Hundred-and-seventh Beautiful People this month

But it's not about Win this time. It's about Finn.
Finn is in her story. He's her one friend. He is NOT a beau of any sort! At least, he's not supposed to be (he's not her love interest in this story, but I can I help it if in years to come…)
I'm doing two, from April (Year of Grace 2011) and May of the same year.

How old is he/she?
Almost seventeen.

What does he/she do with his/her spare time?
He's usually with his family.

Does he/she see the big picture or live in the moment?
Big picture. (Now, Win is is a live-in-the-moment-er, for sure).

Is he/she a perfectionist?
No. (But Win is.)

What does her handwriting look like? (round, slanted, curly, skinny, sloppy, neat, decorative, etc.)
Large, sometimes misspelled words (he only had three-four years of schooling).

Favorite animal?
He loves horses. He loves their gentle strength. And sheep, because they're so dumb (his neighbor has sheep).

Does he/she have any pets?
A flock of chickens, but they don't really count.

Does he/she have any siblings? How many? Where does he/she fit in?
He's the eldest of five siblings (all girls, ages 14, 11, 9, and 6-almost-7). His father is dead and his mother is a semi-invalid, so he mostly takes care of them.

Does he/she have a 'life verse' and if so what is it?
Philippians 4:4, 6-7 : Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Favorite writing utensil?
Doesn't have one.

(My apologies for the comments about Win (since this IS about Finn!). She is very proud and insists that I write about her.)

What type of laugh does he/she have?
Sometimes a quiet chuckle, or a very loud, and long.

Who is his/her best friend?
Probably Winn.

What is his/her family like?
Loud, giggly, a little wild. But he loves them.

Is he/she a Christian, or will he/she eventually find Jesus?
Yes, he is. But the story doesn't really talk about it.

Does he/she believe in fairies?
No. But he tells stories about fairies to his sisters.

Does he/she like hedgehogs?
Yes. He finds them interesting and funny.

Favorite kind of weather?
Sunny and warm. 80s or so.

Does he/she have a good sense of humor? If so what kind? (Slapstick, wit, sarcasm, etc.?)

Yes. He's not sarcastic but he can appreciate sarcasm (Winn can be sarcastic!). He likes teasing his sisters and Win.

How did he/she do in school, or any kind of education they might have had.
He was taken out of school at about 9 or ten, because his father and mother and one sister were all sick. So he had to help out. (His father and sister ended up dying, and his mother is a lifelong semi-invalid.) But he loves learning, so he tries to learn by helping his sisters with their school work.

Any strange hobbies?
Hmm… Not that I know of.  Ask him. :)

More about Win

So, as I've said, I was going to work on Hellen's story. Earlier, I did have to work on Hellen's story. But now I have to work on Win's. It's justs the ways things works.
I'm going to do another Beautiful People (January 2012) for her, and at the end I'll share a snippet, too.

1. If your character’s house burned down, and they were left with nothing but the clothes on their back, what would they do? Where would they go?
      She would never beg. Ever. She would take Lorelle and walk through Covington (her town) looking for work. If she couldn't find work, she'd do anything she could, except ask for help. If she was at her wits end, and Lorelle (her toddler sister) was starving (she'd starve herself first), she would finally humble herself and go to Colin.

2. Are they happy with where they are in life, or would they like to move on?
      She is not content. She is lonely and poor, though she would never admit either. In her heart of hearts, she does want to "move on" but she doesn't talk or consciously think about her needs (she pretends not to have them).

3. Are they well-paid?
    No. She's not dirt-poor, but she almost is. But she was born a noblewoman and she acts like a noblewoman.

4. Can they read?
    Yes.

5. What languages do they speak?
      Just one. This is in a parallel universe, so I don't know what that is. But I picture her with an English accent.

6. What is their biggest mistake? 
      Deciding not to tell Finn certain things (like losing a job, or how dangerous her mystery is getting…).

7. What did they play with most as a child?
      Horses. Her father was always on a horse, and she was always near him.

8. What are their thoughts on politics?
      She doesn't have time for politics. She needs to focus on real life. 

9. What is their expected life time?
      She'd probably answer she doesn't have time to think about that either. She needs to work.

10.If they were falsely accused of murder, what would they do? How would they react?
      If she didn't have Lorelle to think about, she would stubbornly refuse to ask for help. She would deny it, of course, but she wouldn't "lower herself" by weeping or hiring a lawyer or giving them a speech about her innocence. But she would be frightened (though she wouldn't allow even herself to know that).
But she does have Lorelle to think about. So she would go to Finn or (swallowing her pride) Colin. She would borrow money from one of them to pay a lawyer, and she would find a relative who would take care of Lorelle, in the case of her conviction.



It begins:

“...You’re really very lucky. The debt isn’t excessive and you’ll even have some small bit of money left over after the sale of the house.”

“What, are you suggesting I sell the house?” I raised my eyebrows.

“Win, you don’t have much choice. I know someone who will buy it.” My cousin is not a cruel man, and very wise in money matters, I’m sure. At 21, he came into the inheritance from his dead father a year ago, and still has most of it left. But he doesn’t understand emotional things like sentimental houses as well as I would like.

“But where would we live? I don’t know anyone who would take both Lorelle and I in. And I won’t be separated! We’re all each other has, now.”

Colin pushed Father’s chair back from the desk and rose. He took hold of my arm, to stop my pacing, and said slowly,

“Well, you could live with me.”

Confused, I peered into his eyes.

“Live with you? Have you spoken to Auntie? I wouldn’t think she would like that.”

“I didn’t mean with my mother. I meant with me.” He paused, letting his words sink in.

“You don’t mean –”

“Yes. As my wife. Will you have me?” As the full import of his words sunk in, I jumped back, almost afraid of him now.

I forced a laugh. “You’re joking.”

He shook his head.

“Colin, I- I can’t...” I tried to pull my arm away, but he stepped closer. “I’m hardly old enough, I–”

“Why not? You’re almost sixteen; six years is a small difference. As a woman alone in the world without a fortune and without a father to protect her, you have little chance of marriage, and you’re also unprotected.” He paused. “And look at it this way: if you sell the house, you’ll have no house and little money. If you keep it, you’ll have a house but you’ll have no money and you’ll be in debt. You have no income.” He stepped closer. “Think of Lorelle.”

“Colin, that’s not fair!” I cried.

“It’s only true. She needs food and care, and you can giver her neither. I would offer you all of that, and you refuse me without thought. Consider it, Win, before you make such a rash decision.”

Winnifred, Anne, etc.

I know, I know, it's been a while since I've posted. We started school Tuesday, though, and anyone who's ever been in school knows the first week of school hits you like a wave that you weren't expecting. I have Biology every Tuesday (plus homework on the other days), Algebra every day, history, literature, and random miscellaneous thingers. Also, as mentioned in the last post, I'm in drama.

The play is Anne of Green Gables! My sister and I are so excited. One of my best friends got Rachel Lynde! Nan got Marilla! And I... got Anne! It's so unbelievable! I've never had half the lines I had (which is cool, but I'm not sure how I'll memorize them all!). It's so weird to have so much attention when I've always had small parts (except Mr. Beaver - that was a biggish part, but it wasn't as fun because I was playing a boy).

So that's been really exciting. Our first read-through was Wednesday. The script isn't as good as we could wish, but it's not as bad as some. To quote a wise old man, "It's not as good as it should be, but it's not as bad as it could be!"

But also, I'm going to have to either dye my hair (my mother would correct me "color, not die!) or get a wig. I'd rather die my hair, but, although the picture of the girl with the lamb isn't me (obviously), my hair is the same dark black. I just don't know if my hair would go all the way red, without bleaching it (*shudder*). So I don't know.

Yes. The picture. This is Winnifred, from my laundress story. It's the perfect picture. She looks sort of sad, curious, suspicious, and mysterious. I didn't think Winnifred had bangs, but you can't quite tell from the picture whether the girl actually does have bangs or whether it's just the way her hair is parted.

Last weekend we went to my grandma's cabin by the lake, so I'm kind of sunburnt. But it's freckling out. :)

Beautiful People

I'm between stories right now, and I'm trying to decide which story to go with. The two I'm deciding between both need some more development, so I'm going to do a Beautiful People thingy for them both. They haven't made a new one for quite some time, so I'm going to use some from the archives.
When I'm finished, you'll have to tell me which one to work on. I'm just not sure...

The first one, which I'm using on Hellen McCoy and her husband, Kenneth, is the March 2012.

1. Do they believe in anything that most people think is impossible?
Hellen believes in True Love. As in, fairy tale, happy ending, no problems that can't be solved by a rescue scene and sword fight, sort of true love.
And Kenneth? Well, Kenneth is Different (but only on his mother's side). So of course, he knows that many things which people think are untrue are really quite possible and real.

2. Are they strong, or the "damsel/knight in distress" sort?
Hellen is definitely a damsel in distress, but in her own way, she is strong. She is a wistful dreamer, and longs to be rescued by a knight. That is why Kenneth's strong personality (and arms! Ha ha) appeal to her.

3. Do they have a special place? (e.g. a corner in his/her bedroom, under a tree…)
Kenneth does not, unless it's where his father is not.
Hellen does, because she's that sort of person (easily attached to people and things). In her closet (in her parent's house), behind her clothes, there is a pillow where she sits and dreams.

4. What occupation do they have, or plan on having?
Kenneth was a teacher before he was drafted into the army.
Hellen had no real ambitions – she really just imagined herself living at home for the rest of her life, or getting married and having a passel of children.

5. Describe their current place of residence.
Hellen has just moved into a tiny (no, I really mean TINY)  four room house (bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen). It is very bare, with a comfortable chair and one table in the living room, a bed in – you guessed it! – the bedroom, and maybe a few other sticks of furniture. But she spends most of her time in her parents house.
Kenneth has just been drafted, so he lives in... wherever army people live, I guess. I have no idea. But the story isn't  from his POV, so I don't really care.

6. Explain their last crisis. How had they changed when they came out of it?
When Kenneth was drafted. They found out the day before their wedding day (great timing, right?).
Because of this, Kenneth decided not to tell Hellen that he was Different (to protect her, you see, because he knew the army might find out and then she might be in danger if she knew).
I think Hellen became stronger. I think she stepped into the position of wife/grown-up in general, faster than she would have otherwise (She's only 19, peoples!)

7. If they could drive any kind of car they wanted, what would it be?
Hellen does not actually know how to drive (she learns how to in the course of the book). So she doesn't really care. And Kenneth is not a car person. He's more of a gryphon person.

8. How do they deal with change?
Hellen does not deal well with change. As I said above, she is easily attached to things, so she has emotional trauma over losing even little things (like getting new shoes).
Kenneth is more used to change, and he adapts better to it. He clings to what stays the same (God), and isn't rooted in this world.

9. If they had to amputate one body part, which one would they choose?
Hellen would choose a leg, because, as said above, she's a damsel-in-distress kind of person, so she wouldn't mind not having her legs because it would mean that she would have to be rescued.
Kenneth would, of course, not choose his legs (they're very important to him). He would choose his ears, because he knows how often people lie, and he communicates quite well without needing to hear people.

10. What would their favorite be at the local coffee shop?
Hellen would have a mug of steaming tea to go along with her book. Kenneth would have black coffee.

11. How did they meet?
Well, they live in the same smallish town, so they've always kind of known of each other. They met at a benefit dinner, and then her parents had him and his mother over for lunch one Sunday, and they just hit it off.

12. How do these two deal with conflict?
Kenneth grows quiet. ("What's to be done with a man who just looks?" Congrats if you know that quote.) He doesn't say anything. Just stays firmly, stubbornly, sure of his opinion.
Hellen gets hurt, then defensive.

13. Do they have a special song, phrase, item, or place that they share?
No.

14. What kind of things do they like to do together?

15. Describe their relationship as a whole in 3 words or less.

Trusting, confusing, shallowish.


This one, from August 2011, is about my laundress, Win.

1.What is their biggest accomplishment?
She would say it was turning down her cousin Colin and moving to town as a laundress. And at the beginning of the story, I would agree. But by the end, I would say solving the mystery is her greatest accomplishment.

2.What is one of their strongest childhood memories?
Her father teaching her to brush her horse.

3.What is their favorite food?
She's not picky. But she likes fried food – not like french fries, you know, but fried greens, or fried eggs, or fried rice.

4.Do they believe in love at first sight?
No. She's not the romantic type.

5.What kind of home do they live in?
A one room cottage at the edge of the town.

6.What do they like to wear?
Practical, no nonsense clothing. But this is several hundred years ago, so even the plain dresses were beautiful. She wears black a lot after her parent's death.

7.What would they do if they discovered they were dying?
She wouldn't be sad for herself exactly (until she really realized that she was dying) but would set about making preparations for Laurelle (her baby sister).

8.What kind of holidays, or traditions do they celebrate?
Her parents used to have lots of grand feasts for no reason at all, but now she doesn't really have celebrations.

9.What do your other characters have to say about them?
Colin would say she's foolish and naive. But he's prejudiced because she refused his offer of marriage. 
At this point in the story, I don't have many characters. I need to bring in another one, as an friend or mentor sort of person, but I don't have that worked out yet.

10.If they could change one thing in their world, what would it be?
She would not have to go to the run-down apartments (to deliver laundry) in the southern part of town, but they pay too well for her to just stop going.

So, which one should I work on? I'm still undecided. 
Ta ta for now, darlings!