The Brother Behind the Character

Behind Every Character is a Story

In the last blog post, I wrote about character names and how I came up with some of them. After reading it this morning, I thought about one character in my story who resonated with me: my brother, Gary.

While writing the story, I always knew Gary, my actual brother, would be in the novel, even as a small but notable character. You see, he died of cancer some years ago, and he was my favorite sibling. Not only because he had a very comical wit, an intellect that could decipher the most complex details, athletic abilities, especially in golf, and, not to mention, movie-star looks. The name Gary Cooper comes to mind, as my grandmother loved the movies and Gary Cooper was her favorite actor. I don't know if she had any influence on his birth name, but her distinct love of movies came to mind. Not to mention that every girl in high school wanted to date him, and he did his share of nightlife.

But in golf, I always thought of Gary Player, the retired professional golfer remembered as one of the greats and an ambassador for the game. My brother had similar charisma and finesse in life.

Gary finally settled down and married his high school sweetheart, Kathy. They went on to have two lovely children, whom I adore, and, most of all, he brought laughter to many of us in the family. Gary could turn any difficult conversation into laughter in minutes. And he always had a story, or an anecdote, to help you get through any tough time.

A Character's Style

Gary always knew how to dress. He could put on the most normal piece of clothing and make it stylish. Fashion and golf came easy to him, not to mention that he knew every name of any athlete who played professional sports. Gary would watch the NFL and NBA drafts, follow each golf tournament, and know stats for every professional player.

The television was always on sports during family gatherings. Didn't matter if it was Thanksgiving (the Detroit Lions were always on) or someone's birthday. The family had a sports station turned on and watched sports.

Gary had played various sports in high school, including football as a running back, basketball, and track. Of course, he was popular with the ladies and had a slew of male friends as well. But above all, his kindness and humor drew many friends to him.

Growing Up

When we were children, we lived in the rural Midwest, where chores were commonplace. Gary and I had chores to accomplish, and most of the time we did them together, whether setting the table, folding laundry, sweeping the floors, or gathering laundry. We found it faster and easier to do these together. I never heard him balk at doing work. He never complained and, at times, would make a game out of doing work.

One of the things I miss the most is birthdays. You see, our birthdays were a day apart. Mine is on the 29th of October, and his is on the 30th. Over the years, we would send each other cards, because how could you forget your sibling's birthday when it was so close to yours! Every year on my birthday, I always think of Gary. My favorite brother, and I miss him very much.

When the family found out about his cancer, I called him right away, and he made me feel at ease, because as he said, "it's not a big deal, I'm feeling great." This conversation was after they had removed one kidney because of the cancer.

Gary's life became very short after his diagnosis; he only lived about six months after the doctors removed his kidney.

There are many family events he has missed since his passing, but we all think of Gary during family events and milestones. But when I think of my brother during these times, my thoughts are always kind, light-hearted, and sweet, like he would like us to remember.

In the Present

While writing the novel, I always knew Gary would be a character, and why not portray him as a child, since we did chores together, played baseball together, went to elementary school together, worked on the farm together, and had great conversations.

And I wanted his passing to be a shock in the novel, because when he died, it shook the whole family. It became hard for his close friends as well. Gary touched many lives and formed dear friendships.

And if you read the story carefully, you might notice something small that Gary always carried with him. It's a detail close to my heart — and when it appears on the page, it's entirely his.

So, if the novel becomes a published book and if you happen to read the story and come across my brother, Gary, you will get to know him a bit through the story as I did: a kind, witty, always happy brother who held a light in this world before the world went dim.

Keep writing.

Dianne