Contest 9


This should be a fairly straight forward, and fun, little exercise. Fictional characters have many problems and worries and often no one to talk to, apart from perhaps an Agony Aunt!

You need to choose a character from a book (and not a character that you have created yourself) and write a letter to ‘John’

This is really an exercise in writing with a character and style that isn’t your own.

And remember the problem doesn’t have to be one that the character encounters in their original stories.

Important note: Please write a disclaimer (like the one in my example) either at the beginning or end of your entry – if you don’t your entry will be deleted.

The closing date is the 21st of November

Rules etc.:

1. The character must be fictional and from books only.
2. There must be a disclaimer in the post.
3. No strict word limit, but this is meant to be a letter, not an essay.
4. Only one entry per member.
5. The closing date is the 21st of November

I think that’s everything – oh, except:

-The judge’s decision (mine) is final – If you don’t like that, complain to TF :P
-I accept no bribes, threats or anything related – either electronically or by any of you who actually know where I live.
-A decision on the winner will be made after the closing date.


P.S yeah, I finally got the colour coding to work!! :D ^_^

Example:


Dear John,

This is a rather awkward situation that I have found myself in,

My name is Foul, Artemis Fowl, and I am the only son of Artemis Foul Senior, owner of Fowl Manor, Ireland. I did consider giving you my pen name, but Butler thought that might not be the best idea.

Some (including myself) consider me to be somewhat of a child genius. I am 13 years old and I have gained grade A* in maths, English and science. I am in the process of persuading my school to include me in 6th Form lessons, but frustratingly they seem reluctant to comply with my wishes.

Butler is scowling at me, as I am wandering from the point of this letter. I met a girl, 14 years old with long dark hair and green eyes. She is Irish, like me, and attends my neighbouring school. The feelings I have experienced are quite unexpected, as I calculated puberty to come in approximately 6 months time.

Butler advised me (as he says he knows quite a lot about women) to talk to her about my interests (criminal activities mainly) and I tried. We were getting on fine until I bought her some flowers (on Butler’s advice). She cried and ran off. Holly Short would never of done that. How is it that I can devise a plan to steal fairy gold, yet this girl has stumped me completely? And Butler is being of no help at the moment. Please reply to the secure e-mail address above.

Yours sincerely,

Artemis Fowl Junior

Disclaimer – The character of Artemis Fowl and all associated situations/characters were created and owned by Eoin Colfer and no infringement of copyright is intended.

Excellent contest, Aleana. Okey doke, here's my entry:


Dear John,

I have a number of things that I probably SHOULD be writing to you about.

I should probably write about my frustration that everyone remarks about how similar I am to a father that I have never know and that abandoned me when I was born, but compared to everything else that's going on, this problem seems trivial.

I should probably ask for advice on dealing with my uncle Regal. He wouldn't be so bad if he didn't sneer at my very presence in a room, but I beginning to lose patience with him constantly riducling me for having occasional fits, which he knows are the result of my resistance to him trying to kill me while I was in the Mountian Kingdom. The worst thing about him is his plot to kill his own brother and his own father in order to take over a kingdom that he has no right to, but Chade assures me that he will know what to do about this.

I should even use my skills with letters that I have been forced to learn to relieve the pent up worry that my connection with the wolf cub i rescued recently has become a stronger connection than i feel with any human. Burrich always warned me about the Wit, but it has never done me any harm before. It's still not doing me any harm, but i can't help but worry that Burrich will find out about the wolf cub.

But the truth is none of these things worry me as much as I worry about Molly. My heart aches for her, yearns for her, and yet nobody I have confided in believes that anything can ever happen between us. Patience harps on about how the class difference is too great, with me being the illegitimate son of a Prince and her being a maid in the castle. I worry for her now that she's in the castle, as it's only a matter of time before Regal considers her to be 'the bastard's whore' and uses her to get to me. I don't want that man anywhere near her! But the thing that worries me most is that I can't tell her anything. I cant tell her that I'm an assassin working secretly for the King. I can't tell her that the nights I am away from the castle are spent hunting with the wolf cub. But i don't want to lie to her anymore. Surely the truth can't do too much damage!

I ask you, John, should I confide in Molly, or should I try to move on for her own sake.

Yours,

FitzChivalry Farseer.

Disclaimer – The character of FitzChivalry Farseer, Burrich, Prince Regal, Molly, Patience, Chade and all associated situations/characters were created and owned by Robin Hobb and no infringement of copyright is intended.

I also apologise to those who haven't read the first or second book of Robin Hobb's the Farseer Trilogy, as this is set half way through.

Dear John


I don’t know how long I have, but believe me when I say all I ever wanted was to be normal and live a good life, with friends and family and yet that is not the case.
I survived a terrible curse when I was a baby.

I, Harry Potter survived an unforgivable curse sent from a brother wand to my own, by none other than He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the dark wizard himself Lord Voldemort, but I was saved this may sound corny … By love. To be more specific my mothers love, my parents sacrificed themselves for me to survive and so after that Professor Dumbledore decided it was best for me to live with my mother’s muggle (oops sorry, non wizarding people) sister Aunt Petunia Dursley, well I can safely say that was a dumb mistake. They made me live under the stairs and I was daily terrorized by their son Dudley, I was so thankful that Hagrid finally came to take me to ‘Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry’

I was amazed to walk through a wall to reach platform 9 ¾, where I met my first best mate Ron Weasley and later Hermione Granger and also some of more enemies in the form of Draco Malfoy.

I’ve been at Hogwarts for six years now and yet each year my life has gotten progressively worse, and my life is in constant danger. In my first year I found myself having to get past a 3-headed dog named fluffy, strangling plant, flying key, and coming against lord Voldemort from the back of Professor Quirrells head, I never chose this life, I have a scar that will haunt me for the rest of my life, if I stay alive that long.
I’ve watched my friends be manipulated by others, even recently I was put into the triwizard tournament by Barty Crouch jnr impersonating Professor Moody, just another way for me to be killed, but instead I had to watch a fellow competitor and student of Hogwarts Cedric Diggory.

Too make matters worse, I only go and fall for Cedric’s date Cho Chang from the Yule ball, it didn’t go to well she kept crying about Cedric, which I completely understand but now I’ve lost Sirius, who I managed to clear his name about killing my parents, his most closest friends.

I have no family, only friends and even them are at risk, but I feel I have to make them safe, by pushing them away from me, as days go by, the worse it will become,

To be honest I doubt there could be anything that you could say that someone hasn’t already tried to tell me, so it’s worth a try, what do you think?

Harry Potter.


P.S - im sorry but harry potter is the only real book i have read, and know it well enough to even attempt this comp.

Disclaimer – The characters of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger,Professor dumbledore, Draco Malfoy and all associated situations/characters were created and owned by JK Rowling and no infringement of copyright is intended.

Is there anyone else who was thinking about entering? I know we've got some new people etc, so let me know and I don't mind extending the comp.

If not I'll judge the two very good entries that have been posted :D

it's probably too late but i'll give it a go

dear john,

my name is Rek, my stepfather Horeb thought my name was a joke you know, I never did anything dangerous as a child, not one single thing and so instead of calling me reckless he called me Rek. He's an innkeeper and it's fair to say that I love the old man. he is everything that I want to be. A good father, a joking man who can make most peoople smile and a wonderful father to his children, but I'm not him.

I'm Rek the coward.

I saved his life once, almost by accident, he was set upon by two armed men and to my eternal shame I froze, then he was cut and I screamed and dived in hacking and slashing with my own weapon until he was safe. Strange I know as I'm even afraid of the dark.

You see, my biggest darkest secret is that I'm beserk and it seems I can't escape my curse because....damn it alll I'm going to die. I'm not a hero dammit, I served in the army but I had to resign my commision before my secret came out and I am...was... interested in only one thing. My continued existence and pleasure.

Then I fell in love. With Virae, the earl of dros delnoch's daughter and I fought for her and saved her life, but she is going to that damned doomed fortress and I cannot stop her.

It's not as if we are without help, we have the Thirty, canny worrior(sp?) priests of the source who are doomed to die in a bloody pointless battle, they are beyond men, they talk to each other without speaking and have many other abilities but dear gods they are facing an army of hungry tribesmen a million strong led by the greatest gerneral of this age: Ulric. Then there is Druss that old bastard has faced so much death in his sixty years that I think he is there simply to die.

My problem is this, we are carring dispaches to the fortress that recend the order to fight to the last and we have recieved word from The Thirty that Druss is being watched and paranoia is being given to the fortress by Ulric's shaman the Thirty can stop this but then we are defenceless against magical attack. We have just received that the earl is dead and as I have just married Varie I am the Earl.This put's me in charge of both the fortress and The Thrty. Should we give in? should we sue for peace? Should we protect Druss and the fortress even though we are then vunerable?

I don't know what to do John, I just don't know and I'm very likely to be dead in the next month anyway. Help me please my friend. I need you now more than ever.

Your friend
Rek
Earl of Dross Delnoch

P.S. tell Horb I love him would you and I hope his children are doing well.

Disclaimer these aforementioned characters and plot lines are the property of david gemmell and no copyright infringement upon him or on the book legend or it's characters is intended