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Writing an Entry For Guess That Character Blogfest

As I said in yesterday’s fest, I’m going to participate in a few Blogfests, and the first one is here!
It is the Guess that Character Blogfest run by Jennifer Dalker.

The Blogfest, in her own words:

“Post a snippet of the character you’d like to be identified. Try and make sure there are no descriptions of what they might look like. This blog fest is based purely on voice, action and personality.”

So here is my entry, and in the comments I invite other bloggers to describe the appearance of my character, because tomorrow I’ll post a picture of the character and we can all see who comes the closest…
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Once you skin a cat, you realise it is skinner than a mouse really. Mom says it is bad to hurt any living thing, even worse to kill, but skinning a dead cat can’t be that bad, can it?

I like how the pelt comes off when I know when to stick Churi in the right place, just below the layer of fat, so the skin isn’t very dry. Those are the kind of things I’d like to learn, how to make sure the skin does not lose hair, how many times, how hard and where to hit so you can preserve the skin, no cuts.

But Mom says good boys learn different things: calculus, trigonometry, history of literature—those are the right choices. Then there’s biology and this year we begin dissection. I’m kind of looking forward to that. Besides, it would be fun to watch the girls faint and the boys throw up. They do that each year, I’m told.

Can’t understand why most people get so grossed out by death. After all, we’re all going to die some day. And underneath our skins, we’re all the same, grease, blood, bones, entrails. It disgusts me how proud some girls are of their packaging, making like they don’t have as much blood and gore and shit and fart inside them as the next person. All that brushing and combing, bathing and polishing and scenting, for what? Just to cover up your stuffing. If I ever got to skin one of them bitches, it would all pour out of them, all the messy gore and dirt. That would show them.

But their skins, ah, the skins can be a thing of beauty—their lines fanning out as they dry under the sun. Very soon they would be parchments, no smell, soft between my fingers. Maybe I could write on them. Now that would give tattoos a whole new meaning, wouldn’t it?
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For detailed info on the Blogfest go to Guess that Character Blogfest.

Feedback on how to better capture the voice of the character, or on any other aspect, most welcome.

Folks who are taking part in this fest, please feel free to leave a link to your entry if you choose to comment!
Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is co-editor of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her literary crime thriller series, the Blue Mumbai, is represented by Lucienne Diver from The Knight Agency. Both The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon were published in 2023.

I appreciate comments, and I always visit back. If you're having trouble commenting, let me know via the contact form, or tweet me up @damyantig !

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25 Comments

  • Damyanti! Whoa… This is soooo well written it's freaking me out. This guy needs to go to a shrink and FAST! *Shuddering*

    He is real lanky with green eyes and freckles across his face, no where else. His hair is red, but he dies it black and doesn't care to bathe since the packaging doesn't count. Ewww…

  • I'm seeing a sort of Ben Whitshaw circa 'Perfume'… dark, shifty eyes, pale skin, black hair. Scrawny. Wild.

    Interesting snippet!

  • Renae says:

    Wow this was very good! I'm guessing rugged good looks, dark hair and blue eyes.

    Great snippet! Can't wait for the reveal!

  • Vicki Rocho says:

    Holy moly, that's quite a start. Slightly creeped out by this guy.

    So he's still in school. I'm guessing he's maybe 15. Dark hair, wild. He looks like he needs a haircut, even after he just gets one. Haunted eyes, maybe blue. He's probably invisible most of the time…quiet, keeps to himself. He's lost in these grisly thoughts most of the time. He's average build, but pretty strong for his size.

    Please tell me his mom is not gonna get skinned first. You know for making him clean his room or do his homework. Please?

  • Meredith says:

    Oh, wow, so creepy! I picture him as a skinny kid, with lanky, black hair that hangs down in his face. Basically, I see him as Severus Snape, I guess 🙂 Great snippet!

  • *shudder* So. Creepy.

    This narrator strikes me as a fairly young guy – maybe 14. Old enough to be ready for biology, but young enough that he's still focused on what his mom says. He pretty humorless and straight-faced. Probably skinny, with unsettling eyes that dart back and forth, analyzing everything. Long, lanky hair that hangs in his face.

    This is very well written. And SO shudder-worthy. Great job.

  • Good entry!

    Based on the description, I'd say he's sallow looking, with really high cheek bones and blond hair that's on the unwashed side with green eyes and he's really smart, but sort of weird.

  • Short and thin, but wirey. Dark hair and eyes. Keeps to himself. Not sociable.

    This was scary. Well wriitten.

  • Oh wow… ok here is my guess

    Tall Skinny early teenage boy. Greasy black hair that falls into his eyes. he dresses in band tee shirts and jeans.. every day no excpetion.

    he is often times mistaken as being shy.. really he just feels that no one interests him enough to befriend.

  • Lenny says:

    i think hes a teenager who doesnt have many friends and is sort of a geek and loner. he likes biology and can see past whats on the outside. hes about 14 or 15 years old. he got short black hair and dull dark eyes. hes dark skinned and not real tall. he wears black rim glasses.

  • Lorna says:

    Hmmm, I think the character is a boy of about thirteen. He's short and skinny and looks young for his age, with short dark hair. His mum makes sure his clothes are clean, but other than that he doesn't take very good care of himself – grubby fingernails which he bites, etc. He's fairly quiet. Maybe has a bit of acne appearing.

  • Brenda Drake says:

    Wow, this was a creepy excerpt, but in a good way. I kind of thought he was going to be a serial killer at the end when he wanted to skin the b*tches and use their skin for parchment.

    Okay, well, I think he's in high school, medium height and built, dark hair messy medium hair, olive skin, brown eyes, and a mischievous grin. He's a loner and very quiet.

    Great writing. Hope I came close.

  • I think his looks are average, aside from his stare. Slight build he has yet to grow into. Intelligent, methodical with enough anger to make a wonderful serial killer in the near future. Feels a mental superiority over peers although no doubt does not fit in and was/is probably bullied or avoided due to the 'oddness' others feel when around him.

  • Summer Ross says:

    kind of creepie, but engaging, nice post. I picture a boy in highschool. Tall lanky in build but is strong. Hes intelligent with hazel eyes and soft blonde hair.

  • Medium build. Brown hair. Dark piercing eyes.

    Intelligent eyes that are as distant from warmth as he is distant from compassion.

    Long, supple fingers, strong from the delicate art of skinning and tanning pelts.

    Long face, thin lips. Aloof manner.

    How did I do? Thanks for your comments on my entry. Roland

  • aspiring_x says:

    WOW! ok, first off- GREAT CHARACTER!!! chilling- totally following your blog now.

    second, i pictured someone i actually KNOW first off… and that scared me…

    so i'm going to just say who i would cast if this were a movie and this snippet was all i had to go off… and that would be Josh Hutcherson… mostly because he kinda looks like the person I imagined, but also because i could see him pulling something like this off.

    close??? at all????

  • Wow. He sounds creepy. Would make a great baddie in a crime novel! Love his twisted mind! I picture him to be skinny, long dark hair in an emo style, a too-long fringe covering his eyes, so he could observe people through his veil without being noticed. Definitely not a popular kid in school. Always dressed in black and leather. Carries a switchblade around.

    How'd I do?

  • If he knife is called Churi, he must be of Indian descent.
    Black hair, slightly oily. Black eyes which look smaller than they are because of the glasses with high power. On the shorter and stouter side of average, but no extremes. Not the best personal hyegine.

    BTW – loved the description on your blog header.

  • Whoa! I have chills, and the good kind! I see a pint-size Jeffrey Dahmer, a middle grade school kid (7th grade?) who's well-dressed, as in button-down shirts and belts on his khakis, though he only wears sneakers. He's pale-skinned with dirty blonde hair that's always slicked back. He has thin, red lips and empty eyes. People who meet him think he's polite, but there's something off about him. Hard to put their fingers on…

    Thanks for the follow, and I look forward to reading more from you, too!

  • Clara says:

    Woooooooooooooooooooooooow, this was awesome! Seriously, really well written!

    Well, I see this boy basically as creepy. Very, very creepy, inteligent naturally…But I really cant see his appearance, I was so drawn in, that at some moments he was blond, others he was brunnette. Which I think its pretty cool!

  • Susan Fields says:

    This is so well written – he sounds like a fascinating (if somewhat frightening) character! I'm going to guess he's got short brownish blonde hair, hazel eyes, and freckles. He's short and stocky.

  • Francine says:

    Hi,

    Guessing: lanky, almost skinny kid, hair cropped short pointy at front, dark bead eyes, penetrating stare, haughty persona.

    best
    F

  • Talli Roland says:

    Wow. That's quite a character. I think he's got black hair and pale skin with kind of dead blue eyes.

  • Damyanti says:

    Thanks Jen, for your visit, and for your guess. Most of all, for organizing this Blogfest.

    I had written this excerpt in a group-writing session, and now it is a short story WIP.

    Do come back tomorrow for the reveal, and sorry to start this off so early! In my defence, it was 10 am the morning of 19th August here in Kuala lumpur when I posted it!

  • Jen says:

    Yay! You are the very first entry I've stopped by to read… it might be because it's still Wednesday here in Houston, Texas and we've approached 9PM but nonetheless I'm excited to start my non-stop journey around the blogosphere to see what you've all come up with! Thank you so much for participating!

    I must say this one was tough. At first I thought it was a girl (more or less because I read a ton of MC that are girls) but the clarification was great.

    My guess: Tall, lanky boy, black hair that often covers his eye's (justin bieber look), oval shaped face, brown eyes and some sort of asian descent.

    Look forward to see if I'm right!