As promised, yesterday, I wanted to give you all a look, today, into my own interview/characterization process. These are the actual rough draft notes from Reclaiming Nick – my interview with my hunky hero, Nick Noble:

Identity:

Nicholas Noble, quiet strength, pensive, narrowed eyes, distrustful, coiled power, well of emotions,

Age 30
6’1, hazel eyes

Who am I?
I’m a broken cop. A man who falsely put someone in jail…well twice, really because the first time, I blamed my father for betrayal, when in fact, I know now he didn’t betray me. I knew it then, also, but as a boy whose mother had died two years prior, it felt like betrayal to me to see him in Adele’s arms. It was a bad moment – I hit my father, ran from the house. He followed me. Later, I read about his accident in the paper, and couldn’t bear to call home, the guilt felt too horrible. I joined the army for a four year stint, then got my law-enforcement degree and became a deputy investigator. (Ranch investigator). I refused to return home, despite my father’s repeated attempts to reach out to me. I was too angry, both at myself and my father.

I arrested a man during my first year as a detective. According to my resources, he killed a woman named Jenny Carslyle. (Carlyle?) I was dating her at the time, and he’d been “stalking” her, so I felt like he was guilty. But five years later, new DNA evidence showed that it wasn’t his blood on her clothes. (note: I changed this later).

I was devastated and quit my job, feeling ever more guilty. Since then, I’ve worked in a diner, as a cook. The Buffalo Café.

Why am I a broken cop? Because I thought that being a cop would somehow redeem me in the cosmic world of good and evil. I had already betrayed my father, and my best friend. I somehow needed to feel good about myself. My father was a Christian and gave us a good life on the ranch. And he loved my mother. He didn’t deserve my anger. But I was still grieving, and so was he, probably. The thing is, I also lost my best friend in the mix…Colton St. John. Adele’s son. Colton and I were two peas in a pod. He was closer than my younger brother, Rafe and we dreamed of running a ranch together – him being the Cow Boss. Rafe didn’t have a dad, and he sorta saw my dad as his dad. His mom got pregnant from a drifter, although for a while we thought his dad might be our Cow Boss, Dutch, the way he looked after Rafe.

I haven’t talked to him in 12 years. (4 years Army, 7 years in the force, 1 year out, waiting tables).

What other components go into being a failed cop? Someone who wants to see justice done, even though I can’t be the one to dish it out. I still have that sense of justice and right. I also can see through people and sniff out trouble. I am also organized and distrust people. (I don’t give out trust easily).

My values would be Truth. And justice. Even though I don’t deserve it.
(So, competing values would be when Truth means there is no justice, or when telling the truth means Justice won’t be meted out, or when Justice negates the truth.)

My greatest fear would be to let down my father again…although now that he is dead, I’m not sure how I would go about making amends. Also, to falsely accuse someone…I’m sick of being wrong and I don’t want to send someone to jail falsely.

Probably my motivation for keeping the ranch is to make up to my father what I consider my great betrayal.

There it is – an glimpse of the Therapy Couch. I always love finding out my character’s inner secrets! Tomorrow, we’re going to return to Prescriptions: Hooking the Reader!