NaNo Prep '11

Premise Oct 1st

         The premise of chasm starts out with a car crash, leaving young, half-Chinese Quinn as the only survivor. Both of his parents died in the incident and Quinn has absolutely no recollection of it. He remembers before and after but not the event itself. His grandmother ends up being the one to take care of him, flying all the way from China to take care of him. she's quite overbearing in the fact that he hasn't learned much of his heritage and tries to force it down his through time and time again. Meanwhile, he has been videochatting with a girl from China and been trying to learn Chinese to impress here and along the way he'll learn that he may be just as Chinese as he is American and the world may be more connected than he once thought.

Background Story (Protagonist) Oct. 2nd

         My parents raised me to be honorable, loyal, dependable, honest, just, but one thing the told me over and over again to the point where I could quote them was that I needed to be true to myself. I'm pretty sure I've done a good job of that despite the fact that I'm soft spoken. Multi-colored socks, odd flannel shirts, ripped jeans, not to mention I play guitar, it's pretty easy for people to see what kind of person I am. Or at least that's what I thought, my parents never stopped saying it as long as they lived. The only time they did was when I was playing my guitar, singing, or writing music. Truth be told, I'm not a very talented musician, I know the basics, but my rhythm's usually off, wrong key, sloppy style, but the thing is that's where my voice is. My parents taught me to be expressive but at the same time, they told me to be courteous and respectful and I have yet to find that balance so I'm quiet. Music is the only place so far I have found for my voice to really come out. I just feel like I explode out with something, something that's new and refreshing each and every time. however, things are different when my Grandmother comes to visit. She's Chinese and mentions it every chance you get. Complaining about my "lack of heritage" and all that. "Chinese this" and "Chinese that." She doesn't even call me by my real name. [i]Chao[/i]. That's what she always calls me. She never tells me what it means. "Look it up" is all I get but I never do.

Character Sketch (Protagonist) Oct. 3rd

Quinn Wallace

Age: 17
City or Area of Birth: Houston, Texas
Sex: Male
Height: 5'8
Weight: 171 lbs
Hair: dark blonde
Eyes: brown
Clothes: very colorful (ie. multicolored socks, brown & teal flannel shirts, jeans)
Marriage Status: single
Occupation: high school student
Character Description: soft spoken, clever, lost, insecure

Familial Relations
Father: Maxwell Wallace
Living/Deceased: Deceased
Occupation of Father: Accountant
Mother: Hua-Ling Wallace [first name legally changed to Julie]
Living/Deceased: Deceased
Parental Marriage Status: widowed
Occupation of Mother: Botanist
Sister(s): None
Brother(s): None
Aunt(s), Uncle(s), Cousin(s), etc: On Mother's side, scattered across China, on father's side located mainly in California
Other Family Occupations: Grandmother - Dong Mei (retired teacher)

Relationships with Others
Current Lover/Spouse: n/a
Best Friend(s): Estelle Couliette - best friend at school
Other Friends: Lawrence Klein and Ryan O'Keefe, casual friends he met being a camp counselor
Past Love(s)/Spouse(s): None
Ability to Make New Friends: somewhat shy but able to make new friends with bits of difficulty
Other People of Note in Character's Life: Ms. Lydia Yin
Reason Why They are Noteworthy: teacher who relates to him

Background
Where Raised: Texas
Family Background: mother's side chinese though disconnected by mother, father comes from moderately affluent background
Psych Profile
Greatest Joy: music
Greatest Trauma: loss of parents/fear of moving to China
Morals: guided by conscience and wisdom of others
Ambitions: discover who he is an find his way
Positive Personality Traits: clever, polite
Negative Personality Traits:insecure, lost
Mannerisms: quite, observant, soft spoken
Fears, Anxieties: having to move to China, "losing himself"
Temperament: calm, composed
How Character Displays Emotions: quietly generally, though much more loudly through music
Leader/Follower: follower
Perception of Others: envious of other's confidence
Perception of Self: insecure, lost
Memories: summer camp, guitar lessons, piano lessons, singing lessons, failing geometry
Dreams/Plans: become a musician
How Character Handles Crisis: asks for advice, withdraws unless confident of a solution
Personality Type: Introverted
Most Meaningful Life Experience: parent's death
Attitude Toward Others: friendly though soft spoken
Feelings Toward Family: frustration to grandmother, adoration toward parents
Feelings Toward Friends: friendliness
Feelings Toward Strangers of the Same Sex: friendly
Feelings Toward Strangers of the Opposite Sex: friendly generally