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As I was waiting in the car at the hardware store tonight I noticed this distinguished looking gentleman come out of the nearby contractor’s entrance and walk in front of the car. He looked like he was still young, but had white/gray hair and a well kept but not truely athletic physique that was covered by a black overcoat, black shirt and black slacks. I noted a dark bluetooth headset  tacked into his ear as he walked, and he was gently tugging on a pair of black driving gloves.

There was something about the whole aura and attire the guy had that made me think at once that he had to be some kind of spy that had to stop in at the hardware store for some needed items for whatever mission he was on. It only added to the effect when he got into a nearby black sporty car, a casual look back toward the store before he slid behind the wheel and drove off.

I can so see him as a secret agent spy type. Or perhaps a modern vampire I suppose. Maybe he was getting a replacement bolt for the loose hinge on his coffin?

Go people watching and see what the people you see might look like to you, then share a few observations.

Tonight is the winter solstice, dark will now slowly give way to light. That is going to be our prompt. Darkness to light.

Maybe create a character that starts out dark and slowly redeems themselves until they are the hero of the story?

Show what would happen to a character that has spent a long time in darkness and stumbles out into the light.

How would it change a character to dye their dark hair a light color?

What does the kid see under the bed when they shine their new flashlight into the darkness?

Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. Write something that has to do with the winter solstice or with its equivalent on your world if you have your own writing world.

Do the people of your world have any special observances of the winter solstice? Does it have a special name that is derived from some kind of legend? Is it merely another ordinary day to the people of your world? Perhaps it is a day when all but the priesthood hide indoors while the priests spend the night walking the streets to chase away the demons and chant in the new year?

How does your lead character feel about the winter solstice? Is it of any significance to them? What about the antagonist of your story? Why would it have some significance for either one of them?

We have all encountered a character that has made us feel more of a connection to a story than a simple “entertain me” desire. A character that touched some undefinable point within us that made us stop and think about not only the story or character, but about ourselves.

As writers it is something that we dream of creating, a character that will connect, intimately, with others.

Think of a character that has been more than mere entertainment for you, a character that touched you in an indefinable manner. How did that character manage to connect with you? Why did those traits make you feel a connection? Did it draw you into the story more? How and why? Could you see yourself feeling empathy for that character if it were in a different kind of story? What if it had been a different sex/race/social stature?

Try to pin down exactly what it is that made you feel so passionately about the character.

The best example I can think of for me is the character of Ianto Jones, played by the talented Gareth David-Lloyd in the BBC series Torchwood.

Ianto Jones is introduced to the viewer as an office clerk type. He makes the coffee, makes sure everyone gets where they need to be on time, cleans up not only the workplace, but cleans up the messes that are made as a side effect of the work Torchwood does. And he is all but invisible to those around him unless they need something from him.

I could define myself in pretty much the same manner. My mom knew it, she even got me a sign for my bedroom that reads “Nobody Notices What I Do Until I Don’t Do It.” A small plot spoiler here for those that have not seen the series – but, Ianto pretty much has to do something that could threaten the safety of the world before his associates even really notice him, and even then, things go right back to their overlooking him most of the time.

That is a character that I can empathize with. People just seem to overlook me, ignore me, and walk past without even seeing me unless they need something from me. The moment they need something… then I am the most popular person in the room. And as soon as they have what they want… well… I go back to quietly making the coffee, cleaning up the messes left by others, and taking care of the things that no one else wants to have to take care of.

Ianto Jones was a character that I could seriously, seriously, feel a connection to. Were the character to be a woman I doubt I could have felt the same connection, even though I am a woman myself. There was a quality to Ianto Jones and his timid interactions with his co-workers that struck a chord.

What about you? What character have you felt more than passing interest in and why did that character strike a chord for you? How could you recreate that kind of connection with your own characters?