2. Real time Character Build: Part Two
15 March 2025
Alison Rocket Ross
We left off with Aaron (35) and a list of careers he could have.
Before we choose, let’s get a little personality.
Previously, I had said I wanted him to be as average as possible. So we’re thinking C student, probably coming from a lower middle class family. Took out financial aid to go to college, but didn’t finish. I’d say his parents divorced when he was around the age of ten.
Let’s get into that.
An Average Student
The vibe I’m getting from Aaron is that he wanted to do well in school and studied hard for a little bit… but couldn’t keep up. His issue wasn’t effort, it was attention. As an only child, his parents’ divorce made him feel like a burden. When it came time to hit the books, he would read and read, but couldn’t focus and ultimately didn’t retain much other than facts. He knew the underlying items, but could not use logic to put them together. This led to passing, but subpar grades.
His parents didn’t talk to him about the divorce so he was using all of his brainpower to figure out why it was happening. He was forced to confront deeper issues of humanity during his formative years. All of the worst case scenarios flying through his head forced him inward. School work became boring compared to the philosophical questions of life.
This kind of inner isolation made it difficult to make friends. And as his grades dropped, his relationships with his teachers became more and more unhelpful. They started to see him as a bad kid instead of a troubled one. This only compounded the damage.
What does this mean for the rest of his life?
From this little addition to Aaron, I find it interesting to have him be a Landscaper. I’m thinking he took comfort in physical activities when school failed him. Plus, the adrenaline of physical activities is the only thing that made him feel ok.
So he started spending more time outside as a kid. Memorized facts about plants, trees, grass, etc. Facts were easy. He knew those. The more he learned about specific flowers and trees, the easier it became to put the logic behind it.
So right after high school, he got on a landscaping crew and did that instead of going to college (see, we’ve already changed our minds about college). His parents were not thrilled, but he was happy with his decision and made enough money for a single man to live on his own.
Aaron (35), Landscaper
As far as character builds go, the most seemingly insignificant detail can go a long way. So let’s think of something specific we can use in the story once we get there.
It ought to be something with school. A tiny turning point that affects him to this day. We may have to dig into our own lives to find this.
Let’s say biology. I have always been creeped out by the inner ear bones. I can’t totally say why, but in my education, hearing and ear biology was very important and came up often, much to my dismay.
Side note: Choosing something from my own life that I find uncomfortable/distressing allows me to channel that stress into the writing. This can (and has) resulted in some cool moments on the page. Make yourself uncomfortable as often as you can.
Back to Aaron:
Because of Aaron’s learning style, he was able to memorize the three bones as malleus, stapes, incus but couldn’t keep them straight on the diagram. He failed a quiz, and instead of the teacher asking him if he needed tutoring or a new way to learn, he was simply told to “study more”.
This was the moment Aaron started to distrust traditional teachers. Which is part of the reason he decided not to go to college.
With all of that, Aaron succeeded in learning landscaping because he received on-the-job training. He learned by doing, then supplemented his knowledge by asking questions along the way. His landscaping mentors were just as passionate about plants and were thrilled to answer any and all questions Aaron had as long as it didn’t interfere with the work.
In Summary:
Yes, building a character is a lot of work. And it takes practice to come up with all of these things. It seems easy enough as you read through this exercise, but there plenty of times I just stared at the screen thinking of all the possibilities.
Don’t get wrapped up in possibilities. The best thing you can do is make a decision and run with it. You can always go back and change something, but nothing will get done if you’re stuck in indecision paralysis.
Keep in mind that very little, if any, of this character build will end up in the final story. We’re informing ourselves about who this character is which will allow us to understand his actions. When the story comes around, we will be living in that moment, and that moment only. Aaron will make decisions based on who he is and the choices he has at the time of his adventure. The reader doesn’t care if he failed his biology test in the seventh grade, but you should.
That’s all for now. We’ll come back to Aaron soon.
Love, Rocket.