Three.
The Calpurnia Mission is a low-fantasy adventure tale told through a collection of short stories that link together through siblings, Calpurnia and Derko. Well, I guess chapters. Originally they were short stories but then they became chapters.
The first Monday of every month, I am going to write about the stories I have written, about the characters or concepts, about what I have learned through this process of writing.
The only thing I have ever wanted to do was write. I loved writing since I could write and I have all these stories like movies in my mind. But, I never knew one could be a professional writer and I never invested any time in the business of it because anything "creative" was not stable and I sucked at so many things that I needed to invest my time in that - not in stuff I was better at than other people.
I never really knew anyone who wrote and I never had many people who thought it was a good idea for me to do it when I sucked so much at everything else. And probably sucked at writing because it wasn't view as anything...important. Writing groups, people offering help - all have been major let downs for me.
And now I have a mortgage. F**k.
But, I remain unreasonable persistent in the face of every contest I lose and writing professional who sees no worth in my work.
So, now I have this set of stories I am trying to finish before I die. It took me a little time to write this first story, I didn't think I would finish it. I have a finishing problem. I had this concept in my head for a while and visions of this woman walking down these streets while being hunted by something.
Boom. Story. Finished it.
Then I was like. . .this would be cool to keep going. And here we are. Me with an unfinished group of stories and a blog. No credentials. A full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and I'm wearing sunglasses
The Story: The Calpurnia Mission
In the first chapter, The Calpurnia Mission, you learn that Calpurnia and Derko have been transported into another world called Delvion from a world they accepted and knew as the only world around. Sort of like you, right now. Calpurnia had stumbled on a magical key that links the holder to other very normal and also very fantastical worlds. Delvion, however, is crumbling around them, threatening to kill them and the few people surviving in it. Calpurnia has her brain and her brother and nothing else but her slim education to attempt to save them. Her problems are compounded when she finds she is being hunted by a stranger named Fairscourt who attempts to trick her into imprisonment.
My Protagonist: Calpurnia
Calpurnia is the main protagonist - she does share the honor with her brother, Derko. She is female. Originally, I was like “Yeah, a female. She is going to female all over like a female and people are going to be like, WHAT? A female?” And then I realized how little that might actual matter when it comes down to the mechanics of a character.
Other than menstruation. That sh** is annoying.
I keep character notes on everyone, so, in my notes, I listed her as: black hair, brown almond shaped eyes. Sharp features, long nose. Tall, long torso. Probably 5’7-5’8.
It was important in writing that she, and all the other characters, are only described physically in relation to others or as idly as we would say “...has black hair. Kinda tall...” I build my characters with little physical description - you have an imagination, use it.
I defined Calpurnia by every female protagonist from my youth, mostly some type of princess or man-hungry traveler. But the darker side of that. What happens when the romantic story ends? You get Calpurnia. She is remarkably intelligent, resourceful, self possessed - and she is ruled by the laws of males, has been traded for her ability to breed to save her family, and her silence.
Her choices are not completely one-sided, though. She is less of a victim and more of a person facing remarkable circumstances and making choices to save the people she loves. Even in this life of the "aged princess" she finds more allies than enemies.
Calpurnia is aware of how words and looks work - she has mastered being a chameleon and wearing a mask to further her own means, but has never had to work or, you know, go outside. She perhaps a little entitled and a little forgotten and a little bit of a line in a contract.
What she is really good at is mastering what she can of her situation - she might have very few "adventure worthy" tools but what she has, she uses well. There is a element of toughness to her person which is not physical - there are deeply rooted fundamental elements of survival, loyalty and confidence in her.
Her mind is constantly working to find ways to evade danger, accomplish tasks and reduce injury. She learns easily - recycling other people's words or postures - even experiences - when she is unsure what to do.
She only speaks when it is necessary although she is no wallflower. She is not sexual, she is hard to insult, embarrass or offend - but she is no peacemaker and she can be less than forgiving. She has a very real ability to cut someone with her words because that is what worked for her.
The softer side of her is only apparent in her relationship with brother, Derko. They have a close and loving relationship which she is not afraid to show or ashamed of. He can make her laugh easily and sees the good in her no matter her choices. He is often the only one who sees her this way.
As she must be, she is flawed.
She is paranoid. Her logical and intelligence always sees danger and horror. At the same time, when something she loves is in danger or hurt, she becomes quite impulsive. Her main fear is that she will harm others over others harming her.
She is rarely grateful or soft to those around her. She is a bully, she is mean. If she sees someone has being under her, she can be downright nasty toward them. Inside her, she grapples with constant fear of having no skills under constant silence. She has pin-point focus that leaves little room for anything.
What I Learned From Calpurnia
Calpurnia is really hard to write sometimes because under all that her life has made her and her choices, she is a very deep and loving character. In another set of circumstances, she would be another person entirely. I wanted to build her to where if you thought about it, and the more you learn about her, the more you see how much of a different person she could have been.
How do I show that? I have to show it in almost every interaction so it’s this slow burn throughout the story. That's difficult. It's also difficult to show her growth and find her motivation to change what has - in her view - been the best way to operate in life.
Writing dialog is very hard with her sometimes. I do it by relying on re-writing. I write out a whole scene and interactions and then go back and find I can remove 50% of the dialog. By writing everything down in the first go, I have a good map of the situation, then I can go back and refine her - removing what might be my words and quips and turning her outward words into internal thoughts or slight motions.
She doesn’t joke, she isn’t frivolous with her motions or words.There is no filler language when dealing with Calpurnia and she does not dumb down anything for anyone.
Something real cool came out of her development (and mine) – when she is talking to another character, the other character really comes through for who they are. Because of who she is, I really had to make the characters around her just as complex and defined.
Calpurnia don't have time for your sh**.
On the super-upside, she can move dialog along at an alarming rate, which is perfect when I need to get to the point. It also is perfect because when she does speak or move, there is often a lot of meaning and weight.
I always have to be aware of her keen sense of danger and forward thinking. More times than not, I write something and ask myself “Why would she have gotten herself into his?”
Calpurnia might be all iron on the outside but she is not physical – for a story about adventure, this is hard on me. She cannot fight or physically overcome someone – she doesn’t do CrossFit. There is no scaling walls or fist-fights for her. No gun battles or epic sword fights. There is no hidden ninja skills. There is nothing - NOTHING - special or outstanding about her.
At the same time, she has to face the dragons and walls. I cannot dumb down the physical conflicts to prove she is a female and she is smart. I really had to learn how to think in 4D, and she also has to get hurt.
Key Rules of Calpurnia
- Calpurnia does not repeat herself
- She's got Acrophobia - fear of heights
- She doesn't yell
- She does not use bad language - not only does she not curse, she tends to speak well
- She is tough to the extent that she does not believe she can offer comfort to others
- She has surprisingly good cardio health, she can run and walk for days
- She refers to people by their full first or last name
- She clasps her hands in front of her when afraid
- She will never admit she is wrong
- Once she has learned something (or is afraid of something) she will never let that go
- She doesn't speak badly about people, she doesn't speak well about them, either
- She does not say "thank you"
- She is a master evader
Fin
If you have questions about them or The Calpurnia Mission you can email me at StoriesbyMaddie at gmail or TheCalpurniaMission at gmail.
What? I like gmail.
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