Writing in Reverse

Off to a Better Start

I've read many different books in the past that all seem to have the same character.  The characters in a lot of stories that I have read are not developed enough to be realistic.  And if I did find a character that was developed in a story, that character always seemed to be irritating or too perfect to relate to.  There was always an issue I had with the main character of a story and I didn't want that to be the case for my story. 

I wanted my main character to be someone that most people would raise their eyebrows at because she was too different, too much of an individual.  A character that would grab your attention immediately.  The key was to include characteristics that would make you want to hold on, stay interested.... and things like humor, a character's past, personality could do that.  So I needed to approach those things in a different manner to where it would be different and appealing at the same time.

Albany Higgins was someone everybody could relate to in my eyes.  Everyone has problems, specific and ugly issues and she had plenty of those.  What made her special was how strong she was, how she dealt with it all... and it made it enjoyable for me to write in the point of view of someone so strong.  Her past was what made her that way and I knew that the idea of her having nobody, of having everyone hate her over something so stupid would make people automatically be on Albany's side as well as myself.  It also made the entire story so that worked hand in hand. 

Everything that happened to her is something never heard of... it's not like some people grow up being blamed for being insane by a mother who abused her that way.  And with a past that strange and unique, though still realistic enough, it called for a similar personality.  Everything that happened to her made her who she is and that included her humor, which was one of the greater things that made her appealing in my opinion.

I don't involve myself personally unless it's good for the story and is necessary.  And humor was.  My best friend Destiny can take some credit for Albany's humor.  She has her same humor and though I share that humor as well, I had to tone some of it down for Albany and put a few more sexually suggestive comments to make Albany's humor a little more unique and I found it to be something so enjoyable, her humor, to write through because she expressed it so openly and in a way most people would avoid.

Albany is a very real person who speaks up, says what she thinks, is strong and with humor like that, it went in hand with her love for food.  I came up with that on the spot really because to me, she seems like the type that would have no manners but be okay with that.  For some reason, I demonstrated that through her strange love for eating, in a joking manner of course, which I brought up occasionally.  It gave her a certain element that most girls don't have.  She's real to herself so why act polite over something when guys sure don't?  She sees herself as equal, as she should, and even acts better in some cases, and that was a must when most characters that are teenagers are either brats, wimpy girls, or negative over nothing. 

I didn't want that.  I wanted Albany to have a certain air to her.  One that wasn't negative but one that wasn't screaming with smiles and rainbows.  She is a person that is or can be very dark but if I showed her complaining, being nasty about it, that would ruin the whole point.  She has her demons but she doesn't bitch about it and that's what is so amazing about her - her strength.  Same went with being emotional.  Unlike Janice, I wanted her to come across with a really tough shell at first and sarcastic.  Not like she had no heart but in a way where she was happy being numb and felt relieved with that sarcasm as her friend.  And throughout the book, I planned she would slowly start to feel again, have emotions, but not to the extent where she is being a cry baby every other chapter.  That was the point in avoiding emotions at first and slowly let it come to her in a way that we wouldn't be annoyed with.