, I was unable to make a post. Also, there were much other stuff that kept me occupied. Posted below is a piece of article I wrote as a practice when I took an online course, Start Writing Fiction, taught at FutureLearn. It was a good course on how to create a character when we write fiction. Of course there are many methods writers follow, mine is based on the guidelines I received from the course provided by the Open University. Since I had plenty of time during the first lockdown period (early 2021), I also engaged with other learners and added constructive feedback that one of my colleagues gave. 

Here it starts...

“No, this looks lame”, I said to myself after trying the third t-shirt in front of the mirror. I finally went for a black one with some abstract patterns in the show. Selecting clothes rarely happens to me. It was Saturday morning, and I planned to go to a park approximately 30 minutes of walk from where I stay. But I had purchased a bus ticket and planned to use the bus instead. I quickly finished eating bread and omelette. I had sprinkled some cheese too. This was an elementary breakfast that day, although I had hors d’ oeuvres that filled my stomach. I needed to avoid feeling my belly bloated, for my plan was to do some walk and spend a few hours in the park breathing fresh air and looking at people spending their weekend. I checked the FirstBus App and found that the bus would arrive at the nearby stop by 10:25 am. I checked the clock, and it was 10:15 am. The bus stop is just a two-minute walk from where I live. I put on my sporty white shoes, picked up the mask (very important), sunglass, scarf, water bottle, mobile phone (an integral part of me), and headphone. I was all set to start. I locked my door and also closed the door of the flat. I chose to take the staircase instead of the elevator and take the emergency fire exit, which would take me directly to the main road. I put on sunglass, played random music on Spotify, plugged headphone into my ears and headed towards the bus stop. 

As I crossed the road and waited for the bus to come, a few others were doing the same. To avoid contact with each other, all of them were on their own or at least pretending to be on their own. Among them, there was a girl fiddling with her super-branded iPhone 11 with three cameras. She was brunette and had worn a yellowish sporty jumper with a big “Puma” logo on the front and black trouser with white sporty shoes. As a regular matter of the current situation, she had a mask on her face, but she hung it below her chin—not covering the mouth. She looked like in her early twenties: young, charming and talented (I always think of beautiful girls being adorned with exceptional talent and confidence). She slid her left hand between her thighs and her right hand holding the phone. With her thumb, she was scrolling Instagram posts (I guess). Or maybe she was going through some meme pages or reading messages sent by her friend (or perhaps boyfriend?), which might have made her smile. I wondered if she had a boyfriend. Or maybe just a few admirers? Why not? Beautiful girls always find boys—and even men—admiring their beauty, trying their best to befriend and be as close as possible. The bus timetable on the screen showed “one minute left” for the next bus to Cribbs Causeway Circle, which I guess she is also heading to. Or maybe there are several stops en route, and she may get down in any of the stops. Whatever the case, she looked delightful as if she had found the ultimate happiness through whatever it was there on her mobile as if she was unaware of the social distancing and never heard of the COVID-19. What is the source of her being in this state? Perhaps it was my imagination? Whoever we see, we create an image in our mind and characterise them. But in reality, who knows what? 

While all these assumptions were going on in my mind, the bus had arrived. Everybody queued up to get in. She was still fully engaged with her phone but was paying attention to entering the bus. Due to the safety measure, not all the bus seats were occupied. There were spaces in between, and the passengers were asked not to sit next to each other. The bus was pretty empty, though. As we all entered, we all tried finding seats. Some were more cautious and were using some spray to disinfect the places before they sat. I grabbed a seat at the very last corner and was looking out, people walking. I noticed the iPhone girl was a few rows ahead of me. 

Over time, local police had warned that the park should not be overcrowded, else they may ban everyone from using the park. But people are adamant. They need to jog, walk, play, and spend time in an open area. This is the perfect place. Families come with their kids bringing food and drinks with kids using bikes to roam around the park and parents keeping their eyes on them. Couples spend all day sharing their romantic moments or maybe arguing, or perhaps expressing their insecurities to each other, or maybe planning their holiday destination once the borders across the world reopen. Many other people, probably university boys and girls in small groups, spend their time chattering to each other or playing fun games or maybe complaining about how complicated the University guidelines are or why there is still going to be exams while everyone is in this dire situation. The park is indeed the best place for amusement. Everybody can make use of it in their way.

I just realised that I should have carried a windcheater on top of the t-shirt, for it sometimes becomes windy. No one can predict the British weather. Luckily, it has been good for the past few days; mostly, it is Saturday, and the weather seems to favour British people, letting all of them come out and forget the so-called term “social-distancing”. No one in the park is seemed to be scared of the COVID-19. Nor do they wear face masks. Most shops are closed and offices shut, urging all its employers to work from home where possible. The government had advised remaining indoors as much as possible, and even if one goes out, one should follow the Health Department’s safety measures. However, people seem to be oblivious to this. I was one of those “people”. I, too, did not follow any safety guidelines other than carrying a sanitiser in my pocket, which I keep forgetting to use. 

Feedback:

Submitted by

Jennifer Ballinger

·       Which method of character creation was being used? 

I think that you used biographical. It seems a realistic scene taken from an outing during the pandemic, people watching at last! 

·       Were you able to see the character clearly? Did you want to know more about the character? 

Yes, I was able to get a lot of information about the young desirable woman. We learn her appearance and her obsession with technology and the effect she has on men. I could also see the writer clearly too, someone the same age as her who understands the same things, but he's quiet and has an active imagination. 

·   What approaches to portrayal, such as depicting appearance, occupation, voice, and so forth, did the writer successfully use? 

We see the girl's clothes and possessions, her location, her mood, her activity. Yes you write using a nice pace and the relationship between the writer and girl could lead somewhere and make a beautiful story.