March Writing Prompts

March 7, 2023

Prompt: Make up a new character profile for a fantasy story and write out their backstory for practice.

Book: Of the Ocean

Character: Sierra Denver

          - 21 years old

          - Light brown hair

          - Hazel eyes

          - Pale skin

          - Some freckles

          - About 5'7"

          - Thin, runner-like build

          - Zodiac Sign: Leo

          - Enneagram Type: 1

          - Traits: Serious, Intelligent, Sarcastic, Perfectionist

Questions Posed by @ the.plottery on Instagram

1. What is their biggest fear? - Definitely losing her little sister, Kai.

2. What is their biggest regret? - Not listening to her godmother about traveling to Rayanori.

3. What is their dream? - It was to make it to Rayanori, but now her biggest dream would be just to stay alive and make it home to her family.

4. What is their misbelief? - That she is a failure.

5. Where does this misbelief originate from? - Her father and his inability to allow her to rest or ever perform anything less than perfection.

6. How do they behave in a situation of danger? - She thrives and leads. She is the kind of person you'd look to when you need someone to help you out.

7. What is their first instinct when someone attacks them? - To dodge out of the way and trip them.

8. What is the one object they would run into a fire for? - She doesn't care enough about any material thing. Her sister would be a different story.

9. What is a flaw they've carried since childhood that hindered their growth? - Her inability to take ideas from others. She's always believed that she was the smartest in the room, and in most rooms she was, but that never helped her in the long run.

10. What do they believe will make them happy? - For her father to say that he's proud of her.

11. Who was their biggest influence growing up? - Her father. He wasn't an awful person. He just saw the best in her and wanted so badly for her to accomplish all the things he knew she was capable of doing. He led by example while crushing all of his own goals.

12. How did that shape who they are today? - It made her a very successful, but also very burnt out, person.

13. What is their proudest accomplishment? - Rigging the craft to get to Rayanori to finally work the way it needed to all on her own.

14. How do they deal with failure? - Not well at all. Most things she is good at immediately and when she isn't, it's mulled over in her mind for the next week as she tries to figure out what went wrong.

15. What is their relationship with their family like? - Her sister is her best friend. Her mother is annoying but loving and supportive. Her father is pushy but believes in her wholeheartedly. The only true strain is with him when it comes to her overbearing desire to make him proud.

16. Have they ever been in love? If so, what happened? - No. She's always been too busy with school and her journey to Rayanori to really even think about dating or romance. Her sister thinks she might be asexual since she's never even commented on other people's appearances.

17. What is their biggest secret? - That she cries in the shower almost daily. None of her family members have ever seen her cry even as a child. She believes that her hard shell protects her from hurting even more. 

18. Do they have any hobbies or interests they don't tell anyone about? - The only people that know about her interest in fixing up the craft to Rayanori were her immediate family and her godmother. None of her friends or extended family had a clue what she was up to. But also, she did really enjoy drawing. No one at all knew that about her as she kept her sketch pad a secret and stashed it under her mattress.

19. What motivates them to keep going during tough times? - Kai, always. Her sister is her best friend and though she hasn't had to, she would drop everything in a heartbeat for her if it meant knowing she was okay.

20. What is their relationship with authority figures like? - Wonderful, normally. She is a perfectionist, which means she also follows the rules like it's the word of God.

More of Sierra's Backstory Explained

Sierra grew up in a very tight-knit family. Her sister, Kai, is four years younger than her but has always been her best friend. They were inseparable and honestly rarely ever truly fought. Most of the time they would just bicker but get over it within an hour. Her mother was always her confidant and a person she could tell anything to. Her father is where most of her story works into play. 

Growing up, Sierra showed early signs of intelligence and just continued shooting forward as she grew up. Seeing this, her father knew he had to invest in her and get her on the right track. His thoughts were that he didn't want her to miss any of the steps he did. He made a wonderful life for himself and his family, but he always had this itch that made him think he could've done better.

That itch caused many issues for Sierra that she has still yet to deal with. She has struggled with them daily but doesn't truly see them for what they are. Her father has always been wonderful and loving, supportive and kind, but has no idea what kind of pain he has inflicted on her mental health. His plan was never to get her to be so hard on herself, but he also has no idea that she is that rough on herself to begin with.

Sierra has internalized most things in her life which makes everyone around her believe she is near perfect. She doesn't allow anyone to see her cry or get upset. She doesn't allow people to see the mistakes she makes or the failures she falls into. The only thing that would finally make her face all these demons is the ultimate test.

Life or death.