#johnwilkes

[met-european-sculpture]

Lock by John Wilkes via European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Medium: Steel, brass, wood

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1957 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/201999

[gaetanosdenver]

Today’s hours are 12 PM - 9 PM, Happy hour; 3-6 PM! #todayinhistory 1865 US President #AbrahamLincoln is shot in the head by #JohnWilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington; he dies a day later!! #bestitalianfood #303eats #303food #openforlunch https://www.instagram.com/p/CNqFL-flbvL/?igshid=11a0gpt5fk3d7

[jasonjppowers]

#getmehome - #blackstreet #foxybrown #ashleymlands #highschool - #nickiminaj #birdman #bennyboom #lilwayne #tunechi #giuliannaa #johnwilkes #gun #oh #shit #click #boom

[shambolique]

In a famous exchange with John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, where the latter exclaimed, "Sir, I do not know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox," Wilkes is reported to have replied, "That depends, my lord, on whether I embrace your lordship's principles or your mistress."

John Wilkes, notorious politician, journalist, and member of the hellfire club. (17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) 18th Century smack down.

[shambolique]

Life can then little else supply but a few good fucks and then you die.

-John Wilkes, notorious politician, journalist, and member of the hellfire club. (17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) He was also distantly related to John Wilkes Booth.

[shanizzle102]

This song is amazing and catchy. 💙

[bluemorbo-blog]

Act I Guidelines Part II

Hook Examples

There are perhaps three common opening hooks, starting at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the events.

At the Beginning

Perhaps the most commonplace, the story could start at the very beginning, where the story progresses in a linear fashion. For example:

The row of closed shop fronts merged into a single yet colourful blur as Mark Parker ran to catch the delayed 18:12 service to Hammersmith. As he turned onto the platform, he felt a sudden jolt in his right foot, and tripped over the outstretched leg of a busker.

Here the characters are meeting for the first time. This is the beginning of their story, perhaps Mark Parker is a manager for artists, ready to transform the life of the busker. A genuine "rags-to-riches" story.

In the Middle

Perhaps a more exciting opening would be a story that is already in motion. Here, there can be a sense of action and momentum, throwing the reader into the middle of an action beat.

Logan Baird climbed the wooden panelled staircase and paused behind the curtain. Tonight would be his first performance outside of Tottenham Court tube station.

Here Logan Baird, formerly the busker with stretchy legs has already been given his big break, and is now performing for a paying audience. There's still a long way to go before he has a number one album, but he's made the first steps. The story is in progress.

I've used this approach myself in order to create some questions that the reader will discover later in the story. 

Novel Spoilers

The story opens part-way into the story. Daniel has begun his downward spiral, and his academic studies are suffering as a consequence. The three gentlemen are deciding on the best course of action to protect his future. Here, the reader will question what has prompted Daniel to have such a dramatic change of behaviour, and what happened to Rosalind.

At the End

Alternatively, the story could begin at the end and then jump back to the start. Here, the reader will have to read on to discover how the lead got from A to B. For example, Logan could end up back where he started, busking on the underground.

"Hey Mister, don't you know who I am?" decried Logan. "I'm famous! I've had number one singles and everything!" This caught the attention of the passing stranger. He placed his briefcase besides Logan's guitar and sat opposite. "So how did you get here then?"

"Well, I suppose I'd best start at the beginning."

Reader - Lead Connection

 As covered in my post on Plotting, the story needs complicated yet relatable characters. This is most true for the lead character.

Identification

Without turning the character into another Mary-Sue (or male equivalent), one of the possible methods to make the character relatable is to make he or she behave like any normal person would. Had an argument with a domineering parent? The character can storm off. Caught your spouse cheating? Have an argument! Worried about exams? Freak out and decide you're going to fail, regardless of your ability!

Novel Spoilers

Daniel doesn't like his parents interfering with his life, nor the constant criticisms and patronising. His parents think they know what's best, and have decided to move him out of university and into the workplace. This isn't exactly what Daniel wants to hear.

Sympathy

To further improve the likelihood of attachment, the lead could be going through some hard times that encourage sympathy. Perhaps the lead has been made redundant, or has just split with his girlfriend. Here, the struggles faced by the lead will garner sympathy from the readers.

Novel Spoilers

There's been a death in the immediate family, something that is affecting the parents and especially Daniel. A death is always guaranteed to encourage sympathy.

Likability

One of the more difficult methods to utilise, creating a likeable yet interesting character that is witty, intelligent, a good friend etc. can be harder than it seems. However, if your characters are too nice, they'll seen unrealistic. We all have flaws, for example, the animal lover and charity worker that spends their evenings as part of the Animal Liberation Front. Adding complexities and contradictions adds a third dimension, and as a result the reader will want to find out what will this character do next, when they fall in love with the hunky male scientist that tests on animals for a job.

Inner Conflict

We've all had doubts and a voice inside us that suggests we reconsider a decision we're about to make. If the lead struggles with big decisions, the reader will see part of themselves in the character and a connection will be born. For example, if the lead discovers his wife has been cheating on him, does he spend the evening with a colleague who has been flirting with him for weeks, who - until now - had been spurned? 

Novel Spoilers

After Daniel discovers just how dangerous the research is, he contemplates using narcotics. However, he realises that if Virginia was to discover she was engaged to an opium addict, the wedding would be cancelled. So, he has to ask is it worth the risk? Will escaping the horrors of his research help provide for his future?

Present the World

The first chapter should provide the reader with an idea of where the events take place. If you're telling the story of an American submarine playing cat and mouse with a German U-boat, you could open the story in the middle of the Atlantic, with naval officers milling around the bridge.

Novel Spoilers

My story opens up on Thurman Conrad stood in the exuberant dining room of close friend Horace Dillow. After a short talk with John Wilkes, the trio share specially imported cigars from the Middle East. Here, we can see these men are wealthy gentlemen with a high level of sophistication. 

Exposition

Finally, to maintain a story with pace, you should try to limit the length of text that contains exposition. It's better to tease the reader with details. For example, in my story, I know the exact time and place the story takes place. Now, I can either tell the reader precisely:

It is April 1908. The Conrads, together with the Dillows and the Wilkes, live in the Kensington district of London. Daniel, son of Thurman and Hariett is dating Virginia Dillow.

Or, I can tease the details out, and throughout the story, give clues for the details:

Daniel strolled alongside the Thames with Virginia on his arm. Although the horse-drawn carriage was available to them, the late Spring air was an open invitation for a short walk down the embankment.

So we have not only detail about where they are (London), and a vague idea of when (late Victorian / early Edwardian) but also the fact it is Spring (April / May) and he has a close relationship with Virginia. Also, note there is action and movement. This may not be integral to the plot, but they could be on their way home to bad news.

[bluemorbo-blog]

Character Names

One aspect of stores I tend to enjoy are characters that work on multiple levels. For example, in mysterious island TV show Lost many of the characters share names with important characters from the Old Testament to foreshadow their destiny. Unfortunately, sometimes it was a little too obvious - see Christian Shepherd for one perfect example. 

Now I don't believe that every character in a story should have a referential name where the author winks at the reader, in fact it may become too distracting and take the user out of the story. So, I intend to do it with a few foreground characters.

Novel Spoilers

As I was creating my protagonist, I knew that he would suffer from insomnia and other sleep disorders due to a tragedy that occurred prior to Chapter I. So after some research I discovered that vivid and incomprehensible dreams were common amongst suffers. From here, I began looking through late Victorian census data, to find common baby boy names - one of which was Daniel. Daniel the interpreter of dreams. It had a nice ring to it.

Between Biblical and superficial names, lay characters whose names reflect their personality or destiny. Since Daniel begins the story studying at an esteemed university, he should have a teacher. However, since he is having problems at home (due to the previously mentioned tragedy), the teacher should hold a senior position at the school and be consulting with his parents. So, I went with a Dean John Wilkes who is a childhood friend of Daniel's father. To highlight a strong contrast between the nihilistic views of characters such as Charles Ridpath, I decided he should be a devout Christian with a strong Christian name.

Coincidentally, the name John means "God is Merciful", which implies his personal philosophy. 

As a second example, Anthony Dillow (brother of romantic interest Virginia), suffers from a similar coincidence. I wanted to give Daniel not only emotional and intellectual antagonists, but also a physical one. Most of the characters in the story are either middle aged or slim, and therefore posing little threat to your average 18 year old male. So as I was deciding upon a year to set the story (see a future entry), I discovered that London (the setting of my story) held the Olympic games in 1908. Who better to be physically domineering than an Olympian? And so a highly competitive and protective physical teen was born.

The meaning behind the name Anthony? Worthy of praise, ideal for someone who excels at something they're passionate about.

Of course, the casual reader will not pick up on the sly winks and subtle nods scattered through the book - but it will not affect the story. It's merely there as a secondary layer for those that are more observant or knowledgeable.

So that's how characters can have different levels of meaning, depending upon the importance of their role.