B is for Brainstorming

I love vardos. I am fairly certain that I have some Romany DNA. The traveling lifestyle intrigues me, the artistry in the costumes and living spaces... it all seems so familiar to me.

My main character, Henry Bell, definitely has that ethnic bloodline pumping through him. I haven't totally nailed his appearance... partly because he is always wearing a pandemic mask... but I think he looks like a blend of these two guys:

 Henry is a tall, well-built fellow, dark-skinned and curly-haired and looks every bit the Romany gypsy of his mother's blood. He usually wears his hair tied back in a ponytail and is beardless, especially during COVID days when this story begins. This is a picture of Colin Farrell doing his best not to look too crazed. Henry actually has a more heavy-lidded, deadpan look on his face when he's in public. But this is a start. He's 6' 2" tall and only his best buds call him "Tink" - short for Tinker Bell, the name of his business. We'll get into more of that in another post. 

Marcus Sakey

What else about Henry? He's fairly agile and quiet and his hands tend to have gray stains, especially under the nails and fingertips. No tattoos. The only piercings are for two earrings. That I know for sure. He likes to walk barefoot. He has a deep voice. He does not snore. He's a runner. 

And that's just the start. I don't have his sense of humor down yet - so important!

And I need to find his deepest wound. 

I'll add more as he evolves in my imagination. 

Do you use photos of famous people to imagine your characters? An image in front of my face is so important to start building their personalities.