Driver: a character I am forming

Driver is a young man in a large tribe. He will be the protagonist in my novel.

Driver inhaled deep and slow. The smell of the grass plains in a heavy shower was the smell of life itself. He held out his rough, dirty hands, palms up, and lowered himself to his knees with a thud. The rain pelted his leather cap that he pulled off to reveal his messy brown hair. As the downpour soaked his head, trails of black water began to stream down his sun-darkened face an arms. He brought his hands back to his face and wiped away the salty sweat and grit. Caught in a trance, the soothing sounds of the rain were a salve to his ears after hours of enduring the clang of the pickax against stone. Booming thunder far over the sea of yellowing grass animated in his mind, appearing as white glowing waves behind the lids of his eyes. It hadn't rained for over a month and now all the tribes would finally get relief.

Another morning in the ore mine had served him scrapes and bruises. The leather leggings and vest prevented serious cuts but the hard work in a tight, dark space made bruising and abrasions unavoidable. He unbuckled the tool belt from his hips and let it fall to the rocky soil at the entrance of the mine behind him.

Scoop emerged from the crevice where the two young men spent their morning pounding and ripping at the earth for the resource that would earn them a feast at the end of the day. Driver and Scoop were the most productive miners of their tribe and it earned them great respect. After learning the trade, it was Driver who thought of a way to improve their tools to collect more ore. Scoop made the tools and improved on them. He wanted to make their inventions known to the other miners but Driver refused. The tribes were thriving and maybe someday they could share their secret but he was enjoying the benefits of his idea for now.
“What’s the matter? Are you quitting already?” Scoop hollered, breathing heavily as he wiped a dirty wrist on his forehead. Scoop spoke with a slight accent, revealing his mother's family background. She was from Mirage, a tribe east of theirs.

Without turning his face from the enormous grey sky, Driver said, “I think too many hours working in the dark have ruined your eyesight. Look around you! It's raining!”

Scoop walked up behind Driver, slapped his wet head and laughed. “C’mon! Let's go to the riverbed!”
“I'll get you for that,” Driver yelled. Scoop already jogging off, Driver snatched the tool bag from the drenched earth and sprang to his feet. All the children from the tribe would be at the riverbed to play and bring large skins of water back to their tents and livestock.

Reviews

[Fellow Desperate Writer]

ooh, nice. I know they might not be related, but I can see this in a prequel time period to the events of "The Void"

[Great Aunt Astri]

I found this a very refreshing read, a glimpse into another life style and I would like to know more....

[Cupofwords]

Thank you. I am getting my story together now and Driver has changed names. He also won't be mining but this will be part of the culture of the science-fiction story. Describing the land and temperate zone is important to settle the backdrop I think. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it. I hope I can continue with this to the end.

[Great Aunt Astri]

I will be interested to see how it develops.

[Michale Rune]

This was an interesting read. It has some minor grammatical errors but they can be fixed easily. The characters start to pull you in by the end, the ways Driver "thinks" makes you interested in the world they live in. The beginning was a little rough/confusing for me and I went back and read the first paragraph half way through, but other than that a great start to a story. -Rune

[Cupofwords]

Thanks Rune! Sometimes getting something down in writing helps me develop an idea. I have to have something to work with and look at that makes me think of new ideas. Driver might not work in a mine in the future but this is what I first imagined. My biggest influence right now is a 5-book series of historical fiction on Genghis Kahn.

[Michale Rune]

Wow that sounds like quite the epic. A book with that kind of influence sounds like an interesting read, especially if you are aiming to write characters like this. I agree wholeheartedly about how important getting something down is. I have several folders full of post it notes, yellow pad pages, and typed pages where I was doing just that. In fact I have a legal pad in front of me right now filled with scriblings and descriptions of characters. Great way to get writing mojo flowing. One thing I have noticed is sometimes that first work or thing someone says, or even character that inspires you often gets dropped from the actual work by the end. Its kind of an interesting phenomenon of writing. Any way I am excited to read more. Best of luck. Happy writing. -Rune