A-Z Challenge: Day 2

B is for BELIEVABLE adjective 
1. able to be believed; credible.



So, here we are, shuddering upwards in a dingy lift (I shall us the British term for elevator hence forth, apologies to our US cousins). The air within has a dank tinge to it. I'm not sure how confident I am as to what we'll find once these doors open.
I do note, however, the interior bulb has seen better days by the look of it, and I'll go so far as to wager that it won't last the entire journey to floor Z. At least the panel lights are nice and bright, even through the film of grime, their amber enthusiasm I find uplifting - no, that wasn't intentional.

Oh. Here we go... doors opening...

Hmm? The lighting here is very poor, no external windows. so at least we know we are still under ground level. Judging by the clutter, I'd say this is some form of storage area. Time to explore.

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Now, at this juncture you are most likely thinking, 'What the hell is this guy babbling on about?' Good question. I shall enlighten. I intend to base my A-Z on a journey taken floor-by-floor via a lift. Each floor corresponding to the letter of the alphabet. I will, if you may, use the journey to each floor as an exercise in creating a teeny-weeny story, hoping that you, the reader/s will add to and join in. You may 'explore' each floor with me, as I intend to rummage about to see what I can uncover. Along the way I hope to throw in some thoughts regarding the topic of writing.

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Why 'Believable'? Well I chose this word in regards to characters. To my way of thinking a believable character can make or break a story. Too much and they can become a bloated stereotype, too little and they become boring and unsubstantial.

With a believable character the reader engages, empathizes, worries and fears for, and runs a roller coaster ride of emotions with them, be it intentional or not. I have felt a terrible wrench when coming to the end of a book series, knowing that I'll no longer be in the character's 'company' any more. It is almost akin to going through a miniature grieving process at the loss of a friend. That for me, is what creating a believable character is all about.

On the opposite end is the believable 'bad guy'. The character that makes you swear under your breath, and ignites that fire of irrational anger within you as you read about their actions, especially towards your beloved main character. These are the characters that truly take craft, almost witch-like, to breathe life into. The subtler the better. Full-on-in-your-face bastards come and go, but the quiet ones, the ones for whom the radar stays silent, these are the bad guys I love. Like a crescendo of evil they grow little by little, until they get to a point where their mere presence within a scene causes you to question, worry or fret.

I'm going to leave it there, mainly because I have to be up in less than 6 hours for work. So back to the lift I go.

~

Apart from row-upon-row of dust-covered filing cabinets, I did find some rather interesting glass cabinets containing specimen jars full of an assortment of small animals, dissections and some rather alien-looking 'things' all held in stasis within a murky fluid. Alas, the cabinets proved to be securely locked. I did manage to find a letter opener with a five inch blade. So at least now I feel less helpless and more able to protect myself from any hostile envelopes.

All safely within the lift, I press button C.