One of the things we strive for as authors is a way to make our characters come alive on the page. We want them to be real. Real people have quirks and habits, and incorporating those oddities into your characters is one way to make them pop. But when do character quirks cross the line to writer quirks?I just finished a book - the fourth one I've read by this particular author - and one specific trait stood out to me. One of the characters slammed their fist against the steering wheel in a moment when they were extremely frustrated. In and of itself, this isn't a big issue, but it stood out to me because this is something I would never do. I've been upset while driving, even angry at the driver next to me, but I've never slammed my fist against the wheel. What is extremely unique about this particular "quirk" is there has been at least one character in each of the four books I've read by this author who has slammed their fist against the steering wheel. When I read the line in this fourth book, it popped me right out of the story. The characters suddenly became two-dimensional to me. I realized, this isn't a character trait, this is an author trait.
I have lots of strange quirks - don't get me wrong, we all do. I twirl my hair when I'm bored or stressed. I pick at my fingernails, I bite the inside of my lip. But because these are habits *I'm* consciously aware of, I try to be careful not to incorporate them into my characters. If I do, I know I'll continue to do it from one character to the next. Sometimes we don't realize we're adding these little oddities into our writing. I had a CP once whose characters were "cupping" all the time...cupping her face, cupping her hand, cupping her breast. Her agent pointed it out to her and she's never used that word (or quirk) again.
I love characters who have unique quirks. One may play with her necklace all the time, another may tap his hand against his thigh repeatedly. One may jingle change in his pocket, and another may bite her lip when she's nervous, still another may chew on the end of a pencil. The question, however, becomes, are the quirks you're incorporating into your characters your quirks or their unique oddities? And are you too close (or blind) to see the things you do over and over?
What unique quirks do you have, and have you (or do you) include them in your writing? If not...how do you make sure you don't give your characters the same bad habits from one book to the next?
22 comments:
Really great blog topic, Eli! 8^) Quirks. Hmmm... I don't have any quirks. (coughs lightly into fist; is that a quirk?)
Here are some quirky habits a character might have: Drumming fingers, cracking knuckles, twirling hair (yeah, I do that, too, but when I'm tired), chewing lips, picking fingernails, picking scabs (eww!), pulling out eyebrows (Eli!), sucking teeth, curling toes (I do that all the time and it used to really bug my mom), bouncing knee up and down when sitting (nervous people do this and it's SO annoying), tapping pencil or pen on table, and I can think of a few disgusting ones I've seen people do but won't sully the blog with those.
Quirky nervous habits are fun to attribute to characters, but I can't say I've given my characters any of my more bizarre ones. I'm too embarrassed about the toe curling thing to use it. It's just too weird. But the eyebrow thing I may use someday. I'll be thinking of Eli when I do. Snort.
Karen
ROFL, Karen. I love the toe curling one!
I had a semi-villain do that in my last book. He'd take his shoes off and clench and unclench his toes as he gripped the carpet. It was a stress reliever for him. Of course, he was killed in the process of doing this, so it stood out to me.
Great additions. And I laughed at the eye brow one. I haven't used that one in a book for the very reason you haven't used the toe curling one!
I know what you mean, Eli. I've noticed redundancy with authors I've read too. Use of the same habits for her characters in book after book. Or overuse of a particular word. It's slightly annoying and unoriginal, and I guess it does pop me out of the story a minute while I am annoyed. Then I read on. It's never made me throw a book aside or anything.
And yeah, I do it too. I noticed I started making my characters use the same phrases from story to story. Not phrases I usually use, just phrases I tend to write. Weird. Glad I caught it so I don't annoy readers. (At least not with that particular quirk of mine)
Other quirks I have: biting my cuticles. Gnawing on the inside of my cheeks. Pushing my hair back. Rubbing my own shoulders.
Quirks someone else might have: lint picking; nose picking; picking at toes. Knuckle popping; gum popping; popping off. A woman may constantly check her image in a mirror (I don't want to hang out with this woman); a man will probably check his package. (What is with that one, anyway? Are guys afraid their tools might drop off and roll away while they're not looking?)Rubbing chin; rubbing forehead; rubbing elbows. Scratching head; scratching neck; scratching...well, anywhere really. No need to get graphic here.
Neat idea for a blog, Eli--
Lord almighty, I have probably used some of the same quirks from character to character without realizing the cross contamination of it though I will say there is a fine line, as Danita alluded, between quirks and habits.
Quirks are unusual habits. So biting fingernails--a habit. Spitting the nails across the room trying to hit your beloved in the eye? A quirk. Curling toes seems like a habit to me though if every character curled their toes it would seem odd to everyone except Karen!
I notice a certain author I enjoy uses the words "laps," at least once in every book. "She laps her soup," or "He lapped up pudding." It stands out because it's an odd words, just as your friend over used cupping. So that's a quirk of the writer, not the character, like you said.
I figure anything that throws a reader out of the book isn't good. Duh. But I do use phrases over and over. I have characters loop their hands over a steering wheel--stopped that when I read several of my own books in a row and noticed it. There are just some expedient ways to say certain things, a kind of shorthand between writer and reader that allows for phrases to be used that are not brilliant one of a kind but get the point across without jarring anyone. Of course, I can't think of a decent example.
LOL adjusting the package. I think men's private parts get caught up in their underwear and they have to adjust and most men just assume it's no big deal.
Quirks: Scratching anything repeatedly (beard, mustache, head, groin, a---ew.)
A phrase. My mother's out-of-the-blue new phrase comes to mind. "Wowie-wow-wow." Now tell me you wouldn't notice a character that said that more than once--or even once, for that matter.
A cough, a sputter, a lisp, a grinding of teeth, a nervous swallowing, rapid blinking, tearing up, runny nose--I'm making myself a little nausea.
I like to give characters a quirk when I think of it but sometimes I don't think of it. Many secondary characters become "Quirky," in and of themselves. A hero or heroine in a short book who flinched, giggled, scratched, sneezed, lapped or cupped all the time would get pretty old pretty quick.
Fun blog!
Alice
Danita, I gnaw the inside of my cheeks, too! My mom would get so mad at me. I try to be conscious of it because I know I look goofy when I do it, but if no one's watching...
LOL on the guys checking their package. Gross out alert: I had a boss who used to do this constantly and didn't care who saw him. You'd be having a normal conversation with him and then down goes the hand to his crotch and he pulls at it. Seriously. This guy was like 65 years old. Totally disgusting. He also had a habit of clacking his dentures. I'd be sitting at my desk, facing the other way, and I could hear him coming. Clack, clack, clack. Sounded like a galloping pony.
Alice, I'm sure I have phrases I use over and over, too. I often replace "said" with "told him" or "told her." But I'm conscious of it when I do it. Sometimes "told" just fits better than said.
Okay, if I read about anyone's characters curling their toes, I'll know where it came from.
For Eli: She stared out the window, anxiety forcing her fingers to pinch at her eyebrows.
Snicker-snort.
Karen
For all of us thus far:
She sat at the intersection, toes curled, biting the inside of her lip as she picked her cuticles and contemplated looping her arms over the steering wheel.
Alice--in writer avoidance mode
Alice, I though of one of those overused phrases:She padded down the hall.
She is always shoeless when she pads, but people in every book these days pad.
Do people in my books pad around in barefeet? Yes, of course they do. I can't think of a more accurate way to describe what they're doing. "Pussy footing" sounds so silly, old fashioned, and sort of with a sexual connotation these days. "She crept barefoot" uses too many words, although it would work.
As far as Wowie-wow-wow. I like it, and picturing an elderly lady saying it makes me smile.
Alice, you'd mentioned watching 'Misery" lately. Did you notice the crazy woman never uttered a single cuss word? She used phrases like "dirty bird". Now that's quirky!
Karen,
Sounds like you could easily annoy your mother with your quirks. Ha!
As for her not seeing you chew inside your cheek, your dentist knows you do. Mine once commented on the chew marks inside my mouth. Kinda gross, really. I'd hate to be a dentist.
And crack me up with the clacking denture guy sounding like a galloping pony. What a nerd of a boss. Ha.
Danita, that boss was a piece of work. It took me a couple of years to warm up to him, then when he retired I really missed him! People are weird, you know that? Oh, of course you know. You're a writer! Ha! 8^)
Snort.
Okay, as for those funny little words and phrases you can associate with certain people, who is it that says:
1) Aaayyyyy.
2) Yummo!
3) Bam!
(with the exception of #1, is it obvious I watch the Food network?)
Karen
Karen--You are going to print the answers, right? I got Emeril with the Bam! but yummo--oh, oh- I know. Rachael Ray. Okay, who says Aaaay? Fonzi?
Alice
who also like the clacking dentures
Danita--I have never had anyone "pad" anywhere. never. They sneak, they tiptoe, they move, they walk, they saunter, they stride, they walk softly, they walk barefoot, they stand on their heads, but they never pad. I wonder why?
Alice
Alice, you're the WINNER! For getting all 3 answers correct, you recieve a rubber chicken filled with tequila to make your very own rubber chicken shots. Yummo! Though the chicken is rubber, the worm in the tequila is real. Bottoms up! 8^)
Karen
Karen. It's now 7:32 and I am still waiting for my rubber tequilla filled chicken.
Whatz up?
Alice
Quirks...
Well, when I'm mad I click my teeth together or I click my fingernails with my thumbnail, one finger at a time starting with my pinky and working my way to the index finger and back again. I learned that from my mom, but didn't realize it until a few years ago. Weird.
I chew the inside of my bottom lip and didn't realize anyone did this until I read it all the time in historical novels. LOL
When I rest my head on my hand I put my index and middle finger against my temple and my ring and pinky fingers on each side of my bottom lip while my thumb goes under my chin. Again, didn't realize it at first, but this is how my dad always held his face in his hand.
When I lay down to sleep, I cross my left ankle over my right, but never my right over my left.
When I'm in the passenger seat I can't stand sitting without one of my legs tucked under me or my feet on the dash. (Don't tell anyone, but on long trips I drive with my left leg tucked up under my right.)
I guess these are quirks.
In writing, I wouldn't know if I put in any quirks yet. We'll see.
I know I use the words, well, so, anyway, okay, but, and whatever a lot. So, I'm pretty sure those will end up in my writing, but whatever, it's okay, well, maybe not, but, whatever. :)
Maybe when I grow up to be a real writer I'll notice if I give my characters my quirks, or if I use the same words over and over. More than likely, I will.
An over used phrase in books I've read has to be "She worried her bottom lip, or she chewed her bottom lip", and even though I personally do this, I don't want to read about it all the time.
I enjoyed all of comments from you girls. Very entertaining. ;)
I'm late- company!
Quirks- my own - biting the inside of my mouth, rolling my eyes.
my characters - Bas in Gambling flips a coin to make decisions, Secondary character in second spirit book talks only in questions. Darcy in MIP says Blazes all the time. Hmmm, I'm tired and distracted and can't think better at the moment.
But I'm bad for the biting the bottom lip habit in my heroines. I also have some of the same habits in my heroes when I think about it. Dang! I'm sure there are others I'm carrying over and hadn't thought about it.
I like all your examples and Danita - I've had someone pad down the hall in their bare feet!
Sounds like everyone chews on the inside of their lip. ;)
Danita, a phrase I find my characters saying (and which I have to edit out in revisions so they don't always sound the same)...Holy crap!
(Never heard me say that, huh?)
Alice, ROFL. I've used Lord Almighty, too. ;)
Lapse is definitely unique. I've never used that one.
And I like Wowie Wow Wow, too!
OMG, Karen. That boss sounds like a doozie.
And I loved your example. One suggestion though:
She stared out the window, anxiety forcing her fingers to tug at her eyebrows. Hard.
;)
ROFLMAO, Alice!
Loved your example. And the "looping the arm over the steering wheel" is a great one. I don't think I've used that one, either!
Danita, I never noticed that about Misery. I'll have to watch again.
Guilty here (Eli waves her arm) of using padded down the hall, too. Man, I use a lot of these.
Ha ha, Piper. You use have a lot quirks, don't you. LOL
And yeah, I've read "worried her bottom lip" more times than I can count. And I've never understood it. Give it to me straight...she bit her freakin' lip.
Paty, Blazes is a good one!
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