How Helpful Are Character Sketches (And What Did Elizabeth Peters Do?)
Vocabbett - Fun Vocabulary & History Stories
Release Date: 09/17/2020
Season 2 Finale (And a Peek Behind the Scenes!)
Vocabbett - Fun Vocabulary & History Stories
After around 20 episodes, season 2 of the Vocabbett podcast is coming to a close! I’d gladly continue it forever, but I was recently accepted to UCSD’s college counseling program. Since they operate on a quarterly system, I’m able to start my first class in March! I honestly don’t know exactly how the college counseling certificate will play into the future of Vocabbett, but as I discuss in the podcast, I do want to turn Vocabbett into a profitable, sustainable business, and while I’m having a blast with what I’m currently doing, it’s not exactly self-sustaining. In...
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Margo Durrell - Quite the Character
Vocabbett - Fun Vocabulary & History Stories
If you’ve seen , you’ll undoubtedly remember the slightly dotty daughter in the series, Margo. When I finished the show (a slightly heartbreaking moment – I hope they release a new season in the future!), I was exceptionally curious about what happened next for the family. Though the show offers a fictionalized account of the Durrells’ lives, the characters were based on real people. To think of them in the clutches of World War II… For episode 75 of the Vocabbett podcast, I share more about the remarkable life of Margo Durrell. You can listen below or on your favorite...
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Cleopatra's Little Sister
Vocabbett - Fun Vocabulary & History Stories
We've all heard of Cleopatra, but how many people know she had a little sister -- and a pretty remarkable one at that? Arsinoe IV was about ten years younger than Cleopatra, but my guess is that, had their ages been reversed, we'd all know Arsinoe and it would be, "Cleopatra who?" At around 12 years old, she was commanding an army and outwitting Julius Caesar! Listen to episode 74 of the Vocabbett podcast to learn all about her. And as promised, here is the link to the episode of "Drunk History" about her for those who want to watch! I said it in the podcast, but I'll say it again...
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Endlessly Exiled...But She Still Didn't Quit
Vocabbett - Fun Vocabulary & History Stories
When most of us think of suffragettes (a.k.a. women who fought for the right to vote), we think of Susan B. Anthony or Emmeline Pankhurst. We should, however, also be thinking about the extraordinary Nazek al-Abid! In the latest installment in our “forgotten women” mini-series, we explore the story of this remarkable woman. Exiled countless times for voicing (and acting upon) her beliefs, she never stopped fighting. Get the whole story in episode 72 of the Vocabbett podcast! (By the way, because her name is transliterated from Arabic, it’s sometimes spelled “Naziq” or “Nazik.”...
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18th Century Heiress-Turned-Pirate? (Vocabulary-Boosting History)
Vocabbett - Fun Vocabulary & History Stories
“18th century heiress turned pirate” may sound like the tagline of a cheesy romance novel, but remarkably, it’s a fairly accurate description of the indomitable Anne Bonny. A few episodes into our “Forgotten Women” mini-series -- where I sneakily boost your vocabulary by telling you about some people you probably didn’t learn about in school -- we’re shedding light on one of the most famous female pirates from the so-called “Golden Age” of piracy. It’s a story you won’t want to miss! You can listen for free on your favorite podcast player, or tune in over at...
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The *Other* British Warrior Queen
Vocabbett - Fun Vocabulary & History Stories
If you’re an Anglophile (lover of the English) like me, you’ve probably heard of Boudica, the warrior queen who took on the Romans. But did you know that there’s *another* British warrior queen with an equally fascinating tale? Around the 8th century, Viking raiders were taking over regions of England left and right. Alfred the Great dreamed of not only fighting them off, but uniting England under one king. Sadly, he died before seeing his dream come true. Alfred’s daughter, Aethelflaed, leaped onto my radar in The Last Kingdom (available on Netflix,...
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The Powerful Woman Behind 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'
Vocabbett - Fun Vocabulary & History Stories
“Mary had a little lamb…” Be honest. Did you go, “little lamb” again after you read that? Those five words are so catchy, they were the first words Thomas Edison ever recorded in the phonograph (making them the first words ever recorded on a machine). Not only that, but they were also some of the first words Alexander Graham Bell spoke into the telephone! It’s astonishing to me that a mere century (or so) after her death, Sarah Josepha Hale — the creator of this nursery rhyme — has faded into obscurity. It would be one thing if her accomplishments had also faded, but...
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Kudos & Magical Glory
Vocabbett - Fun Vocabulary & History Stories
I don’t remember the first time I heard the word “kudos,” but I distinctly remember thinking that it was 1970’s slang. How wrong I was! I only found out last week, though, that “kudos” goes all the way back to the days of Homer, meaning “magical glory” in ancient Greek. This means, if someone says, “kudos, you did a great job at the game,” the original meaning was more like, “Magical glory! Man, you’ve been blessed by the gods. Great job.” How cool is that? There’s a fierce battle raging among linguists about this word (something I’d love to see in person). I go...
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The Beak Where People Speak
Vocabbett - Fun Vocabulary & History Stories
Amid the recent inauguration news, I kept hearing the word “rostrum.” “As he approaches the rostrum tomorrow…” “Donald Trump began his term from the same rostrum…” “In his inaugural address Wednesday, delivered from a …” Obviously this word wasn’t crucial to my understanding of what was happening, but being the inquisitive sort, I needed to know all about it. A rostrum is basically a podium. There are subtle differences, but for all intents and purposes, it’s a podium. That’s not the good bit, though. The good bit is what...
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Changes to the SAT - What No One's Talking About
Vocabbett - Fun Vocabulary & History Stories
With colleges dropping the SAT left and right — and the recent announcement that they’re — it’s normal to feel a reluctant pang of sympathy for a dying rite of passage. Here’s the thing, though: The College Board (the organization that runs the SAT) is stronger than ever. Most people don’t know that the AP program is also managed by The College Board, so while people celebrate the end of a standardized test…we’re unwittingly letting them standardize the entire high school curriculum. I’m not against AP’s. There are some great AP courses! But when one...
info_outlineWell hello! If you’re new to Vocabbett, I help students improve their vocabulary through stories.
Because of that, I tend to do a lot of writing. At the moment, I’m taking you behind the scenes as I write the sequel to Ahead of Her Time!
Today, we’re talking about character sketches, and I’m continuing to draw on the creative process of Barbara Mertz (a.k.a. Elizabeth Peters) for inspiration.
Here’s what I found while researching her process: She did use character sketches early in her career, but stopped by 1992(ish). As she explained in her winter 1992-1993 newsletter:
“I have to see my people in action before I know what they’re like.”
-BARBARA MERTZ A.K.A. ELIZABETH PETERS
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that by 1992, Mertz was a very proficient writer. She had also largely moved away from standalone books, focusing primarily on the Vicky Bliss and Amelia Peabody series for the rest of her career.
It makes sense, to me at least, that you wouldn’t need to do character sketches on characters you already know!
There is a flip side to this, though. While she may not have done pre-draft character sketches for her later books, I did find quite a few post-book character notes. It seems as though she went through her books after writing them, collating details for consistency.
One of my favorite, about characters in the Vicky Bliss books, below!
So, to recap:
Character sketches can be helpful, but it seems like they’re more helpful with standalone books or the first book in a series.
On the flip side, if you are writing a series, post-book character sketches may be helpful in keeping everything consistent!
Get more information in episode 52 of the Vocabbett podcast!
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