Writer's Digest Writing Challenge, Day TWO

Recap for those of you who didn't read this yesterday: I'm attempting the Writer's Digest 12-Day Plan of Simple Writing.


Day 2: Create a character with personality traits of someone you love, but the physical characteristics of someone you don’t care for.


I have to admit I am not happy about this challenge. Because of that, I'm going to push myself to develop TWO characters (GASP!) one male, one female.  Also, I'm using a composite of personalities and physical traits. So don't ask me if "this is you". It might be, in part, but not in whole. Here it goes:


He has a fantastic sense of humor, but knows when to take things seriously. Never satisfied with the easiest answer to a question, he goes and finds answers on his own and expands his knowledge base at every opportunity. If you were to flip through his iPod, you would find classic rock as well as newer, alternative bands. He never tells you what you want to hear in favor of the truth. He knows answers to practical questions, and has a strange pocket of cooking knowledge. 
He's a bit on the short side, too thin for his build, and never bothers changing into real pants when he leaves the house. Sometimes when you look at him, you can't help comparing him to a "Guess Who" character, because his features look like hyperboles of eyes, nose and mouth, where all three are too small for his head. Maybe that's why he wears his sunglasses all the time, even when he's inside. 


It's very hard to take her seriously, because she's shorter than her sister who is five years younger. She's almost orange from tanning, and you can tell the ends of her hair are brittle from over processing. 
You would think, just by looking at her, that she couldn't possibly contribute to conversation in a helpful or interesting way. But every time she speaks, she surprises me with her references and comparisons and random tid-bits of information. In fact, she doesn't talk very often but when she does it's to say something that counts. 
A lot of her time is devoted to things like graphic design, writing poems, and considering what it would be like to really be on her own. Sometimes she watched movies in different languages, just because she liked the way it sounded. Whenever music was on, she danced along and made up her own lyrics if she didn't know the real ones.


I like tomorrow's challenge much better. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK IN THE COMMENTS.

Writer's Digest Writing Challenge

Writer's Digest has posted a writing challenge (at least I'm calling it a challenge) for the Holidays. You can find the complete challenge at the Writer's Digest website, it's called the 12 Day Plan of Simple Writing.

I'm starting today, because WHY NOT? 

Day 1: Write 10 potential book titles of books you’d like to write.

1. The Critical Guide To Harry Potter
• Written with Sarah Murray, at a writer's retreat, over long nights without sleep and pages and pages of notes.
2. Tales of a Teenage Twenty-Something
• This is what I want to call my memoir.
3. This One Time...at Band Camp
• Self-explanatory, and nowhere near as sexual as people expect it to be.
4. Disney for In-Betweeners
• A Travel guide for people in their twenties/early thirties.
5. The Continuing Tales of Starbuck McLaw, Told by Those Who Knew Him
• Technically, draft one has been written, but I want to COMPLETE IT.
6. Mario Beats the Game
• This will be a full-length play.
7. Because the Chicken Told Me So
• I don't know what this would be about. I don't care. I just want my name on a book with this title.
8. <3 (Or Less Than Three. Or Geek Love)
• Also a book I have the first draft for, but need to severely edit and complete.
9. Cowboys and Can-Can Girls
• Working title for a Western I've wanted to write since I was in the seventh grade
10. Caught Between a Book and A Bookcase
• I just came up with that. I don't know what it means.

Tune in tomorrow for more challenge work!