Giving Your Character The Introduction They Deserve

Giving Your Character the Introduction They Deserve

The simple directness of Neil Gaiman

Shadow’s Introduction from American Gods

I think the way Gaiman introduces Shadow is just near perfect.

“He was big enough and looked don’t-fuck-with-me enough that his biggest problem was killing time. So he kept himself in shape, taught himself coin tricks, and though a lot about how much he loved his wife.

The best thing — in Shadow’s opinion, perhaps the only good thing — about being in prison was a feeling of relief. The feeling that he plunged as low as he could plunge and he’d hit bottom. He didn’t worry that the man was going to get him, because the man had got him. He was no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, because yesterday had brought it.”

In the opening page, Gaiman describes:

Shadows appearance.

Shadow’s passion.

Shadow’s Mentality.

I think the way Gaiman introduces Shadow is just near perfect. It’s nothing too flashy and Gaiman just comes out and states “Shadow loved his wife.” 

Now you try! Emulate shadows intro. What does your character look like? What is his passion, how do they think? Write two sentences about each and mold them into a paragraph. See how it turns out. What? You already have an agent?? Good job.

Bod’s Introduction from The Graveyard Book

“Bod was a quiet child with sober eyes and a mop of tousled, mouse colored hair. He was, for the most part, obedient. He learned how to talk, and, once he had learned, he would pester the graveyard folks with questions”

From this we have.

Bod’s appearance. (Sober eyes/ mouse-colored hair)

Bod’s actions. (Obedient)

Bod’s mentality. (He loves to ask questions and learn about the world around him)

Again, three characteristics all rolled up into a direct introduction. 

It’s ok to be direct with appearance, but show how your character thinks when you are introducing them. It can be as simple as, “so and so loved to ask questions.“

Richard Mayhew’s Introduction form Neverwhere

“The night before he went to London, Richard Mayhew was not enjoying himself.”

If you don’t see that pattern yet, then I’ll tell you. Neil Gaiman is simple and direct. This is really all we need to know about Richard: “He was not enjoying himself,” because once Neil contrasts Richard’s mood with the scene (they are in a bar celebrating), then we get an idea of what type of person Richard is. So the advice from Neverwhere is:

Be direct

Contrast how your person is feeling and thinking about to what is going on around him.

Final Thoughts:

It’s ok to be simple. It’s ok to tell.

“Bod was a quiet child.”

“Richard Mayhew was not enjoying himself.”

“[Shadow] kept himself in shape, taught himself coin tricks, and though a lot about how much he loved his wife.”

Here are some examples I wrote just now:

The thing Susan thought about the most, was how she was going to die.

Elliot liked to punch people in the gut. Elliot was an asshole.

Woah, slow down there Neil

More!

How to tackle the middle of the book - 4 tips from Neil Gaiman Novels

Someone: oh there’s this show I’m watching... oh, nevermind, it’s silly you probably don’t wanna hear about it

Me, knowing fully well how much it sucks to have your passions invalidated and how cool it is to rant about something you love:

Requested by anonymous

Whoever decided that you would add on to Chidi and Eleanor’s punishment seriously misjudged the situation. That’s right, you had been placed with Chidi and Eleanor to fuel the fire that was their torture. Their job was to raise you as if you were their own child. Well in the end, instead of resenting you something much better happened.

The more time the pair didn’t with your, teaching you things like how to tie your shoes and spell your name. The more time they spent having tea parties with you and playing superheroes, the more they started to love you. It was to a point where neither of them considered you to be just some kid they were looking after. No, you were their child.

“We are so lucky” said Eleanor, placing her head on Chidi’s shoulder after they had finished putting you to bed. “I know i’m not suppose to be enjoying this. Reading bedtime stories and playing make believe but... I am. I love [Y/N] just as much as I love you”.

Chidi grinned madly in return before placing a kiss on Eleanor’s forehead. “I couldn’t agree more”.

REQUESTS ARE OPEN

Manners (Request)

Sherlock x gn!child!reader, John x gn!child!reader

Genre: fluff

Request Description: Thank you for saying you’ll write for Sherlock, I appreciate it :) Could you do one where all the peeps are round for dinner (Sherly, Mycroft, Greg, John ect) and John invites his cousin round (like age 9) and she’s just like REALLY polite and even when Sherlock says something really mean from one of his deductions she just brush’s it off and forgives him for it and even Mycroft likes her (PURELY PLATONIC PEOPLE) and she asks to see the brains in the fringe and Sherlock is ECSTATIC

Warnings: none really

(A/N): the only warning here is really that i dont remember the sherlock characters THAT well. and ive totally forgotten who sherly is, so this fic must live without her hahaha

Keep reading

Short Excerpt

Title: N/A

Word count: 622

Characters: Beatrice Blue & Steven Universe

Warnings: Fluff, and brother sister bonding?

Notes: It’s just an excerpt from something I don’t think I’ll finish. I think I need a writing buddy.

———

“Ba ba ba, ba ba ba, bah-dum!”

Down the road aways, pushed back from the suburban borrows, by the coastal headland just a few hard from the cove, on little girl was hard at work.

Stealthily on her tiptoes she began to approach the room two doors down from hers. She quietly opened the door. The room was silent save for the repetitious hum Let the space hear, and her own low humming of her self made theme song. She crawled like an arachnid superhero over the over the objects that littered the floor. She picked her way across the shag carpet, trying not to step on anything that could possibly make noise or break under her weight.

Once she sat at the base of the bed she slipped beneath the frame to the other side. She using the end table she climbed up to the shelve that hung above the mattress. Her eyes twitched as she readied herself to jump on the mass bellow. She wiggled her little butt and sprang into action while shouting.

“Gotcha!” She giggled madly, wrapping her arms around the mound beneath the sheets. It took her a minute before the realization hit her. She drew back all the covers until she stood alone in a mess of sheets. “Ah nuggets,” she pouted.

“Hmm?” Before she knew it a translucent wall of pink rose up from below trapping her in bubble. “Hey!” She screeched. She folded her arms over her chest with a huff. There was only one person she knew who could bubble her. The bifold closet doors slid open and out strode her older brother, looking all to smug.

Steven folding his arms over his chest snickered.

“Sorry Bea not this time.”

Beatrice slapped her palms against the bubble casing. “How’d you know I was coming?” She knew her pithy slaps wouldn’t do anything to free her but it was a good way of expressing her frustration.

Steven chuckled gently kneeling in front of the bed where his sister was bubbled. “You do this every time I sleep over.”

Bea’s nose crinkled ever so slightly as she pondered what he told her. “Oh yeah,” she beamed. Her mood immediately brightened and she began to bounce up and down. “I feel, I feel like a gerbil in here. Hey can-“ One second she was happily bouncing, the next her face was flat the thin shell of pink bubble being the only thing separating it from the carpet.

“Beatrice!”

The blonde just shook her head and turned to her brother a dopey grin plastered on her freckled face. “Can I go to breakfast like this?” Her eyes, Steven could swear, they were shaped like stars. “I want to run into stuff.”

Steven rolled his eyes, “weirdo.” Her eyes were so big, so bright he couldn’t resist, “Fine.” Beatrice pumped her fist in the air. Already out the door, heading for the kitchen down the hall Steven called her.

“Come on, gerbil.”

Forever and Always - Part 1

Title: Forever and Always

Word count: 1,000

Characters: Blu and Girl

Warnings: Angst, crappy writing

Notes: I made this all the way back in 2017. Never got around to doing much with it. Shame. I enjoyed writing it. Even though it made me sad. So I’m posting it, unedited here.

———

March 17, 2006

"Are we there yet?" I ask, leaning forward in my car seat. My mommy adjust the rearview mirror so she can see me better then smiles. Mommy has a kind smile like an Angels'. It always makes me feel so loved when I see her smile.

"We left the house ten minutes ago silly girl," she laughs. Her laughs matches beautiful Christmas bells. My mommy is beautiful, she is the most beautiful mommy in the world. No other mommy can beat her ever.

"But it feels like forever ago, we'll never ever get there." I groan, pushing my wild brown curls out of my eyes. My hair is short and wild it can never be contained, were as my mom's hair is long and flows in elegant waves there isn't even a hair out of place.

"Yes we will it's just ten more minutes." She puts the the rear view mirror back into focus. The car rounds a corner causing garbage and forgot groceries from the other day to slide.

"Hey you said that like five minutes ago." I whine folding my arms across my chest and giving her seat a nice hard kick. "When were you able to tell time?"

"I'm genius, I know everything." I boast proudly. I have to know everything I'm six years old. And six year olds know everything. I'll always know everything I'll stay six forever! You hear that? I'm not growing up, I love being six. I have no worries and no problems. I think to myself believing that I could actually stay little forever.

"Alright genius just look out the window and we'll be there in no time." Through the window I could see a world passing by. The world is passing by without me. I think of all the things I could be doing but can't because I'm sitting in a car. I could be at the park discovering buried treasure in the sandbox or at the beach pretending I'm mermaid. All of those beat sitting in a car that smells like McDonald's takeout.

The car pulls up into a gravel driveway, dust and rocks kick up everywhere. Down the road I can see an old farm house. The house obviously need some new paint and one of the windows was boarded up. "We're here we're here we're here we're here!" I squeal, I can barely contain my excitement, if I hold it in any longer I would surely burst like a bubble.

My mom gets out of the car first closing the door behind her. She opens my door and helps my get unbuckled. I jump out of my seat landing on the gravel drive. Without hesitation I take off for the barn. My mother is calling out after me but I don't listen. Not really paying a lick of attention to my surroundings I trip over something half my size. I quickly get up and dust myself off as best I can. I turn to see what I'd tripped over, a chicken? I tripped over a Clydesdale chicken? "Alright sweetheart slow down," my mother breathes completely out of breath.

We make our way, together, to the barn. The barn looks much better than the house, brand new in fact. Inside single strands of hay litter the floor and full hay bales are up in the rafters. Little balls of fuzz play happily together in a pile of hay. "Puppies!" I squeal getting the fuzz ball's attention. My mother’s friend had a litter of Australian Shepard puppies and I get to have one. They run over to me excitedly tackling me down to the ground.

"Okay Libby remember only one puppy," mommy reminds me. I frown hugging three of the eight pups. "Aww but they're all so cute how can I chose just one?"

I mutter under my breath looking all the puppies over. "Well your cute…wait so are you, and you, and you. You're all just so cuddly!"

“Mommy why can't we keep them all?" I beg making the most saddest puppy dog eyes I’ve ever made. "Honey we don't have the room," it’s like my whole world shatters. I can’t chose that would be like choosing my favorite parent, it’s mommy obviously. There is only one way to make sure this is fair.

I close my eyes and spin myself around holding my index finger high in the air. "Okay I chose you." I shout opening my eyes to see where my finger has landed. It was the smallest pup sitting at the back of litter grey fur covers his back and face. White fur covered his belly, paws and muzzle, and black spots covered the grey area. His eyes were blue and brown and his stub of a tail was wagging at an unusually fast pace. ”Well aren't you a strange pup? I like you, think of all the adventures we'll go on."

I pick the pup up and carry him over to my mom, he’s a lot heavier than I thought he would be. "I chose this one mommy," I say with pride, my mother looks the little pup over. "Sweetie are you sure?" I nod my head so fast I feel like a bobble head, "yep he's special I can feel it."

"Okay then what are going to name him?" Mommy asks, I furrow my eyebrows in slight confusion. "I don't know he needs a special name. A special name for a special pup." I take a couple of minutes to think it over. We slowly walk back to our car, it’s a blue Honda Civic. At night it can appear silver in the moonlight. My eyes light up at the sudden realization, I know what this pup should be named. "How about Blu?" "I like it."

"Come on Blu if we don't leave now we may never make it home, it takes forever." I giggle hoisting Blu up into the car. It’s Blu, mom, and me together forever and always.