Oct. 12th asst: required, bonus "Nelson"

REQUIRED AND BONUS in one posted item.

REQUIRED

Monday, Oct. 12 Required: Freestyle Brainstorm ▼

Spend at least fifteen minutes writing whatever ideas come to you about your plot, characters and setting.

PLOT

João goes to Portugal encouraged by his great grandmother. As a typical young man of twenty he wants to go to the beach and to the parties. But he isn't quite typical. He collects pretty things. Some may be clues to his hidden heritage. He travels to cities, beaches and makes a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. João jokes about meeting vampires (he's read Twilight) and finally does meet one in Évora... one that doesn't twinkle.

João's problem? He's always anemic, loves working the night shift, doesn't like heat. So cliché if he weren't so clueless! Seems that he has some vampire blood coursing in his veins. But is he truly a vampire or only have a weak version of the 'trait'? He flees from this possibility like any young person might.

He goes around the world. And meets lots of people, collects more pretty things, meets a not-so-friendly vampish character... in Australia. His struggles are internal. He is reminded of his health issues, wonders if his love of red, blood red, is more genetic than choice. Homesick and a bit frightened he receives word that his great-grandmother is dying. He goes home.

But at home his great grandmother is in fine fiddle with no intention of dying. She just needs to give everything away, 'die', and retire to a place where her advanced age won't raise eyebrows. Yes, she has the 'trait' or 'taint'. Her daughter doesn't; her grand daughter doesn't. Bless them. But João apparently does. She advises him to return to Portugal, to face whatever he must face.

He goes to the ancestral village in North East Portugal where people have hidden since the days of the Inquisition. He meets some 'young' vampires who send him back to some of the places he has visited. They have survived by being cautious. They must test him. He returns to Lagos, returns to Lisbon, makes a pilgrimage up the valleys that tourists don't visit. Returns to Miranda de l Douro to face the vampires, to embrace himself.

In the end, He returns to Évora... no, vampires don't live in Évora... they go there to die.

CHARACTERS

"Outside the timeline..." We meet João's grandmother Rosa (Rosinha), Thoom (Rosa Velha) who is an ancient herbalist and healer, Lucinda who escaped the Inquisition.

Part 1: João meet fellow travelers but the hosts at the hostels are equally important. João's personality is well known by the end. He's a sensitive night owl who loves rare meat... and dresses in red. Not all the pretty things are important to the story, but each is important in understanding João. And this is HIS story. He's a rather pleasant happy traveler. Those he meets tend to be as well. Not all the characters he meets will be as pleasant as he is but there are no evil villains.

Part 2: João meets fellow travelers once or twice. Some have invited to host him when he visits their country. So Maerloes he'll meet in Delft and again in Australia, Denmark or Costa Rica. Hiroki he meets in Gdansk and again in Tokyo. Renata in Oslo and again in Gdansk. Nino in Holland and again in Oslo or Bosnia.

Characters he meets once need to be fleshed out; not all will be best-friends-forever. However, they are fellow travelers and therefore more curious than the average person. The trick will be to give each their own distinctive personality.

Characters that are met twice can be developed a tad deeper. The second time needs to repeat an important feature and add new info so the reader doesn't have to look back, so the character isn't 'flat'.

Part 3: João goes back to key places and reacquaints himself with certain characters from Part 1 (it's only been one year so no need to have entirely new characters unless they add to the plot.) These characters need to have been fully developed in Part 1 so that the reader is happy/scared to see them again or disappointed if not. New places in Part 3 = new characters. (No idea yet how this will play out).

Epilogue: João is the hero of his own story.

Key character: João.
Important characters: Rosa, Thoom, Anacleto (Évora), Filipa (Lagos), Nelson (Évora).
Others: B. in Coimbra/Turkey, Iván in Lisbon/Santiago de Compostela, Pilar in A Coruña, Marloes, Hiroki, Renata, the still un-named vamp in Australia, hostel owner in Tui... others

SETTING

Parts 1 and 3 are in Portugalicia (Portugal and Galicia) where Português, Español, Galego and Mirandés are spoken. João speaks English. Hostels, Couchsurfing.

Portugal is maritime, green in the north, hot in the interior, a place where people eat fish, pastries. There are stories to be told in stone buildings, old churches, azulejos (tiles), ruins. The people are fairly open and tolerant. They come in all sizes, shapes and colors.

It will be easy to add senses as I've visited there twice, took thousands of photos, kept notes and loved the people and the place. Part 3 have places I haven't been and therefore will need research and a visit before final editing.

Part 2 has João fleeing his heritage by taking a lark around the world, another typical youth adventure. Hostels and couchsurfing are key here. As is staying with friends he has met along the way.

I have done this... more or less on various trips... each hostel is different (noisy, quiet, empty...), (comfortable, institutional, quirky). Each city, town, beach is unique. I'll probably stick to places friends or I have personally visited. The mere experience of travel could set up some tension. Almost missed buses. People who get on your nerves. Misunderstandings...

BONUS

Monday, Oct. 12 Bonus: Extended Brainstorm ▼

Add at least fifteen additional minutes to your freestyle brainstorming time.


An attempt to combine setting, plot and character:

Nelson

It was warm when the train arrived in Évora. João had looked out at the cork and olive groves of Alentejo; cork and more olives. A rolling landscape of dull green that ended in a small depot.

João noticed the tiles. Always tiles. These were multi-colored and unfortunately attached. No way to filch one.

The street was uneven cobbles, the sidewalk not much better. If he had a car or a horse...

The aroma of warm horse shit pulled him towards a low-slung building on the left where youngsters were showing up to learn how to ride. He could tell some were already experts. With no horse for him, he continued towards the center. Clop, clop, clop, over the cobbles.

Or where he imagined the center to be. He got lost in a park with a squawking peacock for a minute. Had to ask directions.

— Estou perdido. Onde está...?

He'd learned that much! Évora was a hot town come summer they said. It was hot enough today for João. Old Roman Temple, they said. Old stone walls, they said. Close to the train station, they said.

Well, they were right about the walls, João thought as he went through them.

He arrived in a square just a tad grumpy. On the main square, they said. But then he saw the church, A igreja de Santo Antão. He was here.

The hostel was very near the church. Heavy wooden door. 40 steps? It wouldn't have mattered but the sun and heat had gotten to him.

A tall, thin man greeted him in English.

— Welcome to Évora. My name is Nelson.

Surprised, João just stuttered,

— Thank-you. It's been a long day. I'm João.

— Been expecting you.

Nelson showed him his bed. The room was cool, the bed far too inviting.

— Remember to use this key... like this.

João payed attention. So many doors, so many keys, each one with it's own magical way of opening before him, locking behind him.

Nelson showed him the kitchen. Small but clean. The toilet and shower close by. Hot water! Nelson told him when breakfast was. Coffee, toast, orange juice. Mentioned that he could go up to the roof whenever he wanted.

— I read that there are trips to the nearby stone circles. I hear they're ancient.

— I recommend doing that. They cost 25 euros. They're worth it. I can call and see if (Marco) is going tomorrow.

João thanked him, payed for two nights. Went to his room to unpack a T-shirt. Red, his favorite. Went to the window and gazed at a pair of pigeons on a ledge. They didn't look like they had fangs.

João lay down for a nap.

Then the roof beckoned. It was sunset and the city was aglow. He could see over the stone buildings, see the old aqueduct. He imagined having a cape and jumping from roof to roof, like some cartoon character.

When he got down Nelson was at the desk.

— The sunset was awesome.

Nelson smiled.

— I imagined myself as a vampire flying through the dusk. Have you ever known a vampire? João joked.

— Yes.

Nelson's face went blank.

— You'll meet him tomorrow.

SETTING: Évora, an old Roman settlement. Older sites nearby. Smells: horse. Sights: colored tiles, dull green landscape. Sounds: clop, squawk, coo. Taste: coffee, toast, orange juice. Touch: feet on cobbles.

CHARACTERS: João: (red T-shirt, easily tired, grumpy, filches), and Nelson: (tall, thin, friendly face, speaks English, helpful). "Marco" is a hold-this-place name; he'll appear soon.

PLOT: It's time for João to meet a vampire, learn why vampires don't live in Évora.

Note: this maybe expanded with a night out listening to fado ("A vida ten mais encanto..." key to all of the stories), a trip to the university (key because...) and temple (probably not key but all tourists do it... believe me!, the underground Roman excavations being a red herring) before the trip to the stones (key to establishing that before the Romans there were communities who lived here and among them... vampires). Not sure of chronology. Maybe João can meet Anacleto, the vampire at or after the stones... or meet briefly and schedule a meeting to see the courtyard of the dead (A quintana dos mortos) after... The place where vampires go to die would be a good place to end part 1 so its placement in the plot is important.