Getting to Know Characters of CITC

Sonny, Frankie, Martie, and Billy

A swirly blue sky

Ask your project everything. Keep asking until all the details are so plentiful they’re bursting from the edges of your story. Then ask another.

Or something like that.

I read that particular advice while in college in some required reading written by someone I don’t remember. And gosh do I wish I could remember and get my hands on that book again. Because wow. What great advice—not just in writing but, well, in everything. Curiosity is such a beautiful perspective, and often leads to empathy, a superpower.¹ and isn’t empathy the point?Why we write?

This month has been wonder-filled, fun, and busy. A perfect start to October (minus a bit of sickness from last week). When I had a few extra minutes to squeeze some Charlie in the Clouds time, I spent it asking questions, starting with these four characters: Sonny, Frankie, Martie, and Billy.²

This truly felt like writing a friendship journal. Do you have one of these? And it really had me practicing some important empathy for a certain school bully.³ I’ve never been so thorough in character development before, and I’m not sure why ever not. Perhaps I’m typically too eager to get to drafting that I never give myself time to properly prepare for the draft. This has been a decent and fulfilling practice, one I’ll definitely continue for future projects.

Well I suppose I should quit rambling and introduce Charlie’s characters:

🌻 M A R T I E A C E⁴

The oldest of the Ace children, 13 years old. And as a sister to the boy born of storms, melancholy is more a friend to her than a hindrance. Sadness lingers in her soft smiles. The smell of old books remind her of rain storms, a comforting smell that brings her home. Contrasting her stormy blue moods is a yellow flower that reminds her of happier times — one with secret handshakes, belly laughs, and turtle rain dances.

⭐️ F R A N K I E A C E

A darling sister of nine years old, who sits in the middle between the oldest Martie and youngest Sonny, with dark hair to match their mother and a dimpled grin solely her own. Frankie is very much the opposite of Sonny, in the best way, at least Sonny thinks so. She is all outside⁵ Everything she does, she does proudly and loudly: her feelings, the clothes she wears, the way she walks, and especially her laugh. She reminds Sonny of the sky and its storms: looming, captivating, and sometimes too loud he struggles to sleep, but mostly he finds his sister inspiring.

🌤️ S O N N Y A C E

The star of the show — though he’d really rather not be.

Where Frankie is all outside, Sonny is all inside: introspective, polite, gentle, a dreamer. He is known to love a good whisper and wink.

He spends a lot of his time looking up at the sky or down at his glider sketches. He holds a quiet shame that slowly builds throughout our story u til it’s so heavy he just might burst like the clouds he admires so much. Perhaps that’s why he loves looking at the sky. He feels less alone in the heaviness he’s feeling. And he’s reminded that there’s light just beyond the clouds.

🧢 B I L L Y

I ought to give him a last name. He’s probably the most difficult for me to write. It’s so easy to stereotype him (and I likely will do this unknowingly sometimes). I’m really trying my best to ask him everything and round him out.

I’m going back and forth with the idea of giving him his own chapter. I think it would benefit the story to understand his perspective. But it might not be necessary as the monthly movie night chapter gives us a tighter glimpse into Billy’s home life.

He’s a smart kid and performs well in school. He loves hockey and football and the smell of the forest after a snow. He’s never known kindness, especially not in the way Sonny has. And though he is clever, he lacks imagination. Also, he’s intimidatingly tall.

I’m not sure if Billy will understand his mistakes in this story, or even if he’ll apologize…

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I doubt I’ve exhausted all my questions, so I’ll keep at it. I really want to explore the setting a bit more, consequences of certain skies, and looking at more characters to broaden this story (Clara Ace⁶, Uncle Mack, Lennie, Billy’s father, and a sweet friend at school).

As I spent last week’s mornings staring up at a gentle blue sky, I couldn’t help but wonder what Helene’s devastating skies looked like. I’m glued to the horrible, latest reports from the aftermath of this storm. I want to be mindful in this story of the consequences of those romantic, tragic, thick roaring clouds, mindful of a stormy sky. As easy as it is to romanticize the drama in such skies, I know the bold and the beautiful can bring the worst kinds of devastation. Praying for Helene’s victims.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the small glimpse into these four characters. I’m enjoying the slower writing pace, spending more time in preparation and research than I’ve ever done before - thanks to you! Though I have to be honest, I did draft chapter five and man oh man, I can’t wait for y’all to read it! It may be awhile yet. I’ll need to be patient.

All the lovely things,

JH

Ps. Footnotes have been the best surprise in this WIP. If you’re a fan of footnotes — enjoy!

1. I suppose curiosity on its own doesn’t necessarily lead to empathy. I think curiosity with compassion truly does lead to a kinder, more open mind. And that’s pretty important.

2. Names ending with an e-y sound is not required. Just cute.

3. I mean, he’s a child after all. It isn’t hard to feel any kind of sympathy for a child, no matter how cruel or unkind they may be. And it’s been a privilege understanding his behavior and why he makes certain choices.

4. If I ever expand this story, it would be for sweet Martie girl. So much heart ache and hope in a single soul.

5. At least that is what she wants everyone else to think.

6. As Sonny tucked his hand within his mother’s, he relaxed in their warmth. Her hands were always warm, he told her once. And she said it’s likely she’s never without a warm cup of tea to hold.