Saturday, June 13, 2009

Help!

I need some suggestions for backstory for my main character, Olivia. Here's what I know about her so far:

- she's aquaphobic
- she has a pet pig, named after the musician Moby, rather than the white whale (so I guess maybe she likes electronica? I haven't delved into her music tastes really)
- she has a best friend named Lou (who I also haven't fleshed out, character-wise--all I know is that she's small, blonde, and - possibly a surfer? or a lifeguard? I don't know)
- she was into Aquaman when she was younger
- she was not unpopular in high school
- she had a boyfriend the last year of grad school, whom she is no longer with for reasons I have yet to disclose
- she watches Law & Order (as far as other genres of movies/tv, I don't know)
- she's not much of a self-starter


But apart from all this, she needs some hobbies, some interests, some quirks--some things that have nothing to do with water, or marine biology. What did she do for fun in undergrad? Is she a drinker? Not? What does she do for fun now? Does she take a kickboxing class? A spin class? Is she into sports? Does she read? Does she write? I've tried to put as little of myself into her as possible, because this character is decidedly not me. Hence, I've been trying to stay away from the things I like to do: taking pictures, drawing pictures, dancing, etc.

So, I'd appreciate any of your help, wonderful readers. Nothing is too weird, too obscure, or too quirky. And if I like your suggestions, you may just see them find a way into my novel!

1 comment:

  1. She should be really into boardgames, like Battleship. "You suck my battleship!"

    Is there a reason why she's aquaphobic?

    I would love it if she was into a sport. But I hate to think of how badly you would butcher any sports talk.

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