# character development



## writeshiek33 (May 14, 2013)

I am in early development of my main character for a book concept about teenage head of security for a multi-billionaire  now to understand where he gets his skills partly from parents who die and partly on the go. he gets street smarts and experiences. I was thinking of having his parents a team for same agency father being field agent his mother being the annalist/profiler  type what would they do? having father heavy in all sorts of skills but the kid being prodigy of types smart but also psychically advanced what else you think might help in getting this character(the kid) more developed


----------



## writeshiek33 (May 14, 2013)

to add to my the Post above i am also trying to understand how annalist /profiler works and thinks since the kid would have same skill


----------



## A. E. Lowan (May 15, 2013)

Sorry, hon.  Trying to untangle your grammar and syntax to figure out what you're asking.

A child like you are describing, with both parents in the business, will have been exposed to - I'm assuming you're referring to spies? - espionage and what is called "trade craft" from a very early age.  It sounds like from your description that the father is what is referred to as a "wetworks" specialist, an assassin.  He may also have expertise in weapons and demolitions.  The mother is an analyst.  

Analysts and profilers are actually two different things in the intelligence community.  An analyst studies data and searches for patterns to tease out information.  They are often historians and linguists, or at least fluent in different languages, depending on the geographic area they specialize in.  An analyst rarely gets out of an office environment.  A profiler, on the other hand, studies people, basically.  They try to infer as much information about a suspect or suspects as possible based on forensic evidence, often going into the field to study crime scenes, to not only predict the sort of person they are looking for but to anticipate a suspect's behavior.  These people often have extensive backgrounds in psychology and are most often found in a law enforcement capacity.

So, from an early age your character has been exposed to firearms, explosives, war stories, history, languages, and psychology.  

You say your character learns many of these skills on the streets?  That doesn't happen.  He may pick up some interesting things on the streets, dirty fighting, urban survival, theft, etc., but he's not going to be engaging in spy work.  Trade craft is taught by older, more experienced professionals, so I would recommend that instead of having your kid out on his own after his parent's death that he is taken under the wing of a mentor, maybe a close friend or even rival of his parents, who teaches him the business.

Here are some sites that you might find useful...

https://www.cia.gov/careers/index.html

Tradecraft - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Good links imbedded in this one

Offender profiling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Some good fiction authors to read...
Tom Clancy - he's consulted with the CIA and our American Homeland Security
David Morrell (NOT the Rambo books)
Clive Cussler - may be more thriller writer than spy fiction
Robert Ludlum

Hope all this helps.  Good luck!


----------



## Jess A (May 15, 2013)

To comment on authors to read:

Aelowyn's author suggestions are a good start. Ludlum is descriptive. You could try action thrillers such as Lee Child and Vince Flynn - very easy reads. Also British SAS books - Chris Ryan, Andy McNab, which are also easy reads. Wide reading is the key, even if they aren't directly about spies. Some of Nelson DeMille's books are great, too, because like Ludlum he is quite descriptive. Daniel Silva could also be a choice; I've got some to read but haven't yet gotten to them.

Oh! And Stella Rimmington. Rimmington was the Director General of MI5 and she writes fiction about British intelligence. 

For young adult spy fiction try Robert Muchamore. The main character is recruited into a kids' section of British Intelligence. Unrealistic, but fun; I actually read them and enjoyed them despite being a kid's series. It might give you a bit of an idea about kids in security or spy industries, how the author has dealt with that subject matter.

Andy McNab and James Patterson also do young adult thrillers, as does Jack Higgins. There are numerous books about kid spies out there - it's pretty popular at the moment. 

----

As Aelowyn said, analysts are less likely to do field work. As far as I know, they disseminate information and intelligence, and they look for patterns and solve problems. They must be quick thinkers, able to think outside the box. As the name suggests, they analyze data and information and they look for links, patterns. Analysts are found in various departments - from international stuff to military intelligence. They may also check out what intelligence is real and what is fake - etc. I think the list is endless, but the library and Google are your friends here, since I doubt you will find a real, working analyst to interview.

I'm unsure on the term 'agent' as well - I think 'operative' might be a more realistic word? Don't quote me on that. For young adult fiction, 'agent' or 'field agent' will work, because a younger reader will associate that with spies.

What country is this set in? A lot of agencies within countries and between countries do not willingly share intelligence/information, either. That's always a plot point. So much more would get done if they shared.


----------



## writeshiek33 (May 27, 2013)

aelowan said:


> Sorry, hon.  Trying to untangle your grammar and syntax to figure out what you're asking.
> 
> A child like you are describing, with both parents in the business, will have been exposed to - I'm assuming you're referring to spies? - espionage and what is called "trade craft" from a very early age.  It sounds like from your description that the father is what is referred to as a "wetworks" specialist, an assassin.  He may also have expertise in weapons and demolitions.  The mother is an analyst.
> 
> ...


----------



## skip.knox (May 28, 2013)

Wow, that confused me till I read the rest of the thread. I'm a medieval historian by training, so "annalist" is of course someone who writes annals -- historical chronicles.  You meant "analyst".  

Make sure you have the right word!


----------



## writeshiek33 (May 28, 2013)

sorry dyslexic most times wrong spelling of similar words come out wrong


----------

