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(Questionnaire is from Gotham Writer's Workshop at http://www.writingclasses.com/Informati ... PageID/106)
Q: What is your character’s name? Does the character have a nickname?
A: Aimee Lynn Solleau. She's had a lot of random pet names from Connie, but none have really stuck.
Q: What is your character’s hair color? Eye color?
A: Naturally, extremely light blond, but she dyes it often. Currently, its her natural color with a few streaks of purple and blue. Her eyes are pale blue.
Q: What kind of distinguishing facial features does your character have?
A: None to really speak of. Aimee is perfectly pretty, but no individual facial feature really stands out.
Q: Does your character have a birthmark? Where is it? What about scars? How did he get them?
A: No birthmarks to speak of, but Aimee has several minor scars from an active childhood. Her most noticeable one is on her right calf, from the time she and Joanna ran afoul the junkyard dog while waiting for their father.
Q: Who are your character’s friends and family? Who does she surround herself with? Who are the people your character is closest to? Who does he wish he were closest to?
A: Aimee's family is her mother Rachel, a teacher, and her father Joe, a chemical engineer; her two sisters, Pennelope Anne and Joanna Beth; her greandparents Sean and Mary Mackelroy and Amos and Adele Solleau; and her brother in law Jackson. Her closest friends, rather obviously, are Constance, Nils, Chrys (well, Aimee wouldn't remember to exclude her yet), Ronnie, Bea, and Simon; plus Adam Spitzer (her ren-fair musical partner) and the members of the Voodoo Banshees (Mike, Sybil, Doreen, and Carl). Having known Nils for so long, Aimee is very interested to get to know this Chad person a lot better. Of these, it would be hard to pick out which Aimee is closest to, other than Connie. Of her family, Aimee is closest to her youngest sister Jo Beth. She wishes she and Penelope got along better, but doesn't know how to go about doing that.
Q: Where was your character born? Where has she lived since then? Where does she call home?
A: Aimee was born in Beaumont, Texas. Since then, she grew up in Kountze, and moved to College Station in 2004 when she started college. Home to her is the apartment she shares with Connie, though she probably still refers to her parents' house as home too.
Q: Where does your character go when he’s angry?
A: One of two places: Either she shuts herself in her studio and passive-aggressively plays loud and fast music, or she leaves to take and entirely too fast and unsafe ride on her motorcycle.
Q: What is her biggest fear? Who has she told this to? Who would she never tell this to? Why?
A: Given her relatively comfortable life (up til recently), her biggest fear is that Constance will "figure out" that Aimee is not good enough for her and leave. Its possible she's confessed this fear to Nils and/or Ronnie, though she'd exact a promise of utmost secrecy before revealing it. She definitely never plans of saying anything about it to Constance.
Q: Does she have a secret?
A: Honestly, only the same secret everyone has, that of her divine heritage, and its one she obviously doesn't know herself.
Q: What makes your character laugh out loud?
A: Aimee is a sucker for physical comedy. Chaplin, Keaton, Belushi, all hilarious to her.
Q: When has your character been in love? Had a broken heart?
A: Aimee has had two big loves in her life: her freshman year girlfriend Maria, and Constance. Maria treated her terribly, and both the year they dated and the year after their breakup were not good times for Aimee.
Then dig deeper by asking more unconventional questions:
Q: What is in your character’s refrigerator right now? On her bedroom floor? On her nightstand? In her garbage can?
A: Probably some left-over takeout food, and possibly left-overs of something Ronnie made. Clothes that Constance hasn't bugged her enough to pick up yet. Given the week, something she's read before for comfort. A lot of paper with discarded lyrics.
Q: Look at your character’s feet. Describe what you see there. Does he wear dress shoes, gym shoes, or none at all? Is he in socks that are ratty and full of holes? Or is he wearing a pair of blue and gold slippers knitted by his grandmother?
A: In the summer, barefoot or sandals as much as possible. In the winter, she gets cold easily, so she has several pair of thick socks that her mom and sister knit.
Q: When your character thinks of her childhood kitchen, what smell does she associate with it? Sauerkraut? Oatmeal cookies? Paint? Why is that smell so resonant for her?
A: The smell of hard-boiled eggs. Aimee loved easter when she was a kid, and her extended family went all out with egg hunts and a big meal. Deviled eggs were easy enough for her to help out with, so she would spend a lot of time making them and helping to paint eggs.
Q: Your character is doing intense spring cleaning. What is easy for her to throw out? What is difficult for her to part with? Why?
A: Nothing is easy for her to throw out. Much to Constance's consternation, Aimee is a total packrat and doesn't willingly part with much. That said, of the things she should probably throw out, some of her old clothes would probably be the hardest for her to get rid of.
Q: It’s Saturday at noon. What is your character doing? Give details. If he’s eating breakfast, what exactly does he eat? If she’s stretching out in her backyard to sun, what kind of blanket or towel does she lie on?
A: Noon, on a Saturday, it would partly depend on if Constance has work. If so, she'd probably be in her studio, writing, or just listening to music. If not, Aimee'd be doing her best to keep her in bed, even if its just lounging and reading.
Q: What is one strong memory that has stuck with your character from childhood? Why is it so powerful and lasting?
A: Aimee's great-aunt Millie (Millicent) died when she was 8. While Aimee didn't know her terribly well, the funeral and the wake stuck in her mind. The difference between mourning the loss at the funeral and celebrating her life at the wake really affected Aimee in a way she couldn't really articulate at the time. The idea of being sad for ourselves and glad for someone moving on means she's taking Chrys' death about as well as can be expected, and Aimee most likely got very trashed at Chrys' wake.
Q: Your character is getting ready for a night out. Where is she going? What does she wear? Who will she be with?
A: She's going to Bryan, most likely, to Revolutions, Halo, or any of the clubs in that area (Northgate clubs, other than O'Bannon's, really aren't her scene). She tends to wear jeans and tank tops, augmented by one of her leather jackets during the winter. She will almost always have Constance with her, and almost as often Nils.
Q: What is your character’s name? Does the character have a nickname?
A: Aimee Lynn Solleau. She's had a lot of random pet names from Connie, but none have really stuck.
Q: What is your character’s hair color? Eye color?
A: Naturally, extremely light blond, but she dyes it often. Currently, its her natural color with a few streaks of purple and blue. Her eyes are pale blue.
Q: What kind of distinguishing facial features does your character have?
A: None to really speak of. Aimee is perfectly pretty, but no individual facial feature really stands out.
Q: Does your character have a birthmark? Where is it? What about scars? How did he get them?
A: No birthmarks to speak of, but Aimee has several minor scars from an active childhood. Her most noticeable one is on her right calf, from the time she and Joanna ran afoul the junkyard dog while waiting for their father.
Q: Who are your character’s friends and family? Who does she surround herself with? Who are the people your character is closest to? Who does he wish he were closest to?
A: Aimee's family is her mother Rachel, a teacher, and her father Joe, a chemical engineer; her two sisters, Pennelope Anne and Joanna Beth; her greandparents Sean and Mary Mackelroy and Amos and Adele Solleau; and her brother in law Jackson. Her closest friends, rather obviously, are Constance, Nils, Chrys (well, Aimee wouldn't remember to exclude her yet), Ronnie, Bea, and Simon; plus Adam Spitzer (her ren-fair musical partner) and the members of the Voodoo Banshees (Mike, Sybil, Doreen, and Carl). Having known Nils for so long, Aimee is very interested to get to know this Chad person a lot better. Of these, it would be hard to pick out which Aimee is closest to, other than Connie. Of her family, Aimee is closest to her youngest sister Jo Beth. She wishes she and Penelope got along better, but doesn't know how to go about doing that.
Q: Where was your character born? Where has she lived since then? Where does she call home?
A: Aimee was born in Beaumont, Texas. Since then, she grew up in Kountze, and moved to College Station in 2004 when she started college. Home to her is the apartment she shares with Connie, though she probably still refers to her parents' house as home too.
Q: Where does your character go when he’s angry?
A: One of two places: Either she shuts herself in her studio and passive-aggressively plays loud and fast music, or she leaves to take and entirely too fast and unsafe ride on her motorcycle.
Q: What is her biggest fear? Who has she told this to? Who would she never tell this to? Why?
A: Given her relatively comfortable life (up til recently), her biggest fear is that Constance will "figure out" that Aimee is not good enough for her and leave. Its possible she's confessed this fear to Nils and/or Ronnie, though she'd exact a promise of utmost secrecy before revealing it. She definitely never plans of saying anything about it to Constance.
Q: Does she have a secret?
A: Honestly, only the same secret everyone has, that of her divine heritage, and its one she obviously doesn't know herself.
Q: What makes your character laugh out loud?
A: Aimee is a sucker for physical comedy. Chaplin, Keaton, Belushi, all hilarious to her.
Q: When has your character been in love? Had a broken heart?
A: Aimee has had two big loves in her life: her freshman year girlfriend Maria, and Constance. Maria treated her terribly, and both the year they dated and the year after their breakup were not good times for Aimee.
Then dig deeper by asking more unconventional questions:
Q: What is in your character’s refrigerator right now? On her bedroom floor? On her nightstand? In her garbage can?
A: Probably some left-over takeout food, and possibly left-overs of something Ronnie made. Clothes that Constance hasn't bugged her enough to pick up yet. Given the week, something she's read before for comfort. A lot of paper with discarded lyrics.
Q: Look at your character’s feet. Describe what you see there. Does he wear dress shoes, gym shoes, or none at all? Is he in socks that are ratty and full of holes? Or is he wearing a pair of blue and gold slippers knitted by his grandmother?
A: In the summer, barefoot or sandals as much as possible. In the winter, she gets cold easily, so she has several pair of thick socks that her mom and sister knit.
Q: When your character thinks of her childhood kitchen, what smell does she associate with it? Sauerkraut? Oatmeal cookies? Paint? Why is that smell so resonant for her?
A: The smell of hard-boiled eggs. Aimee loved easter when she was a kid, and her extended family went all out with egg hunts and a big meal. Deviled eggs were easy enough for her to help out with, so she would spend a lot of time making them and helping to paint eggs.
Q: Your character is doing intense spring cleaning. What is easy for her to throw out? What is difficult for her to part with? Why?
A: Nothing is easy for her to throw out. Much to Constance's consternation, Aimee is a total packrat and doesn't willingly part with much. That said, of the things she should probably throw out, some of her old clothes would probably be the hardest for her to get rid of.
Q: It’s Saturday at noon. What is your character doing? Give details. If he’s eating breakfast, what exactly does he eat? If she’s stretching out in her backyard to sun, what kind of blanket or towel does she lie on?
A: Noon, on a Saturday, it would partly depend on if Constance has work. If so, she'd probably be in her studio, writing, or just listening to music. If not, Aimee'd be doing her best to keep her in bed, even if its just lounging and reading.
Q: What is one strong memory that has stuck with your character from childhood? Why is it so powerful and lasting?
A: Aimee's great-aunt Millie (Millicent) died when she was 8. While Aimee didn't know her terribly well, the funeral and the wake stuck in her mind. The difference between mourning the loss at the funeral and celebrating her life at the wake really affected Aimee in a way she couldn't really articulate at the time. The idea of being sad for ourselves and glad for someone moving on means she's taking Chrys' death about as well as can be expected, and Aimee most likely got very trashed at Chrys' wake.
Q: Your character is getting ready for a night out. Where is she going? What does she wear? Who will she be with?
A: She's going to Bryan, most likely, to Revolutions, Halo, or any of the clubs in that area (Northgate clubs, other than O'Bannon's, really aren't her scene). She tends to wear jeans and tank tops, augmented by one of her leather jackets during the winter. She will almost always have Constance with her, and almost as often Nils.
