She's Like a Rainbow*

As a huge Alice Hoffman fan, I was thrilled to hear her speak a couple of years ago at a book reading and signing in Arlington, VA. Something she said about her writing has stuck with me: She associates each of her books with a specific color. This is not something she sets out to do, but as she writes, she sees the story, setting and characters develop around that color, and she finds she subconsciously weaves shades and hues of it into the novel.

I've since had two critique partners who are using color as a thematic device within their novels. This fascinates me, because it is so unlike the way I perceive the world. I have a tremendous appreciation for colors, but basically just as colors. I don't tend to associate them with intangibles such as personalities or emotions or concepts.

In an effort to become more Alice Hoffmanesque (a girl can dream, can't she?), I decided to figure out the color of my main character.

How to answer this complex and profound question?

As I'm sure Alice herself would have done if she'd only thought of it first, I consulted QuizMeme.com.

In addition to being fun and helping me get to know my sleuth better, the site's "What Color Are You?" quiz gave an interesting assessment of her: You are BLUE. You give your love and friendship unconditionally. You enjoy long, thoughtful conversations rich in philosophy and spirituality. You are very loyal and intuitive.

If I were to do this on my own and pick a color to attribute to her, I probably would go with Yellow. I think of Yellow as friendly, joyful, warm and easy-going. And not frivolous or silly.

(BTW, I took the test for myself as well. I'm Green: You are a very calm and contemplative person. Others are drawn to your peaceful, nurturing nature.)

What color is your character?

* Points if you can tell who I stole the title of today's post from.

UPDATE: My friend Heather tells me she took the quiz and is Yellow! So what does QuizMeme have to say about Yellow people? That they are smart and perceptive, and have a good sense of humor. My MC is all of the above (what kind of sleuth would she be otherwise?). So, Yellow it is. And Blue. Which combine to make Green. Which is me. Hmm. Interesting.