Writing Wednesday, Willie Wonder
I'm going to be a boy adventurer for Halloween. Think neckerchiefs, knapsacks, magnifying glasses, treasure maps, mummies, magic, robots, travels in the jungle, a lot of cartoon tropes. I've had this idea since January, and it's gone from just a simple costume to a whole character with a backstory and friends and hobbies. I'm not sure if I'll be able to work all of these into my in-character conversations at the party I'm going to this Friday, but I like knowing that it's all there.
Willie Wonder - Boy Adventurer
William Oliver Wonder, age 12
Father: Dr. Alan Wonder, a scientist. Technological skills are sought after by governments and private companies around the world, and he has found himself with many rivals.
Mother: Dr. Sandra Wonder, an archaeologist. Often gets wrapped up in work and will be gone on investigations for weeks on end, but always comes back with something cool.
Pets: Marauder, a talking dog with a bad habit of stealing cursed artifacts.
Friends: Diana, a girl. Daughter of Alan’s assistant, she likes to accompany Willie on his adventures and keep a journal. Scott, a boy. Diana’s brother. Not as adventurous as his sister or Willie, but is quick and smart and has gotten the two out of plenty of scrapes. RIC, a robot. Stands for Robot Intelligence Collaboration. His sophisticated AI was constructed by Alan, but it was Willie who designed his toy-like body.
Mentors: Mr. Ward, Alan’s assistant and Diana and Scott’s dad. Helps around the Wonder household as anything from a cook to an errand-runner. Professor Kalarr, a wizard. A friend of Sandra’s, he’s often on hand to help research or cast a finding spell.
Willie’s Hobbies: Building things with dad, going to museums with mom, eating the chocolate chip cookies that Mr. Ward bakes for him, building forts and riding bikes with Diana and Scott, teaching tricks to Marauder, asking RIC too many questions, listening to Professor Kalarr tell him stories.
And since no adventurer is complete without a treasure to hunt, I've been drawing an elaborate treasure map based on a skull-shaped island with a cave of buried pirate's sapphires. Here are its directions:
Head north three miles from the Archipelago of Treachery, towards the mountain.
Turn to the west when you see the tattered remains of a hot air balloon.
When you reach the edge of the mountain range, you will turn to the north, crossing the rope bridge. Be careful. It is rickety.
Go four miles north, towards Mermaid’s Cove, but don’t get too close! The water is safe to drink, but the mermaids may be your downfall.
Travel six miles to the east. If you get past the snake pit, you will reach the Cave of the Glowing Eye. If you unlock the pirate’s riddle, the sapphires are yours.