Week two of our Elements of Fiction module involved a lecture on creating characters and discussing two novels, Dexter is Dead by Jeff Lindsay, and Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell. Both deal with character identity and involve killing them off.
We gave/received feedback on submitted work from the previous week and were then presented with the below brief:
Write a single paragraph that conveys the appearance and essential nature of a character. Then follow it up with a character sketch that includes a present day frame and flashback to five years before the action. Anywhere between 1000-1200 words.
I wrote a piece of fiction about Jake, a young man with a longstanding health problem who receives a letter from his past self.
Don’t Forget Me
As Jake stumbled toward the kitchen he collided with the doorframe and knocked himself to the floor. He was unsure what hurt more, the swelling on his pale forehead or the sharp pain that now occupied the base of his spine.
He sat up and cursed his backside for its lack of padding, slowly shuffling himself to the wall. This is it he thought, this is icing on my shitty cake. His tired brown eyes watered as he rubbed the stubble on his jaw. He ran his fingers through his dark, brittle hair and rested his elbows on his knees.
Download the Don’t Forget Me PDF to continue reading.
