Building on a character - Hazel, the librarian.

I created Hazel in Week 4 and am revisiting her for this exercise.

Hazel sat on the upper deck of the number 42 bus with a barely controlled grin on her face. It was a beautiful spring morning and she'd dressed herself and Beijing in jaunty red to compliment the day. Her Pekinese always traveled better if kept restrained in her capacious handbag. Hazel bent and rubbed noses with him.
A single phrase was whirling through her head. “The first day of the rest of my life” it spun, weaving a cloth of infinite possibilities.
Retirement had been so long in coming. Freedom at last from that dusty old library which had stopped being fun the day the world discovered Google.
The bus pulled into the terminus and there, already waiting was Carol with Yangste on his lead. They too were wearing matching outfits, only they were in yellow. The two brand new pensioners greeted each other like schoolgirls with hugs and giggles, then they linked arms and strolled off towards the Heath without a care in the world.



Hazel is a 62 year old spinster. 
Born in 1953 in St Albans 
Parents: Ronald Corrigan m. Edna nee Whittaker
Siblings: Stuart 1958 m. Judith
                Robert 1961 m. Rosemary
Happy childhood, primary school, bright passed 11+ went to Grammar school
Became a librarian then moved to London
Aged 28 met a married man - had an illegitimate baby given up for adoption
                                                had an abortion aged 31
Lives in a basement flat in Camden with access to the garden


Youthful looking but concealing her greying hair by going lighter and is now blonde. 
Petite, slim but some middle age spread.
Neat clothes, quality makes, no frills but likes colours
Not extravagant.

Independent
Determined 
A little insecure
Enthusiastic
Prevaricates/Procrastinates
Young at heart

Loved her work especially research and archival work.
Likes interacting with people
Very correct at work "place for everything and everything in its place" but less tidy at home.

Pekinese called Beijing
Friend Carol with a Peke  called Yangste











Disillusioned with men she turne to women for companionship and got entangled with lesbian relationships although she is not gay. Turned to canine world for solace. Met Carol at the dog breeders and found a kindred spirit.

Post 20 - Using a different method of Characterisation

I am going to try and create a character without a back story, who is a composite of people I know.


Great Grandad Kenneth, Grandy to all the family since Adam renamed him, is a striking man.
He's over six feet tall and as upright as Nelson's column, which is surprising as he's over ninety.
He claims never to have had a days illness in his life, as long as you don't count the various hospital admissions he's had for injuries down the years. Of these the very first was the worst.

He had come unscathed through World War Two, it was nearly over by the time he was conscripted. He enjoyed the army life and decided to stay on when the war ended. He'd always been an enthusiastic sportsman and the army soon had him in one of their swimming teams. It was on the way back from a competition that the accident happened. He was in Germany. There was devastation everywhere, the roads were terrible. The jeep in which he and a fellow soldier were traveling back to barracks had to mount a bank to avoid a huge pothole and it simply toppled over on to its side. Kenneth fell out into the road and cracked his skull but worse was to follow as the petrol tank leaked and somehow caught fire. His mate struggled out of the jeep and managed to get to Kenneth pretty quickly but not before the right side of his head and his right arm had received severe burns. Months of plastic surgery followed in East Grinstead. But no, Kenneth was never ill.

The fiery red new skin eventually calmed down to a more or less normal colour but his right cheek looked a little like a patchwork quilt.  Tired of hospitals he turned down the offer of a new ear so only had a lobe. In the early days he'd grown his hair in a comb-over to hide his scars but as the years went by it irritated him so he went back to a short back and sides, always joking with the barber that it should be cheaper as he only had one side in need of attention.

The scars are not the first thing you notice about him now. His military bearing and the still twinkling blue eyes above a broad smile mark him out from the crowd. Whether it was the accident or his natural inclination but Kenneth loves life and lived his to the full. He had married Isobel, ten years his junior, who had  been his girlfriend at the time of the accident. She had stuck by him even though he told her she didn't have to. They had four children, two of each. One by one they had found partners and now there were six grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Kenneth felt blessed and gave thanks every Sunday at his local church.

Kenneth wouldn't say he is community minded but he does like to be involved and his friends and neighbours know he can be relied on to help where he can. These days, although still a great walker, his physical capabilities have diminished but he manages the funds for the Wednesday Club and uses his old electric typewriter to create notices and leaflets. He's probably the only person in Lancashire who still has a supply of carbon paper and uses it. Truth to tell Kenneth is a bit of a gossip and he needs to be part of the village scene.

Post 19 - Confidential character sketch

Week 5

It has been suggested that we write a character sketch in a style we're not used to. As I have said on Future Learn I felt that breaking character portrayal into 4 methods was artificial as I feel most authors used an ideal/mixed method. Imagination combined with bits of oneself and people one knows. I know I do. My husband tried to convince me otherwise citing Jack Kerouac "On the Road" and Catch 22, I still don't agree. Writing a barely disguised autobiography isn't fiction to my mind.

However, what an interesting exercise. It took me some time to think who I knew well enough to be able to write a character sketch about. Once I began though I really enjoyed the process although I found changing some of the details to protect the innocent(!) harder than I thought, which is why I am not going to publish it on this Blog. I don't know how we get to see each other's assignments on Future Learn if we are not the reviewer. We should be able to see those of the people we're following.

I have to say having done the initial character sketch my imagination took over and I was developing the whole thing into a short story before I knew where I was. I love having the community of other prospective writers spurring me on.

Post 18 - Sentimental Surgeon

With his sterile gloves held before him the surgeon strode into the operating theatre. His assistant had prepared the patient and Sister had all the instruments to hand. He turned to the anaesthetist and asked if all was ready for him to proceed. The anaesthetist nodded and the surgeon took knife to skin. With one confident stroke the skin was breached and a line of blood was swabbed. The operation was slick and efficient, the necessary part was removed. The surgeon sewed the skin neatly, satisfied that once again he'd done a good job. He turned away leaving Sister to apply a dressing. In the scrub room he tore of his gloves and threw them in the bin. His eyes filled with tears as he undid his gown and pulled it off. He used the sleeves to wipe his eyes. He hated removing organs for transplant, especially when the donor was a child.

Post 17 - Week 4.11 Hunches and personal concerns

It was suggested we write out a list of our personal "concerns'

"This exercise aims to help you build up a self-portrait of who you are as a writer, and to help you to become clearer about the kinds of things that matter to you, that are likely to be your overall subject matter or material when you write. Remember, your list will (and should) be highly personal."

• The safety and happiness of my nearest and dearest.
• Concern for the environment
• Worry about falling standards in health care and education
• Community
• Care and compassion for others
•  Love of books and reading
• Security - financial and home
• I like to see new places and new people but I'm no longer so keen on travelling
• Growing interest in social history and the development of community despite ruling elites

I was surprised and delighted to note that these are the things I like to write about most. who would have thought. I have found this a very enlightening exercise.

Post 16 - Writing character - Hazel and her Pekinese

Writing Character
Regularly reviewing past work and any ideas or observations listed in your notebook can help you generate new ideas.
Look back at the possible story idea or ideas that you arrived at in The notebook habit, and review all other story and character ideas you have noted or started so far.
You may or may not have got very far with these but consider whether asking the ‘What if?’ question might help you to further develop any of them.
Choose one character and develop it by:

• imagining more detail
• making sure you've done any necessary research
• asking some ‘What if?’ questions
• imagining some of the reasons surrounding the character’s dress, behaviour, speech or actions.
  

Write a paragraph or two about this character in your notebook, on your blog or in a Word document. There’s no need to post it here.



Hazel is a 62 year old spinster. Youthful looking but concealing her greying hair by going lighter and is now blonde. She's been a librarian since leaving school though not in the same library. She loved doing research and dealing with archives.
She lives in a basement flat in Camden
Had an illegitimate baby at 28 and an abortion at 30. Both to same married man.
Disillusioned with men she turne to women for companionship and got entangled with lesbian relationships although she is not gay. Turned to canine world for solace. Met Carol at the dog breeders and found a kindred spirit.

Post 15 - "Strike" - Edited

STRIKE

A call for help from the Delivery Suite emptied the coffee room in seconds just as Karen and Abigail wandered in. They had just delivered twins and felt they deserved a break. There were plenty of other midwives around.

"You in Unison or the Royal College?" asked Abigail, vigorously stirring her coffee.

"Unison" replied Karen with her coffee halfway to her mouth, "why?"

"I wondered if you'd be striking on Thursday?"

“Strike!” Karen was startled, “No, never, not me. I couldn't”

“So you'll be a scab then." Abigail sounded just like Karen's father. It turned out she was the union rep and was very persuasive in her arguments, just like Karen's Dad had been. It was as hard to resist as a tornado.

"The Government are taking the piss."

So it was that on a chilly November morning Karen found herself outside her hospital with a placard in her hand. A large group of hospital employees surrounded her cheering and waving when rush hour motorists blew their horns in support.

Karen still had her doubts that this was a wise course of action. She was torn between the injustice of the reneged pay deal and the inborn desire to be upstairs helping new Mums

and their babies.

“How does this strike harm the Government?” she commented to the paramedic standing alongside her. She stamped her feet as much for emphasis as against the cold."The people who suffer are the patients."

Before he could reply an old lady hobbling by butted in.

“You can say that again. My hip op has been cancelled three times! Three times already! But it's not an emergency so I don't matter, never mind the pain that's driving me mad"

“But madam, we haven't had a pay rise in four years and staff are leaving the health service in droves. Soon there won't be anyone left to care for you when you do get your operation.” the paramedic protested.

“Oh, I know, I know, but when you can't get about even to do a bit of shopping you get tired of waiting." and with that she limped away

The paramedic sighed and Karen watched the old lady, struggling to cross the busy road.

“What's the alternative, that's what I'd like to know.” The paramedic said over his shoulder to Karen as he went to the old ladies aid, raising his hand to stop the oncoming cars and assisting her across to the other side. Karen grinned, the urge to care was so strong in most health care staff they couldn't help themselves.

434 words – 84 over the suggested limit. So not too bad.

I feel I have responded to my reviewers comments. I find writing authentic sounding dialogue quite difficult. Even reading it out loud doesn't help. Is there a way of expressing tone of voice, I wonder?