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Permalink Reply by Jessie Burche on March 8, 2011 at 12:38pm

My character, Ainsley, is a bit stuck-up, as the name implies. She has a natural psychic gift that's been passed down to her from her grandmother (it skips generations in her family) and she's pretty sure she knows everything. She's 22 and just broke up with her boyfriend. She likes to help people using her gift but she things she's a little better than them. Ainsley is incredibly close to her mother, Helen, and her grandmother, Diana--in fact, she lives with them. She is working on opening her own reading clinic (as she calls it) in Kansas City, MO.

 

The most challenging aspect of Ainsley is that she's so sure of herself--and a little snotty. It's hard to write this in to the first part of the book and then find something that will believably turn her on her head. She's going to be hit hard by life's realities (I love bildungsromans) and find out very quickly that just because she's gifted doesn't mean she's above others. 

Permalink Reply by Laura Page on March 8, 2011 at 3:18pm

This is great! Yay for the bildungromans, definitely! I like that you've created a history of giftedness in this story, and made it seem so mundane (the fact that it skips generations). Do you discuss how Ainsley's Grandmother interprets her own giftedness?

Permalink Reply by Jessie Burche on March 9, 2011 at 8:43am

Ainsley's grandmother is an empathetic psychic--meaning she can read people's emotions. She's a social worker, a very good one, who works with DCF in Kansas City. She's a little eccentric, unlike Ainsley who tries very hard to conform to societal norms. Her mother is a yoga teacher who tried to run away to join a Cirque Du Soleil-type circus, but missed the cut. She's the one who is stuck between two people with a natural gift and who has always been made fun of because of her mother's eccentricity. She hates her hometown and spent years moving with her husband, Frank, all over the US while homeschooling Ainsley (she was afraid of sending her to school because of possible ridicule, plus they moved too much for her to settle anywhere). I'm writing this novel with the intention of writing about women in transistion, I guess it's a triple bildungsroman?

Permalink Reply by Kathryn Brown on March 9, 2011 at 8:46am

This sounds great to me. Just up my street. As a writer of paranormal fiction I thoroughly enjoy works of this nature.

Permalink Reply by Julie Flanders on March 9, 2011 at 11:55am

This sounds wonderful to me. I'm intrigued by the "gift" in the family, and that it skips generations. Helen in particular seems interesting to me since she is the one who is left without the gift. I think I would enjoy getting to know Ainsley, Helen, and Diana, and I'm curious to see what will turn Ainsley on her head. Love your ideas!

Permalink Reply by Jessie Burche on March 9, 2011 at 12:08pm

Wow, thanks guys! It's always nice to know others like your ideas!

Permalink Reply by Kathryn Brown on March 9, 2011 at 8:47am

My mc is Camilla (my favourite name!) who is a medium. She's quite complex, has lived alone for 20 years and now in her mid forties has found her dream home in the Scottish Borders. She is a romantic character, with a deep loyalty to her best friend and a nostalgic sense of being. I have based part of her character on myself, except I'm not quite as romantic!

 

 

Permalink Reply by Julie Flanders on March 9, 2011 at 11:56am

Camilla sounds like a great character. I like her already as I have a fondness for nostalgia, and have always wanted to visit Scotland. Some day!

Permalink Reply by Jessie Burche on March 9, 2011 at 12:09pm

Sounds interesting, I'd read about her!

Permalink Reply by Staci D Wilkinson on March 9, 2011 at 12:14pm

Hi. I'm very new to this kind of thing. Um... I'm writing a book where my alter ego is actually writing a memoir. I'd love some input, but I'm not really sure what to post here, there, or anywhere. LOL

Permalink Reply by Jessie Burche on March 9, 2011 at 12:16pm

Staci, sounds interesting! What is your alter ego like?

Permalink Reply by Staci D Wilkinson on March 9, 2011 at 12:56pm

Well...It's hard to explain. I took a very long time in deciding to write a book such as this. I really wanted to do a memoir for myself, but I found that as the story progressed, my "alter ego" showed it's face more and more. It's actually more of a collaboration of myself and "it" writing together from opposite sides. I wanted so much to write it as "actual" events, but sometimes I get nervous putting my life on display. So, for particular situations, "it" has materialized into a character? I don't have a lot of writing support, most of my friends and family feel like it's just "playtime" for me and will never amount to anything...so I'm rather shy about the whole thing now, even though I'm dying for input.

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