WIP Wednesday - Clans of Europa: Tina

Character Sketch: Tina

Before I write the first line of a new story, I dive into the characters. I find out what they look like, what interests them, and their background. What follows is a peek into the heroine of the book I’m outlining now, Tina. This isn’t the complete character sketch, as I’ve omitted what may lead to spoilers for the book. However, it is a taste of who Tina is.

Height/Weight: 5’6”/130 pounds 

Sex: Female

Hair: Red, soft, long 

Dress: Stiff, long-sleeved nightgown; sleeveless underdress shift; white dress of the convent aspirant white headscarf; socks; black boots

Body: slight, almost severe angles, very pale, freckles on shoulders, small and round breasts

Face: beautiful but often a bit sad, looks as if she’s seen all the cares of the world

Mouth: lovely, well-shaped lips

Imperfections:  Not as curvy as some, worries too much about pleasing others, surrenders her own wishes to make others happy, working towards becoming a doormat

Age:19

Birthplace: Alexandria, VA

Home: Europa’s convent. Her sleeping cell is mostly bare, but she does have a cute rug made from fabric scraps, along with bits of soap and candle to be melted to re-use

Habits: cleaning, cooking, sewing—whatever she can do to be useful. Daydreams about the life she wishes she could have

Name of Character:   Valentina Novak

Timeline:

Year 0: Born to low-level government worker David Novak and midwife Charlotte Novak

Year 4: Mother dies giving birth to younger brother, who also dies. Father, already a no-nonsense sort, grows more severe as he’s consumed by grief. When he’s not finding fault with Tina, he ignores her. She matures fast, learning to keep house in order to please her withdrawn, angry father

Year 6: Tina becomes very ill, hospitalized for a while. Her father is kinder during this time, but reverts to his old ways when she recovers. She misses much school and her grades slip, which he berates her for. Tina works harder than ever to win his approval, which she gains on very rare occasions.

Year 11: Tina gets her first period. Her father is disgusted, tells her she’s dirty. He withdraws even more from her.

Year 12: David dates a woman named Annabel, who dotes on him and Tina. Though they often go out without Tina, she’s delighted with the renewed warmth of a real family.

Year 13: David re-marries, and Tina hopes the joy will continue. However, she’s left out of many activities.

Year 14: Annabel becomes pregnant. Tina is excited to have a sibling…but she is sent off to the convent on Europa. She hears from her family perhaps once a year, when they send her a Christmas card. She’s never invited to visit.

Before you take too much of what I’ve put together thus far as gospel, please note that my characters will at some point start telling me, “I don’t want to do this. I want to do that. This is who I really am.” This sketch is a starting point only, a launching pad into the story.

Though some details and history will alter, perhaps drastically, it all begins with this initial development. I firmly believe that you can have a good story idea, but if you lack compelling characters, it’ll never come to life.