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Character Interview: Pellan Shyle

Character Interview: Pellan Shyle

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Pellan is from the first book of the Dark War Trilogy, The Last Assassin, and he likes to cause me issues in writing. But he’s still a really interesting character, and I find him to have one of the two coolest outlooks on life I’ve written. Enjoy. :)

 

Pellan: *comes in and takes a seat, shaking the interviewer’s hand* Good morning.

Interviewer: Good morning. How are you?

Pellan: I’m doing well. How are you?

Interviewer: I’m doing very well. Shall we get started?

Pellan: Let’s.

Interviewer: What is your name?

Pellan: Pellan Shyle.

Interviewer: How old are you?

Pellan: Twenty-two.

Interviewer: Do you have any siblings?

Pellan: No.

Interviewer: What is your job?

Pellan: I’m an Kaloran ambassador.

Interviewer: Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Pellan: An extrovert, though many wouldn’t guess it.

Interviewer: What is your favorite food?

Pellan: Apricots.

Interviewer: What is your favorite color?

Pellan: Pale orange.

Interviewer: Why?

Pellan: It’s the color of apricots.

Interviewer: What is your favorite book?

Pellan: Xandolar’s Journals.

Interviewer: What is your favorite animal?

Pellan: Limul.

Interviewer: I’m not sure I’ve heard of those. What are they?

Pellan: They’re like giant gold lizards with long, knobby limbs, long snouts, and leathery wings. I like them because most people don’t know much about them. *half-smirks*

Interviewer: Is there a job you’d rather have than the one you have now?

Pellan: Not particularly. I like what I do. *smiles*

Interviewer: What are your hobbies?

Pellan: Studying plants and reading.

Interviewer: What traits do you look for in a potential wife?

Pellan: Someone smart, beautiful, and attentive.

Interviewer: Which of these is the most important to you, kindness, intelligence, or bravery?

Pellan: Intelligence.

Interviewer: And honesty or selflessness?

Pellan: Honesty.

Interviewer: What is something you can never leave the house without?

Pellan: My journal. I like to make note of things I notice through the day.

Interviewer: *nods* That’s the last question. Thank you for your time.

Pellan: You’re welcome. *shakes the interviewer’s hand before leaving*

Character Interview: Detren Everlind

Character Interview: Detren Everlind

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Detren is from The Shadow Raven, the third book of my Dark War Trilogy, along with Nissa Quail. He’s one of my favorite characters, which I feel like I say for most of my characters, lol. He’s the son of King Alleyn of Roenor, a reader, and a pianist. I hope you enjoy his interview. :)

 

Detren: *comes in and takes a seat, shaking the interviewer’s hand* Good morning.

Interviewer: Good morning. How are you?

Detren: I’m doing well. How are you?

Interviewer: I’m doing very well. Shall we get started?

Detren: *nods*

Interviewer: What is your name?

Detren: Detren Everlind.

Interviewer: How old are you?

Detren: Eighteen.

Interviewer: Do you have any siblings?

Detren: No. There are rumors that my mother was pregnant when she dies, but even I don’t know if they’re true or not.

Interviewer: I’m sorry. When did your mother die?

Detren: About eight years ago.

Interviewer: A while ago, then. I’m sure it still hurts. What is your job?

Detren: I’m prince of Roenor.

Interviewer: Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Detren: A little of both.

Interviewer: What is your favorite food?

Detren: Hmm. Blackberry pastries.

Interviewer: What is your favorite color?

Detren: Dark red.

Interviewer: Why?

Detren: It’s similar to Roenor’s national color, bright red, but it fits me better.

Interviewer: What is your favorite book?

Detren: There are so many to choose from! *thinks for several minutes* I’m not sure. Probably one of the history books I studied with Terlon, my tutor.

Interviewer: What is your favorite animal?

Detren: Horses.

Interviewer: Why?

Detren: They’re strong, beautiful, and useful.

Interviewer: Is there a job you’d rather have than the one you have now?

Detren: I’d love to be a historian.

Interviewer: What are your hobbies?

Detren: Studying history, drawing, and recording events.

Interviewer: What traits do you look for in a potential wife?

Detren: Someone playful, possibly mysterious, and someone who will help me make Roenor better.

Interviewer: Which of these is the most important to you, kindness, intelligence, or bravery?

Detren: All are traits that should be striven for, but probably bravery.

Interviewer: And honesty or selflessness?

Detren: Honesty, but they’re close.

Interviewer: What is something you can never leave the house without?

Detren: My private guard, apparently. But by choice, probably my journal.

Interviewer: *nods* That’s the last question. Thank you for your time.

Detren: You’re very welcome. Thank you for yours. *shakes the interviewer’s hand before leaving*

Guest Character Interview: Taya Pars

Guest Character Interview: Taya Pars

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Taya is a character belonging to my friend Allegra, who I mentioned in my post about collaborations, and she’s from a story that is currently untitled. It was really fun to interview her because she’s a lot like both Allegra and me in several ways.

 

Taya: *enters the room, kinda looking around and taking in her surroundings. She takes a seat in front of the interviewer and pulls her pen from behind her ear* You’re the one I’m supposed to meet for the interview, right?

Interviewer: *nods* That’s correct. *extends a hand* I’m Isabelle Banks. It’s nice to meet you in person, Miss Pars.

Taya: *takes her hand and shakes it* Taya is fine.

Interviewer: *nods* Let’s get started, shall we? We’ll start with a couple basics. How old are you?

Taya: Sixteen last month.

Interviewer: And where are you from?

Taya: Originally? Or live now?

Interviewer: Let’s do both.

Taya: Well, I was born in Germany, then my parents, who were from the United States, moved back there until about a year ago when we moved to France.

Interviewer: So you’ve been quite a few places. *smiles* *glances at the list* Those are the only simple questions at the beginning of this list, so let’s get into some trickier ones for a bit. Which is most important to you: Kindness, intelligence, or bravery?

Taya: *taps her chin with the end of her pen* That is tricky. I’m not sure. I’d say either kindness or bravery, though intelligence is also a very good one.

Interviewer: And selflessness or honesty?

Taya: Honesty. Always.

Interviewer: What are your hobbies?

Taya: Reading, exploring the secret passageways, hiding from schoolwork, listening to music, I bake a little. *shrugs* When the wi-fi’s working being on the internet.

Interviewer: Secret passageways sound interesting. Have you ever found anything interesting in or through those?

Taya: You bet. This, for instance. *holds up the pen* And I’ve found hidden vaults, writing rooms, libraries, the old dungeon. That place is creepy though.

Interviewer: That sounds exciting! Somewhat on the topic of dungeons, but not really, what do you think are some of the worst things people could do?

Taya: *thinks* Betray someone, I think would be up there.

Interviewer: *nods* No one likes to be stabbed in the back. *looks at list* And now we’re back into some simpler questions. What is your favorite food?

Taya: Meat pies from the bakery in town. Or pizza. *chuckles*

Interviewer: Pizza is always a good choice. *grins* What is your favorite color?

Taya: Blue or red. I’m also rather fond of grey and orange.

Interviewer: Would you rather live somewhere other than where you do?

Taya: Nope. I really like where I’m at.

Interviewer: That’s always nice. What job would you like to have?

Taya: Haven’t really thought about it yet.  I currently work at the bookshop Mondays and Fridays.

Interviewer: The perfect job for a bookworm like yourself, I would guess. And speaking of books, what is your favorite book?

Taya: I don’t think I can pick! I like The Door Within Trilogy, Graceling, hmm *thinks* The Book of Story Beginnings, don’t ask, um… I don’t think I can pick another. I could list more, but we’d be here a while.

Interviewer: *laughs* Good choices, from what I’ve heard. And your favorite movie?

Taya: Chronicles of Narnia, hands down. I really like that series as well… Wait! No, The Princess Bride. That wins.

Interviewer: Of course. Best movie ever. What is something you can’t leave home without?

Taya: *holds up her pen* This. And a book.

Interviewer: Would you call yourself an introvert or an extrovert?

Taya: Introvert.

Interviewer: Somewhat awkward question – What would you look for in a boyfriend/future husband?

Taya:  Someone smart, and likes to read like me, loyal, will watch my back in battle… * a somewhat scared expression comes over her face* You didn’t hear that! *blushes slightly* So yeah.

Interviewer: What is your favorite animal?

Taya: Do dragons count? If not, cats.

Interviewer: Unfortunately, no, dragons don’t count. Sorry. Why cats?

Taya: They’re independent and can go pretty much everywhere I can.

Interviewer: Do you have any siblings?

Taya: No.

Interviewer: *looks at list* Well, that’s everything. *smiles* Thank you for taking the time to let me interview you. It was great to hear from you.

Taya: Thanks for having me. *tucks the pen back behind her ear and leaves*

Character Interview: Nissa Quail

Character Interview: Nissa Quail

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Today’s character to interview is the main character of The Shadow Raven, which is the third book in my Dark War Trilogy, and she’s one of my absolute favorite characters. She’s awesome, and she’s a ton of fun to write.

Nissa: *comes in and takes a seat across from the interviewer* Good morning.

Interviewer: Good morning. How are you?

Nissa: I’m fine.

Interviewer: Excellent. Shall we get started?

Nissa: *nods*

Interviewer: What is your name?

Nissa: Nissa Quail.

Interviewer: How old are you?

Nissa: Sixteen.

Interviewer: Do you have any siblings?

Nissa: Not that I know of.

Interviewer: What is your job?

Nissa: I’m a thief.

Interviewer: Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Nissa: An extrovert.

Interviewer: What is your favorite food?

Nissa: Chocolate.

Interviewer: What is your favorite color?

Nissa: Black and gold.

Interviewer: Why?

Nissa: Black is the color of night, and gold matches my eyes.

Interviewer: What is your favorite book?

Nissa: I don’t read much.

Interviewer: What is your favorite animal?

Nissa: Ravens.

Interviewer: Why?

Nissa: They’re sleek and beautiful. *there’s a sparkle in her eye, like she’s not telling everything*

Interviewer: Is there a job you’d rather have than the one you have now?

Nissa: I’d love to be a noble. I love the sparkly gowns.

Interviewer: What are your hobbies?

Nissa: Stealing shiny things.

Interviewer: What traits do you look for in a potential husband?

Nissa: Someone playful and somewhat mysterious, like me.

Interviewer: Which of these is the most important to you, kindness, intelligence, or bravery?

Nissa: Intelligence.

Interviewer: And honesty or selflessness?

Nissa: Honesty.

Interviewer: What is something you can never leave the house without?

Nissa: *lifts the leather pouch around her neck*

Interviewer: *nods* That’s the last question. Thank you for your time.

Nissa: You’re welcome. *leaves*

Through A Character’s Eyes

Through A Character’s Eyes

Posted on by R.M. Archer

When we write characters, we have to get inside their heads. We have to know what makes them tick, how they see the world, and all sorts of things about how they’d react to certain situations.

I actually kind of talked this post out to myself on a video before I wrote it, and I realized that this isn’t going to be a post about how to get into a character’s eyes, like I thought it was, but rather sort of a post about how you know that your character is well-developed, because a well-developed character will kind of develop his own voice and you’ll kind of just slide into his mind when you need to.

There have been three characters in particular who I have really enjoyed writing or been surprised at my ability to write because they’re so different from me and have such different voices from me. The first of those is Rynn Aryon.

Rynn is the princess of a currently-unnamed country who wants to work to protect her country from the encroaching Vollak. Vollak are basically like werewolves. Rynn wants to protect people from these monsters because no one else really is. They’re kind of just watching as these Vollak kill citizens of their country, and those who do care can’t really do much about it. So Rynn disguises herself and goes to take control of the army and get their rears in gear. Now, Rynn is very sassy. She’s quite possibly my sassiest character. She always has a response for anything thrown at her, and she’s extremely quick-witted. I, on the other hand, am not really one of those people. Occasionally I’ll think of a good comeback in time to use it, but most of the time I don’t think of responses to things until five years later. This is why it surprised me when I started writing Rynn and her sass just flowed off my fingertips onto the screen. I could come up with comebacks as fast as Rynn could, and it was a really interesting experience because it’s very unlike me.

Rynn is the only example I can think of of a character who is so different from me it surprised me I could write them, but there have been a couple of characters whose perception of the world has really fascinated me and who have been really interesting to write and see interact with other characters and with the world around them.

One of my favorite characters to write, probably, is Cordain Celebar. He’s one of the three main characters of The Heart of the Baenor. He’s an elf, so he was raised in a rural area with good morals and a strong faith in God. Because of this, he sees everything as pointing to God and as a beautiful creation, and he basically sees the whole world through rose-colored glasses. This gives him a measure of naivety, but it’s also crucial in his interactions with other characters.

A similar case to Cordain is Quentin/Pellan Shyle (I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep his original name or change it). He was raised in Cron Hatal, the capital of Kaloris. I’m not entirely sure yet what led to his worldview, but he pays great attention to detail. He believes that details are extremely important because they’re what make up the whole. He records details about everything in a thick, leather-bound journal, which Catessa (the main character) finds strange because she pays attention to larger things and things that directly affect her, not details. She doesn’t find details all that important, so she doesn’t understand Quentin/Pellan’s fascination with them.

It’s always interesting when you’re able to easily get into a character’s head, and I consider it a trait of a well-developed character, at least when that character is one that is very different from you. If you can easily write a character who is opposite of you, you’ve aced the development of that character.