Type of character
1. Protagonist
Character’s name
1. Catherine Creel

Goal
1. To be independent and show her brother that he doesn’t have to take care of her

Flaw
1. Inability to put the past behind her
2. Trust issues/secretive
3. Spoiled
Age
1. 25
Sex
1. Female

Height
1. 5’7”
Weight
1. 115lbs

Race
1. Caucasian
Hair color
1. Dark brown
Eyes
1. Hazel

Grooming
1. Neat and clean.
2. Not extravagant or elaborate.
3. Puts in normal effort.
Clothing
1. Casual and comfortable
2. Somewhat fashionable, not chic
3. Middle-class expensive
Health issues
1. Cocaine addict; clean for two and a half years

Physical abilities
1. Yoga instructor
2. Aerial yoga expert

Speech
1. Affected NYC accent
Parents
1. Carl Creel; murdered when Catherine was 15
2. Elisabeth Mallory Creel; died of breast cancer when Catherine was 5
Siblings
1. Thomas Creel; older brother - 30
Friends
1. Keeps a small circle, mostly acquaintances or co-workers she is friendly with. Had to cut ties with old friends after her stint in rehab

Best friend (or person closest to)
1. Her brother Tommy

Least favorite people
1. Her brother’s associates, which includes a former boyfriend
2. Drug dealers
Enemies
1. None she would classify as an enemy
Pets
1. None; although there is a stray cat that hangs around her apartment building that she feeds
Residence
1. Medium-sized 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment
Neighborhood
1. Hell’s Kitchen, NY
Cultural background
1. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY
2. 3rd generation Irish-American
Religion (and attitudes about religion)
1. Catholic
2. She’s a believer, but not much of a practitioner
Memberships
1. None
Schooling
1. Bachelor of Science in Social Work from NYU
Attitude toward school
1. Crazed – memories of University life are tied up with heavy cocaine use. She doesn’t know how she managed to graduate.
Popularity
1. Known as a partyer at NYU, null and void currently
Mentors
1. Professor April Bennett, advisor on her senior thesis
Heroes
1. Her father
Favorite sports
1. Her father was, and her brother is, a(n) NY Jets fan and occasionally participates in viewing the games for nostalgic reasons only
Work experience
1. Volunteered at soup kitchens when she was in high school
2. Worked at the NYU bookstore during her freshmen and part of sophomore years in college
3. Currently owns a yoga studio in Hell’s Kitchen and teaches several classes ranging from beginner to advanced
Hobbies
1. Yoga
2. Cooking
Likes and dislikes (music, movies, tv, books, etc.)
1. Music: 70’s rock, since it’s what her father listened to all the time and 90’s alternative – she still has every Nirvana CD ever produced
2. Movies/tv: prefers music and books to movies/tv. Occasionally watches Cheers re-runs on Netflix – it was her father’s favorite show.
Fears
1. Relapsing back into drugs
2. Being alone – her brother is the only family she has left
Dreams
1. When she first entered NYU she wanted to become a Family Social Worker
2. Now her dream is to keep her small yoga studio running smoothly and prove to her brother that she’s not a screw-up

Life goals (in 5, 10, 30)
1. In 5 years she would like to have paid off the loan her brother gave her to buy the yoga studio
2. She hasn’t laid out much of a plan for her life beyond the yoga studio. She learned in rehab that it’s best to take it one day at a time for a while and she tells herself that she’s not ready to move past that mantra yet
3. The counselor she sees twice a month mentioned going back to school for a master’s degree to her a few weeks ago and Catherine thought she’d have a nervous breakdown just imagining herself back in that environment… where the drug use become a serious habit

Nervous habits
1. Bites her bottom lip
2. Rubs her right thumb over a small scar on her left palm, just below her pinky finger
Foibles
1. She has a tendency to mumble when she’s nervous
2. She has trouble looking people in the eye when speaking directly to them
Reasoning style
1. Inductive – she largely draws conclusions from the information she has at hand
How would your character’s friends describe her or him
1. Her brother would describe her as “She was always a needy little thing growing up. Dad spoiled her and I definitely indulged her after he died.” Laughing at a private memory he continues, “She always had a great sense of humor. Now? She’s so serious, so afraid of making a mistake. And I think she’s a little lost… I mean, she’s my kid sister. I promised Dad I’d look out for her, always.”
Is your character shy or bold
1. Shy
Is your character talkative or taciturn
1. Taciturn; very taciturn
What most irritates, embarrasses, or bores your character
1. She’s irritated by people that talk to fast or fidget a lot. It reminds her of being high on cocaine.
2. She gets flustered easily and it embarrasses her when people take notice
3. Movies and tv generally bore her. Save for the occasional Cheers re-run when she’s feeling nostalgic
How would your character complete the sentence “My life is ________”

“My life is a traffic jam at 6:00pm on a Friday before a three-day holiday weekend.”

Catherine’s flaw is an inability to put the past behind her. She’s so afraid of repeating her past mistakes that she is forever living in the past looking for cues of it surfacing in her present day. It dredges up the guilt she harbors for being a “screw-up” and impedes her ability to set goals for the future.
Catherine wants nothing more than to prove to her older brother that she’s not the same spoiled screw-up he’s had to take care of for the last 10 years. Her thriving yoga studio could be the very catalyst that enables her to show him just how independent she can be. However, her inability to put the past behind her, and fear of repeating the same mistakes, impedes her ability to act on futuristic goals.

Jill Kendrick

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