Dear Character / Plot / Muse / Whatever

Dear Matthew,
Please, let something nice about you turn up. Let there be a reason you're one of my MCs.
Zante

Dear Fred,
If you want to be gay, be gay, and stop grabbing me from behind in the shower. And checking out women.
Zante

Dear Joseph,
Talk right. You're a lower class Brit, stop correcting Matthew and Fred's grammar, when Matt, at least, ought to have better grammar than you. At least drop the Gs in something, nothing, etc.
Zante

Dear Audrey,
Since when are you an MC? Go away. You get two scenes, this does not mean you can sleep with me and the boys.
Zante

Dear All,
No matter what I say, I still love you, and I can't wait for November! Huzzah!

Huzzah!
By making this my signature, I hereby deify all my posts!
Huzzah!

Dear Misuki,
Why?

Why did you decide that your culture is based primarily on that of Japan when you now I have zero knowledge about ancient Japan, except for minor things that happened during the Tokugawa shogunate because of a really interesting documentary? Why, when you know that I feel everyone is mad about Japan and I want to avoid the craze?

Also, a female ronin turned concubine through slavery? Is it a rule that all my female characters must be in a primarily male profession and at soe point end up tragic sex slaves?!

Dear Vincent,
Primarily, Vincey, why that name? You know all my friends will ask me why I had to name you after a FF7 character and wonder why you're not a vampire. This isn't the sort of impression I want people to have of you, and knowing my primary audience, this is exactly what I will face.

Also, tell me something about you. All I know is what you look like and where you're from. Everything else is a mystery and poses more than a few problems if you're my MMC. I don't care if you're handsome and have a crush on Misuki, that does not a story make.

Dear All,
Does it?

Great thread idea!

Dear Bridei,

What were you doing during the opening years of your reign from 671 to 679 AD? And how do I depict you laying siege to half of Scotland in the subsequent years without making you look like a villain?

And why does every love interest I line up for you end in a tale of forbidden love?

Hi Talorcan, that's a nice username you picked there. One of the main characters from a novel I'm working on is called Talorcan. :)

Proudly Failing Nano Since 2003

Heh. My Eilwen's uncle was called Talorcan. :)

All right. My letters.

Dear Firmus,
Yes, I decided to bump your age up by a few years. I'm sorry for this - I'm sure no one wants to age as rapidly as that - but I think it works better if you're in your final year of service. Therefore I had to make you older. Sorry.

Dear Eilwen,
Contrary to what Dolores Claiborne might say, sometimes being a bitch isn't all a woman has left to hold onto. Lighten up a bit, will you? Even some snarky humour will suffice.

Dear Cinioch,
You're a prat. I know that was my full intention, but it just makes you an infuriating character. It's going to be a long November.

Dear Aurelia,
I love that you secretly worship Mithras, but how the heck did you find someone willing and able to initiate you into the Mysteries?

Dear Aulus,
Are you alive or dead? I kinda need to know.

Dear Edarnan,
Your ideas of romance ain't as flattering as you think.

Dear Scaurus,
You're up to something. I don't know what it is, but I will find out. I know the signs.

Dear Verecunda,
That goes for you, too.

Dear Sextus Calpurnius Agricola,
Can't you get another cognomen? It's a bit annoying having two different Governor Agricolas in two books.

Dear Eilwen's father,
I have the suspicion you're going to come crawling out of the woodwork sooner than later, so you might as well make it sooner and let me know who you are. As long as you're not Giric. That would be wrong on so many levels.

Dear Giric,
Are you really just a background character, or do you have some bigger part to play in all of this? Somehow I get the feeling it's the latter.

Try populating three novels with them.

Maybe she dressed up as man.

Proudly Failing Nano Since 2003

Dear Rados:
Please have something to do in this story. You're the MMC for God's sake.

Dear MFC: Please, uh, have a name. And a personality besides a one-word descriptor.

Dear Villain: Please don't end up turning into a good guy like half of my other villains do.

Dear Regency Era: Please start making some fricking SENSE.

*
NaNo 08: untitled. Regency Romance with ghosts & robots.
Screnzy 08: Ceres. Failed.
NaNo 07: The Dragon Herald. Failed.
NaNo 06: Jerusalem O'Kira. I won!

Hey Gabriele and Kirsten,

Are you guys working on stories with Pictish characters? There aren't enough Picts in fiction! Hail the Picts!

Well, it depends a bit when you start calling them Picts. My 2007 Nano took place around the battle of Mons Graupius, and I see the Caledonians as Picts, culturally. Same goes for my NiP Caledonia Defiant (sucky title, I know) taking place during Hadrina's visit.. It's the one with Talorcan as MC.

We're clearer on Pictish territory with The Charioteer. That wee bugger is currently shelved for messiness, but it has Picts and some Dalriatans at the time the Romans left Britain.

And there's a plotbunny under my bed - one of many - about the battle of Nechtansmere.

Proudly Failing Nano Since 2003

Ahh Gabriele!

You answered a question I posed on these boards under a previous username in 2006! It was about novel structuring and it turned out we both had plans for a Nechtansmere-based novel. I never ended up doing it as a nanowrimo and have, on many occasions since, dismissed it as unworkable. Yet it's got under my skin and has become the only story I seem to want to tell. So I've stuck with it and through a lot of research and informed conjecture I've finally got a reasonable plan for the life of the mighty Bridei, culminating in his victory at Dunnichen. So, I'm all set to tackle it this year, nano style. I've a cheque for £100 set to go the far right wing and very evil British National Party if I don't hit 50,000 words by November 30 so frankly, losing is not an option!

Well, good luck with that.

You better make the 50K and use the money to invite me to dinner next time I'm in Scotland. *grin*

Proudly Failing Nano Since 2003

Talorcan, a novel about Nechtansmere sounds great! It's too true, the Caledonians/Picts have been sadly overlooked by historical novelists. (Like Gabriele, I tend to think of them as pretty much the same culture.) I've noticed a recent rise in interest about Scotland during the Roman occupations (my own time period), but barely anything about the Picts of the Early Historic period.

Lol. Now there's an incentive to get writing!

And Gabriele - I love the idea of Aurelia having to dress up as a man! Thanks! :)

As long as she doesn't go around calling herself Bob. :D

Dear Jones-- Stop flattering yourself. she doesn't love you. She's a whore-- she doesn't want any more cock!

Dear Clare-- Keep on rocking in the free world.

Dear KeshKesh-- love will come for you one day.

Dear Bulldog-- she only loves you for your money, and that baby? It's not yours.

Dear Frederick-- I hope you write many good novels based on the insane bohemian opium-addicts you choose to spend your time with

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic to it. Begin it now." -- Goethe

Dear Muse

So.... which fairy tale am I retelling this year? And what time period is it going to be in? I f you could let me know that would help me a lot. i am seriously ambivalent about Snow White in 1870's New York - even if Jo March did make a cameo. And what's with True Thomas?

Dear Mercedes Lackey,

Damn you for writing it first!

2006: Twelve Dancing Princesses, set in Medieval Russia
2007: Rupenzal, set in New England in the Great Depression

Why have I not done NaNo sooner? SO MUCH FUN.

Dear Daihachi and Daisuke,
Get some decent dates and grow some spines. Tell me who you are.

Dear Kosuke,
You're cute, but stop being such a cliche. And don't give me that look, young lady.

Dear Masayuki,
WHY DOES NO ONE ELSE KNOW HOW AWESOME YOU ARE? Seriously, is it up to me to tell everyone?

Dear Muse,

Ok, all I have right now is an image of a man being tossed out of a bar. I'm trusting you to give me more to work with come Nov. 1st.

Dear Thomas,

Is this the beginning, the end or middle of your story? How does your curse apply to the future tense of verbs? And swears? And what exactly did you do to piss the queen off so badly? And who are you about to run into? Red or White?

Dear New York,

I bet you rocked even before electricity.

2006: Twelve Dancing Princesses, set in Medieval Russia
2007: Rupenzal, set in New England in the Great Depression

Dear Kaiyo,

Thanks for accosting me this weekend to let me know who you truly are. Apparently I underestimated you and your level of persistence :P Still, I wish you didn't hold this grudge against your father for so long...but I guess that's the reason behind the story. I am looking forward to finishing your story (hopefully!) during NaNo.

Dear Ryuji,

I never knew truely how dark your past was. I now understand why you are so standoffish and why it's hard for you to open up to anyone. But you must learn to forgive yourself and let go of that past now; it shouldn't haunt you as much as you let it. But I know that you are also stubborn and feel like it is your cross to bear the rest of your life. I just hope you learn that you don't need to constantly dwell on it.

Dear Iesada,

Yes, I know that you are a powerful yakuza boss, but you simply must let me see your past and your inner self more. And stop berating yourself over your past actions with Sophie--she loved you , she forgave you--isn't that evident in your daughter's name? And don't worry about Kaiyo; I'm sure she'll learn to forgive and live up to her name.

Dear Kaemon,

I'm not gonna lie; you frighten me. I don't like to think about you; you are sadistic and evil at its worst. Just your laughter makes me shiver...but I have to get to know you....even though I'm dreading every moment I must spend time with you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The pleasantest of all diversions is to sit alone under the lamp, a book spread out before you, and to make friends with people of a distant past you have never known.--Yoshida Kenko, Essays in Idleness

Ahem.

Dear Cinioch and Rhelemon,

How many kids do you have between you? One minute you're saying three, and the next it's five. Come on! I'm trying to put together a family tree for you lot. How I can I do that if you can't even keep yourselves straight?

Dear Muse,
I hope that you intend to give me more to work with than just ten plot bunnies that possibly make no sense at all.
--Calliope

|
|
|
v

Dear Calliope,
You stole my name, I give you nonsensical plot ideas. Live with it.
--Muse

fab and funny avatar by aphroditeallure of TDA.

Dear Vikings,
Hooray! I found out what you guys eat, drink, wear, and do most of the time. But who are you raiding, right now?

Dear Halla's Dad,
What is your name? What did you do that made Character X so mad at you? Do you survive?

Dear Character X,
I wish I knew who the heck you were! Why did you wait so long before finally sending men after Halla's Dad?

Dear Seidr Boy,
Hey, are you Irish? Is that feasible? How am I going to find an Irish name for a boy ~ 800-900BC? Pronounced the way the Vikings do?

Dear Halla,
Hey, kid. Keep up the good work.

Dear Ulf,
Woof woof woof.

Dear everyone whose name isn't Halla or Ulf:
Having a hard time picking names for you folks. Help me out, here...

Dear Title,

Thank you for your appearence - but showing up in the middle of the marketing meeting I was supposed to be concentrating on was less than steller timing.

Dear Louisa May Alcott,

Thanks. Thanks a lot. The Alcott Society is going to kill me! Have you forgotten how conservative Concord is?

Dear Thomas (if that IS your real name, which I seriously doubt)

Wow, you are grumpy - but that's understandable. And the curse was a gift?!?! Seriously? Ok - what happened, what did you do, how did she react, and, oh, yeah, when and where did this all go down? Ireland? Scotland? It wasn't New York, right?

Dear Queen,

Please tell me more. Starting with your name.

Dear princess,

Who ARE you?

Dear long line of hopefuls in the audition line that snakes around the block with attendent baggage,

For the sake of my (lingering) sanity, some of you will have to go home. Dems da brakes.

2006: Twelve Dancing Princesses, set in Medieval Russia
2007: Rupenzal, set in New England in the Great Depression

Dear Title
I wish you hurry up and make an appearence soon...Not that i don't mind of course but it would be nice to have you when i send you off to my editor in January.

Dear MC.
I know your personality but what the hell is your name? It's going to be hard to write about you if you don't have a name.

Dear Lucy-Ann
You need to get a grip on reality. MC doesn't love you, you are a prostitute. So yes he saved you from drowning in the lake, but it was your own fault that you went swimming while drunk.

Dear Abygail
Why didn't you just jump in the lake? I know that back then you were not to do anything without your husband's permission, but really, you were on fire! Just jump in the lake and put it out! You needn't have burnt to death.

Dear Lamont Young
I do wish that i knew what actually happened to you when you disappeared. Can you tell me what happened? where you eaten by sharks? Shot? Kidnapped by priates and taken to work as a slave? Killed by bushrangers? Was it Max? Did you steal the bag of gold that went missing? Please do tell sometime soon.
BTW: there are two streets name after you in Bermagui now :-)

Dear Casey, Llyod and Towers
See Lamont Young's letter. And why the hell were you bringing potatoes down anyway?

Dear Max Schneider
I would like to know if you killed Young, Casey, Llyod and Towers and stole a bag of gold. Rumor is that you did and ran off to Melbourne. Is this true? Is it because of your german heritage?

And finally

Dear my muse, Nicholaevna
Why are you trying to get me to A) write another story instead of this one? B) trying to get me to kill the mining warden, Kieghtley, by torturing the poor soul.....and you know burning, whipping, stretching, throwing polluted water on him and then feeding him to hungry rats isn't very nice. What did he do to you?
Also, why won't you help me come up with a name for the MC and the title. You know the editor wants this by Jan so why are you being so uncooperative? Did i do something to you? Was it because I stopped you from killing Lucy-Ann?

Status: Is fighting with her muse, Nicholaevna, over some useless killing and the fact that she wants me to write something different instead of what has to be written.

Dear plot: Why do have to be so complicated? Why can't you ever be a nice, sedate little historical romance like all the others? Why do you insist on putting the protagonists and secondary characters in not-so-nice and unlikable positions?

Dear female protagonist: You're prickly. You're self-deprecating. You're independent. You've got daddy issues. How am I going to make you sympathetic and resolve your conflict well enough to seem well-adjusted by the end of the book?

Dear male protagonist: You're a bit more elusive than my female protagonist. Despite embodying the qualities of a rake and scoundrel, you're actually pretty sunny outside of your hungry wanderlust. What in your past makes you feel confident and assured only when seducing a woman and breaking her heart?

Dear male secondary character: How old are you? I'm rather scared that you, the FP's lover (?) may be old enough to be her father. What do you do for a living anyways? I keep calling you "Cabinet Minister."

And his wife, the female secondary character: how can I make you sympathetic, yet horrible enough to have ruined your marriage? Also, how are you close friends with your husband's rumored lover?

Dear Titanic: do me enough justice that I don't have hordes of Titanic aficionados raining abuses on my head over my inaccuracies.

Dear everyone: Please tell me your names!

Writer of Edwardian-set fiction
http://www.edwardianpromenade.com

(so much fun)

Dear Muse,

If I end my project, will you promise me to give me a rest with that story ? And stop please pestering me with the rewriting of the sequel !

Dear Arnaud,

Yes, I know you're the one who falls ill and start all that mess. So, be a nice boy and give me some creepy scene. Especially when the bad guy makes an appearance.

Dear Niels,

Why did you think letting a stranger come in your house was a good idea ? Well, never mind. it is really well for my plot. Not so much for you, I'm afraid.

Dear Pierre,

Love you. Be a naughty guy and give me some real good lines when you fight with your nemesis.

Dear Dante,

Will you please just give up this "party boy" act and reveal the rest of your personality to me? I know there's more; I need to get to it. I have other characters that want to tell me their stories.

Dear Other Characters,

I'll be with you as soon as Dante just gives up trying to hide. Please be ready with your own confessions. I don't want any of this flat, one dimensional crap. I want to know everything, good and bad!

Dear Muse,

Help me out here, huh? I'm never going to get through November without you!

Thank You.

Dear Title: You kind of suck. Please come up with something better.

Dear Simon: You need to come up with a profession. It's for your own good. You don't LIKE being idle, even if you can afford it. I want to feel confident you and Bea aren't in desperate straits after the stock market crash. And no, you can't be a mechanic.

Dear Bea: You're so good at not being a doormat I really need a better reason for you to behave distinctly rug-like in certain scenes. Why on earth aren't you fighting for Simon when you think he's going to marry that other woman?

Dear Milk: You're a dog, so I know you probably don't understand this, but you need to give me more to work with. You're supposed to be vital to the plot. How on earth did the plot-line about the revival of Irish Wolfhounds get usurped with all this necklace stuff? You need to step it up and be more of an active character.

That Other Woman: Please give me more to work with, other than the fact you went to University. A name would be a good start.

Dear Dahlia: I love you. Don't ever change. If this works well, you might get your own story later.

Lol, get some of those Icelandic sagas (Njals saga etc) and read the geneaologies in the first chapters. You don't need to make sense of them, but they have lots of names to steal. :)

Proudly Failing Nano Since 2003

Dear Wife,
Please get a name. Soon. Your husband has a name, why can't you? And why do you not question your husband when he leaves for days on end and doesn't give you a reason?

Dead Edward,
Yes, you're the MC. But why do you crowd out everyone else so I can't figure out who your friends are? And enemies would be good, too. I need to know your worlds, so explain everyone else.

-----
"Historians are like deaf people who go on answering questions that no one has asked them." - Leo Tolstoy

NaNo 2006 & 2007 Participant
NaNo 2008: In the Shadow of Destiny --- 2,891/50,000
NaNo 2008 Dares Completed -- 1/10

This is basically what I did for all of my names, but I waffle between different names, and take forever to decide if a name is "right". XD I have a list of some 50 names plucked from various Sagas -- you'd think I'd be fine!

I'm much more settled, now. Halla's dad is Halldor, and her mother is Thordis. Her older sister is Halldis, older brother Arnhallr. Her wolf-friend is named Ulf, and the Irish slave who claims he can practice seidr is named (tentatively) Niál. Hooray for names!

Dear Theo,

I really hope you're not as oh my god floating around making noises gay as everyone says you are. I don't mean for you to be that gay-- unless you are. I mean, don't change. I know t hat's kind of what this entire novel is about, that people don't change, but... I didn't plan on you being so flaming. Plus, I'm sure Clara will catch on if you keep going on this way.

Make up your mind,
Chela~

NaNo06 winner: 'To Gather Orange Blossoms', 61k
NaNo07 winner: 'On Letting Go', 50k
NaNo08: Painted Promises