Fieldtrip Follow-Up
Last week I gave us all an assignment; go out into the world, observe random people, and choose one to develop into a fictional character. The Gotham Writers’ Workshop book Writing Fiction (Steele, 2003) was my inspiration for this and provided guiding questions. I’m back with a report on what I was able to come up with.
I’d thought I might camp out at my local library for a bit and use that as my observation post; however, my parents asked if I wanted to go to the county fair with them, and that changed my plans. While it’s true the animals are the highlight of any fair-going excursion, there were plenty of people to pick from, for this assignment.
Of course, I’d brought my little Commonplace book with me, so here’s what my very cursory, surface-level notes look like.
Those are the “real” details (as real as they can get, of course, without me actually having gone up to him and asked, “Hey, do you own a boat, or does the putting green see more of you?”), but now comes the part where this stranger is given depth all of my own making.
Again, I’m referencing the questions provided by Writing Fiction, and, if any of this makes an idea pop into your head, run with it! At this moment, I don’t have a story or story idea to put this fella into, but it’s fun to do an exercise like this from time to time. Makes you think about what your characters may need to make them a little more real or to give them compelling contradictions.
So, let’s get to figuring out what sort of fictional person we’ve got on our hands!
What is your character’s name?
This fella has a name that’s been passed down through his family for a few generations, and that would be Walter. For a friend to call him Walt would not be out of the ordinary, though it’s his favorite to be addressed as Uncle Walt, as his nieces and nephews are the best thing about his life.
What is your character’s hair color? Eye color?
Naturally, given his age, Walter’s hair is grey. His eyes match the light blue of the polo he happened to be wearing.
What kind of distinguishing facial features does your character have? Does your character have a birthmark? Where is it? What about scars? How did he get them?
Aside from a rather large nose—another thing passed down through the family; genetics, am I right?—there’s nothing about his physical features that leave much of an impression, one way or the other. He’s just a guy, though he shaves every morning and takes care of himself, not interested in appearing sloppy or slovenly.
Who are your character’s friends and family? Who does he surround himself with? Who are the people your character is closest to? Who does he wish he were closest to?
Family is of great importance to Walter. Long ago, decades ago, he had dreams of finding his own special lady to settle down and raise a few kiddos with, but it wasn’t the hand he’d been dealt. Almost—there was an almost—a one-of-a-kind card was nearly shuffled his way, but he doesn’t like to think too much about that. What’s past is past. His brothers, on the other hand, all got married off with broods of their own, and he counts it as one of the great privileges of his life that they all decided to stay close. No one moved too far from their hometown, so he gets to see his brothers as often as he pleases. They fish together, of course, and spend time up at the cabin. As mentioned before, his nieces and nephews are his favorite, and they know to go to Uncle Walt for anything. Wanna grab a burger and a beer? Call ‘im up. Need a place to crash for a night? Spare key’s where it’s always been. His fishing pals may as well be family, too, and he really can’t complain, in this eighth decade of life, about his social circle.
Where was your character born? Where has he lived since then? Where does he call home?
Walt was born, raised, worked, and retired all in the same suburb of the Twin Cities. He went away for school, a good college down in Iowa, and then they sent him across continents and oceans after he’d been drafted in 1965. And, oh, he’s done some traveling here and there since then, but he loves being in Minnesota, and he’s lived in that house on Lake Minnewashta since forever.
Where does your character go when he’s angry?
So long as the weather is amenable—and even sometimes when it’s not—Walt retreats to the lake, when he’s angry. When he’s anything, really. Mad, sad, happy, you name it. Being a fisherman is as much a part of his identity as being a middle child is, and the water, he believes, is a cure for anything life throws at ya.
What is his biggest fear? Who has he told this to? Who would he never tell this to? Why?
Walter’s biggest fear is the day his extended family feels they don’t need him anymore. That he’s just some old guy living out at the lake. Needed is a broad, encompassing word, too. You need company? A friend or laughter? He wants to provide it. You need a loan, some money to get you through a tough time? He can help. What about advice, professional or personal? He’ll be a listening ear and, hopefully, a wizened mind. Walter’s not sure he’s ever told anyone about this fear because it’s a self-conscious matter to him. No family is perfect, but his is pretty darn great. He’s never felt left out, so is it really a fear or just an unnecessary anxiety that may never come to pass?
Does he have a secret?
Everyone has secrets, things they don’t really talk about, but nothing Walter’s trying to keep hush-hush or that he’s determined to take to the grave. Walter’s lived an ordinary life, and if he has secrets it’s actually because they’re other people’s. Being the go-to confidant, the most trusted member of the family, means you shoulder certain burdens or struggles or weaknesses with those that need the extra help. So, does he know that one nephew is struggling with addiction and that the other one just lost his job? Yes and yes. Does he know about the youngest niece who’s contemplating moving to the East Coast but hasn’t breathed a word of it to anyone but him because she knows everyone will try to talk her out of it, try to make her stay? Of course.
What makes your character laugh out loud?
Being one of four boys, you can imagine all the mischief Walt’s gotten up to in his life, and it’s the pranks he and his brothers have pulled on each other over the years that really get him going, especially if one of them is able to get him really good. The unexpectedness of it and the clever work that has to go into an excellent prank has to be appreciated. What better way to do that than with laughter?
When has your character been in love? Had a broken heart?
Ah, so we come around to what was hinted at earlier—that there was a lady love who was almost his Mrs. That was once upon a time, when he was young and over in Vietnam. He was a soldier; she was a nurse. She was all the things he admired about a woman—beautiful, feisty, witty, tender-hearted—and all the things he wanted in a partner—steady, brave, dedicated, and more than a little daring. But the thing about the war, about any war, is that people died, and it’s only the damned lucky who survived it. There’s really nothing more to say.
What is in your character’s refrigerator right now? On his bedroom floor? On his nightstand? In his garbage can?
First, you gotta know there are two fridges, actually. The regular one, in the kitchen, and the beer one, in the garage. He’s a Bud Light kind of guy, though there’s other brands in there. If someone brings a pack over and doesn’t finish it, they just leave it for next time. As for food and what he’s going to be fixing up for dinner, well, Walter eats plenty of fish all year round, most of it caught by his own hook. He keeps sandwich supplies on-hand because it’s the simplest thing to throw together for a day out on the boat. Classic turkey, cheese, lettuce, mayo does the trick. It’s absolutely possible he doesn’t completely know all that’s in his fridge because those nieces and nephews are in and out all the time, bringing things they prefer, leaving them, coming back for them, insisting he give whatever it is a try. One of those younger folks is also responsible for the state of his nightstand: a book has been sitting there, only really picked up in the hour or so before he turns out the light and lays his head down on his pillow, because he receives secondhand copies of whatever one of them has been recently reading. She’s a real bookworm and calls him up once a week—sometimes joins him on the boat with whatever book she’s working on—to talk about the stories she’s given him. There’s not a room in Walter’s house that doesn’t, in some way, reflect the love he has for his extended family.
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?
Walter doesn’t think very hard or long about his attire. So long as it’s clean, neat, and comfortable, he’s good to go. Polos are staples to his wardrobe, as are khakis and jeans. He owns nice shoes for things like church and weddings, but his everyday pair are Reeboks. A white, sporty pair he ordered off the internet. They do the trick.
When your character thinks of his childhood kitchen, what smell does he associate with it? Why is that smell so resonate with him?
There were too many delicious things made and scents to smell every day, every week, of Walter’s childhood that he couldn’t nail down one, specific thing that he could catch a whiff of and think, Whoa, am I eight years old again sitting at the table watching mom in her apron and dad with his cigarette? He love, love, loved, though, when he’d get home from school in the fall and walk through the door to the delight of warm, fresh bread and wild rice soup simmering on the stovetop. His mother would cut each of her sons a slice, smooth a healthy pat of butter over the soft, white inside, and send them out to play while she finished getting dinner ready. It had to be a crisp day in October, with the first touches of winter in the air and the skin of your cheeks beginning to red from the chill, because you’d devour your bread, run about to your heart’s content, and be called back in to sit before a steaming bowl of soup that’d warm you from the inside out.
Your character is doing intense spring cleaning. What is easy for him to throw out? What is difficult for him to part with? Why?
Spring cleaning? You think Walter has time for spring cleaning when it’s fishing opener and he’s got to spend every last minute on the lake?
It’s Saturday at noon. What is your character doing? Give details.
Picture a Saturday in June. The weather is everything a Minnesotan dreams of in January, when there’s three feet of snow on the ground and the windchill sends the temperature to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. So, that’s blue skies, maybe a cloud here or there, and plenty of sunshine. Walter’s enjoying that out on the lake, will have been out there for a few hours by noontime. What’s he catching? Why, anything that bites. He’d prefer walleye, of course, but sunnies are good, too. He can usually find someone to go with him, but that’s not necessary. There’s been many a day when it’s just him, his thoughts, and the fish. Sometimes the fish fail to show, but it’s never a bad time in the boat.
What is one strong memory that has stuck with your character from childhood? Why is it so powerful and lasting?
When Walter was about ten years old, his mother had to go stay with her sister, who’d just had a difficult pregnancy and labor. She’d left plenty of hotdishes prepped and in the fridge, and the boys had school during the day. But the Friday night was just him, his brothers, and their father. And dad decided there was nothing better to do than teach his boys how to play poker. The five of them—the oldest son being fifteen and the youngest nine—sat around the kitchen table late into the night. At first, Walter felt there was a lot to keep up with, and he wanted to show his dad he could do it. He could play a grown-up game. They’d even bought Coca-Colas, one for each of them, and he’d been determined to make it last as long as he could. He wouldn’t get too excited and gulp it down so it was gone in five minutes. This Friday night was for savoring what came to be the first of many card nights, just the boys, and the sweet, syrupy pop danced over his tastebuds like it was the best thing he’d ever drink in his life. And Walter has treasured that pocket of ordinary life since he lived it because he’s never not wanted to be that little fella again, even if just for one Friday night. What he wouldn’t give to sit around his childhood home, listening to his dad teach him something new, and share in that learning and fun with his brothers. They all get together and play poker still, but it’s been far too long since Pops was there.
Your character is getting ready for a night out. Where is he going? What does he wear? Who will he be with?
Every Tuesday, Walter meets up with his pals at the local watering hole, and it’s been that way since all of ‘em retired twenty years ago. You have to miss one week because you’re out of town or under the weather? That’s fine, just come the next. It’s casual and meant for shootin’ the breeze and catching up. Some weeks he docks his boat, pops inside to grab his car keys, and, in a matter of a minute, is back out the door to head on over. He doesn’t change clothes—Who’s he got to impress there? Gary, who’s colorblind anyway and whose wife has dressed him for the last fifty years?—and it’s not like he has to fix his hair. That ballcap of his stays on. At their local haunt, he’s been ordering the same thing for years now (just their cheeseburger and housemade fries), and the beer, to him, is optional. He’s still gotta drive home, after all. A night out, at this age, wraps up by 7pm, if it goes that late. Then he’s back home, dentures out, and settled into bed with his latest read by 7:30. Nevermind how late he’ll stay up; sometimes a book’s that good you just gotta find out what happens next.
– – –
Well, that’s my character, Walter! As I was answering these questions about him and developing him more, I got the sense that he would be a great side character in a rom-com or something of that nature. Maybe a great-niece or nephew could be having romantic troubles, and who else to go to for advice than the one guy in the family who seems to be everyone’s go-to?
Or, if Walter’s on the lake with a boat, he could be in a good position to help out in a mystery when something odd or suspicious happens on the water. He’d be available to help, too, what with being retired and only really having the responsibility of extended family, not anything urgent or immediate.
All this to say, I hope you use this exercise in your own way and with your own observations of people in real life. All it takes is a little time to be out in the world noticing who’s around you and then imagine what could be true about them. Before you know it, you’ve got a new character that could fit multiple genres or a few different story ideas. You get to take them in whichever direction you please.
And, if you’ve gone on this fieldtrip and have your own character to report back with, I would so love to hear about them. Drop me a comment here!
That’s all for this week, friends, so happy writing and see you back here next week!