Name: Cindy Alder
Age: 51
Appearance: Short brown hair with brown eyes, she has freckles and a kind face that also looks tiered like she has been through a lot in her life. She wears what one would think a mother would wear.
Occupation: Accountant
Income: $89,310
Class: Middle Class
Occupation of Parents: Her dad was an investment banker and her mom was a Middle school Principal.
Family Members: Steve Alder is her husband and Harper Alder is her adopted daughter.
Education: Up to a masters in college.
Place of Residence: A wholesome neighborhood in San Francisco, California.
Religion: Catholic
Ethnic Background:
Hobbies: Yoga, watching reality TV, and Cooking
Pets: None
Talents: She is an artist and also great with math often times burying herself in work.
Dislikes: She doesn't like when people lie to her and will confront them if need be.
What she is scared of: Failure in all forms: work, family life, personal life.
Overall, Cindy Alder is a loving woman who would do anything for her family. Unfortunately, she dives into her work so her husbands discretions pass by her. Her blind love for her husband helped hide his awful secret. The guilt she feels from hiding the adoption from her daughter Harper beats her up inside. She takes failure to heart and her infertility is something that she still struggles with to this day.
Dear Melaina,
ReplyDeleteI sort of have a picture of Cindy...She's sort of like a mom you might find on a Lifetime original movie. You have to be more specific in lots of places here. What are "mom clothes?" Does she shop at Ann Taylor or is she more of an Anthropoloie mom? There is no mom uniform, and what she wears, what she keeps on her body, will tell us more about who she is. You didn't pick a symbol to represent her...What would it be? How can you also play on this idea that she's a linear, logical thinker (as an accountant) and how does this way of thinking both help her and harm her? Sometimes, thinking logically can be a very good thing, and other times, it's exactly what gets you in trouble. The thing you have to avoid with your podcast is taking on too big of an issue (hiding an adoption), because you only have a short time to tell your story and you don't want to create too many questions for the listener (such as why keep it a secret? What's the big deal about adoption? Does Cindy lie in other ways to other people? Is this a story about betrayal or about trying to protect the person you love)? You also have to challenge yourself to really know this character as a three-dimensional person--that's the only way that the writing will start to become authentic. If she's an "idea" of a mom, she will come across like a paper doll. If she's a real person capable of complicated emotions and actions, she might surprise you with what she does or says. Where do you relate to her? Find connections with your character's experience, and you will be less likely to allow the plot to manipulate what happens. Remember that character and desire come first--the story should follow out of what the people in it do.