Character Mood: #Preptober, Day 8

Today, let’s talk about your character’s mood.

Actually, characters typically have many moods. But first let’s talk about their baseline. What kind of a person is your character, in general? Optimist? Pessimist? Realist? Is the glass half empty, half full, or just a tasty glass of their favorite beverage and enough with the philosophy already?

Mood can be tricky to pin down. Mood can also change easily, depending on circumstance and environment.

I’d describe my MC, Ara, as a generally quiet person with a sharp intellect. She’s the silent but deadly type. Does that make her an optimist or a pessimist? Some might say she’s a pessimist, as her world view revolves around hunting people down. Others might say she’s a realist, because she accepts the world as it is: with both good and bad people in it.

I’m more on the realist side. Ara is being taught by her ninja parents to view the world as a bit of a puzzle, with all of the pieces ultimately interlocking, but only a few able to see the entire picture. She can look at things and see them for what they are on the surface, or dig deeper and figure out what they mean to others on a more personal or emotional level. She can observe the way people act, and draw conclusions from what they do.

But they also shield her from some of the more serious aspects of their job. She’s not being trained to kill, but to bring bad people to justice. She’s never seen them murder anyone. She’s seen them confuse people, fight them, and even tie many of them up. But killing is not part of their equation… at least not so far.

Her general mood is one of trust and quiet appreciation, of living in the moment, enjoying her life with her family. She doesn’t know that there is any other way to live – yet.

Of course, all of that is about to change.

But that’s another day’s worth of prep!

Want to prep with me?

Fill in the same info for one of YOUR main characters, post it on your blog, and be sure to use the hashtag #Preptober on social media so we can find each other.

Don’t forget to grab a free copy of my Preptober Prompts Printable, which you can print out for personal use.

See you tomorrow with a new prompt!