You’re getting a real look into my process this month. I’m definitely a plotter not a pantser, so coming up with series ideas leads to thinking about characters that would fit the settings and then situations that would fit the characters and the settings.
I’m going to skip over the Port St Joe idea for now, since I have folders full of details already, so let’s turn to The Mile High Club idea. While I do think Elena and Eric will appear in it, this is a chance to flesh out some of the supporting characters briefly mentioned in the We Three stories. Flight attendants Britt and Val, and Carlos, the co-pilot. I gave them names and jobs, but only a little tiny bit of characterization in the books. So I have lots of room to work.
Britt
I “sent off” Britt to get married in her backstory after she had met and interacted with both Eric and Elena. But where’d she come from? How’d she get started as a flight attendant? She’s a leader at the layover parties. Why? Why does she enjoy the parties and why did she stop? And finally, what parts of that emotional journey will make the best stories?
Because see here’s the thing. I don’t believe that every minute of a character’s journey is meant for storytelling. The conflict chosen has to matter, create interest and generate its own energy. So the character has to (mostly) be active in their story, not have things happening to them. We can discuss many hapless and woebegone characters from classic literature, but active, bold A-types are the preferred main characters in readers’ stories today. I love layers though, so “pushy” or “forceful” personalities when I write them are often more likely protective/defensive behaviors and not “steamrollers.”
Anyway, back to Britt. I’ve got this idea that I need characters for the series who aren’t terribly complicated in their desire for sex. After all, they’ll be regulars in the “mile high club.”
But let’s say Britt is a natural organizer. She’s the one who the airline trusts with the hotel reservations, with assigning the drew rooms, with keeping the crew on time. Even if the pilot is in charge in the air, Britt is the one in charge on the ground.
She’s the planner, the party “hostess” and makes sure everyone knows and follows the orgy rules.
As for her own sexual preferences, she enjoys both giving head and eating pussy, so bisexual and her emotional connections are quite picky. She’ll have fun but if you’ve got hang ups like believing you’re in love with her, she won’t date unless there’s more than sex on your mind.
Whew. That’s a lot of planning for one day, yet I still don’t have a last name for Britt. I’ll work on that tomorrow since choosing it will probably give me her backstory how she came to work for Diligent Air.
Here’s the only excerpts from We Three mentioning Britt. Some of these mentioned moments seem perfect for expansion into stories for the series, for sure.
What do you think? Leave me a comment.
Lara Zielinsky 