#specific character

Writing a Hacker

Step one of writing any kind of hacker character is gaining a thorough understanding of the system they are hacking into. If it’s a sci-fi universe, then it’s likely the systems in place are more advanced than the ones we currently have, and there’s a little more freedom to kind of “make things up.” 

I’ve noticed that any time I’ve read a hacker character, they tend to be secondary characters, so you don’t end up seeing their point of view. And the protagonist is kind of just like, “he hacked it and we were in.” The hacker might also use general phrases like “I’ll just bust through the firewall” or “just gotta hack the main frame” or even just an impatient, “c’mon, c’mon” while furiously typing. 

I’m not saying these are great strategies (or at all accurate to actual hacking) but based on existing hacker characters, this is one thing I’ve observed. Most likely, it’s because hackers don’t have the time or patience to explain their methods to the other characters while they’re under a time crunch. They just gotta get it done. 

If the hacker is the main character, perhaps a little more detail would be appropriate. Still though, I think the bigger intrigue for any character possessing these skills is the fact that they can do it - not necessarily how they do it. I would think more about general techniques to incorporate into the character’s actions, such as:

typing

mouse clicking

plugging in/inserting external hardware

downloading/uploading

password cracking

button pushing

file encryption/decryption

wire tampering

I’d be satisfied with these general actions, and I think most readers would be too. But here are some additional things to keep in mind: 

1) I’m speaking as someone who doesn’t understand the complexities of computers or hacking. Someone that works in computer science or that has actual experience hacking will likely be a lot more critical. If you know someone that is at least somewhat technical in the field, get their opinion on the story, and see if they’d take the time to explain the concepts to you. 

2) My advice assumes that hacking is a fairly minor or at least secondary aspect of the story. If the book is heavily focused on hacking, where the entire plot revolves around the success of multiple characters hacking into a system/s, it’ll be more expected that you know your stuff and that you’re not fudging the details or glossing over them. So yes, it could mean lots of research, and reading/re-reading to understand the basic ideas. It would also be incredibly handy to find someone you can consult. 

3) Be realistic. Not everything can be hacked, and there should be instances of failure from time to time. If information is always within a hacker’s reach, then the story starts to feel predictable and more difficult to believe. 

4) Tell your friend to just have fun with it for now. In the midst of high-level hacking scenes, just be vague and get to the information the characters need. If details of how they hack the system are needed, you can always add them in later. 

In the end, it’s all about the research too. Here’s one source that might help your friend get started. 

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* detail, unopened plate (rotated 90ºccw; levels: 30 .80 255) accompanying Thomas G. Clemson (1807-88 *). "Notice of a Geological Examination of the Country between Fredericksburg and Winchester, in Virginia, including the Gold Region." Transactions of the Geological Society of Pennsylvania 1:2 (1835): 298-313 University of Michigan copy, digitized January 15, 2009 Smithsonian copy (beautiful scans) at archive.org opens to same page

a sufficiency of insoluble matter... where regularity in large pieces is an object 300-301

...whatever may be the analogy of composition. There is a want of continuance or permanence of mineral composition, and consequently of specific character. 303

an earlier extract, same volume, same scan

2/2 My problem is that in my draft the leader is a clever black girl and her BF is white (the other is white and one has an Indian BG). The story isn’t really about racism, and I only noticed towards the end that this could be a really problematic issue. Should I change the dynamics? I’m sorry if this sounds dumb or ignorant, I just don’t know what to do. Thanks.

Writing a PoC

It doesn’t sound dumb or ignorant at al! The fact that you’re concerned tells me that you really care about diversity in fiction, which is awesome. 

Whenever I answer a question about racism or writing PoC, I think it’s fair to come right out and say that I’m a young white woman, so my perspective may be far different than a PoC’s. But here’s what I’ll say on the subject.

First, your story doesn’t need to be about racism, but keep in mind that racism is something that PoC deal with, so it’s something that you may not want to overlook, even if it’s something subtle in how they’re treated by strangers, or assumptions that are made about them. It could be that even though your black girl is the leader, a stranger addresses one of the white characters when speaking to them as a group, assuming that this white character is in charge. That’s racism. And you’re commenting on it without making it an overall theme in your book, because racism exists in so many little ways that we often don’t realize.

Are you going to give your PoC character both good and bad traits? Are you going to show her as a real human being with desires, goals, fears? Are you going to give her decisions that she will make all on her own, which in essence gives her agency and some control over how the plot unfolds? 

Based on your synopsis, these teens must be tough and brave. But will you also show your PoC’s softer side? At least in her thoughts and reflections? Because even the toughest people have them. 

Basically, write a good, independent, fully developed character. Because that’s important regardless of the color of her skin, and then write your plot the way you want to write it. You have to love the story first, and if this is what you want to happen, then that’s what you need to write. 

Writing is subjective, and while there are many things that are blatantly offensive, like slurs, overt stereotypes, tokenism (watch out for this), ect., there are also many times when it all depends on the reader, and that reader’s own experiences and background. Right now, your reader is you, so you do what you feel is best for the story. Later on, when your draft is complete, seek out many different readers to get an overall feel for how your dynamics come across. 

Dancer Character

I’m assuming that the dancer in your scene is your main character, so you’re from her perspective. When you’re watching videos of dancers, where do your eyes focus? On the background? On the dancer’s face, arms, legs? Are you trying to watch everything all at once?

Focus on the dancer’s face. Is it serene, tense, somber, joyous, ect. Watch many videos and interpret what you see on each dancer’s face and decide how they compare. Do dancers have similar expressions when they dance? Does it change with the type of music they’re dancing to? Often times dancers force their expressions to fit the mood of the song, and sometimes they’ll have to think of something somber to actually look somber. You can write your character’s reflections while they’re dancing. 

Also look at the way their bodies move. Are the motions smooth and fluid, or are they more quick and abrupt. Again, this will likely change with the mood of the song, but as your character is dancing, you can describe their body movements.

What’s at stake for your dancer? Is this a big performance? Audition? Just for a teacher or friend? What pressure is on your dancer? You can even go away from the moment of the dance and delve into the character’s back story. Think about what made them become a dancer. Why did they aspire to do this? This would be a good place to get into some exposition. 

Basically think of three things when writing the scene:

The mood or thoughts of the character

The literal movements of the character

The back story that got this character to this moment