This scene is, of course, inspired in large part by “What’s Your Story, Stranger?”, the Joel Balkovec Character Creation Seminar.
Of which I hope to have more to say this fall…
© J.B. Norman — Published by Emona Literary Services™
Kat glances down at the little figurine on the table before her. She glances up at Amara, who is staring at her intently from the other side of the table.
“So,” Kat asks, turning her gaze back to the tiny axe-wielding woman. “What’s the point of this?”
Amara rolls her eyes. “Oh, Katherine. I am teaching you the delicate art of character creation!”
Kat gestures wildly at the figurine.
“But I don’t need to create a character. She’s right there!”
Amara rolls her eyes again. “You’re not building a model for her, Katherine. You’re creating her character – her history, her backstory. Tell me who she is.”
Kat shrugs. “Some lady with an axe.”
“Oh, Katherine,” Amara groans, burying her face in her manicured hand. “Dunstana did better at this than you did. And I must say, Miss Sally come up with a remarkably gripping origin story for her character that involved the death of both her parents on two consecutive birthdays.”
“My, how compellingly tragic,” Kat says, mimicking Amara’s voice.
“Don’t poke fun, Katherine,” Amara warns. “Or else I shall begin poking you.”
Kat groans. “Okay, she’s got an axe. What next?”
“Why don’t we start with something simple,” Amara offers. “Tell her name.”
Kat leans in close, laying her chin on the table and furrowing her brow as she studies the figurine of her fated Coat of Plates character.
“Axe…” Kat mutters. “Axe… ley.”
She gasps as the inspiration hits her.
“Paxley!”
She frowns as a less inspiring thought hits her.
“Oh, but she needs a last name, too, doesn’t she?”
She stares at what she has determined is her character’s most notable feature.
“Axe… ford? Forth? Axe. Ash? Ashford! Paxley Ashford! Nailed it.”
She points down at the newly christened Paxley Ashford.
“Did I win?” Kat asks.
“You have a name now, Katherine,” Amara notes. “Thats’… well, that’s something at least.”
She coughs into her elbow, clears her throat, and does that thing where she wiggles her nose when she’s feeling awkward.
“Now, why don’t you tell us some more about our new friend Paxley Ashford?”
“Well,” Kat begins. “She comes from a… long line of… lumberjacks. And there weren’t other kids in the lumber camp, so growing up, axes her were only friends. In fact, she learned to swing an axe before she could even walk?”
“I see,” Amara says.
“And then one day, a group of burglars, you know, burgled all the camp’s axes, and Paxley swore that she’d chase them down and get the axes back. Or something…”
“Well,” Amara replies. “That was a valiant first attempt, Katherine. You started off a little slow there, but I must say, you certainly finished… less slow.”
“Also, when she’s fighting,” Kat says eagerly as another thought occurs to her. “She runs after the bad guys and tells them ‘Slow down. I need to axe you a question.’”
She grins proudly.
“See, because she’s got an axe?”
Amara wiggles her nose.
“Yes,” she mutters, heaving a deep sigh. “Thank you, Katherine.”
“Did I win now?” Kat asks.
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