Added 2015-01-27 23:49:51 +0000 UTC
Alright, to wrap up our look at the character of Jade before I do some capital-W writing. I had a pretty consistent view of her early on of having this Amazonian, Ronda Rousey sort of physique, intimidating first, sexual second, but aside from the baldness thing, that wound up seeming pretty similar to other characters I'd written. So instead, after some Googling, I settled on a model named Eve Salvail, who famously has a shaved head. And instead of being super-muscular, her imposingness comes from just how tall she is. I always like to give my characters not just a look, but their own physicality, movement, fighting style if necessary. So for Jade, I came around to thinking of her in terms of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Game of Death, or Dennis Rodman in some of his action hero roles (what was with that, by the way?), where she has a very lanky physique and uses that in her fighting. So if you do come face to face with her, you're looking up at a seven-foot-tall Kenyan runner skinhead with reach on you and plenty of leverage. Unless you're the Rock, that's going to give you second thoughts. Of course, all that's nothing without characterization, flaws, personality, dialogue tics, all that, but I've gotta say something for the book, don't I?
