This week: A Little Odd, Wouldn't You Agree? Edited by: Carol St.Ann đ  
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What do Ricky Ricardo, Forrest Gump, Spock, Detective Goren, Abby Sciuto, Sherlock Holmes, Captain Jack Sparrow, Lady Grantham, and the Mad Hatter have in common?
Quirk.
Each of these quirky characters are unforgettable enough to stand the test of time. But what is a quirky character and why should you write one, or more, into your story? |
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Hello and Happy October! Halloween and Prep make for a fun-filled, productive month for those of us who write and review novels. So I'll keep it short and to the point.
This month I'm writing about character quirks. Letâs get to it.
First off, what are âcharacter quirksâ:
According to Dr. Google,
âQuirks are peculiar, surprising, unusual, defining, and/or memorable character idiosyncrasies. They stand out and make your characters unique. Quirks are often minor things your character has no conscious control over. A true quirk should cement the character in your readersâ minds so they associate that quirk with that character, and that character only.â
Dictionary.com defines quirks as âdistinguishing characteristics or qualities, especially of oneâs personal nature.â
When writing a story or novel character quirks should be well thought out, researched, developed, and presented with care. After all, we want the character memorable; not boring or contrived. Quirks should be somehow integral to the story or series. That is to say, they need a purpose thatâs more than just making the character memorable, or it wonât work.
Quirks are behaviors, tics, physical attributes, habits. But they are not knowledge or information gained through education or studies.
Law & Orderâs Detective Gorenâs IQ and OCD affliction are quirks. His knowledge of the human experience and law enforcement, however, are not, because anyone can learn those things. We find the value in the quirk by how he applies that which he has otherwise learned. This makes him special.
Unlike his predecessor in the genius detective realm, Sherlock Holmes, Goren has a heart.
Both characters, in fact all the characters I mention above, are distinctly odd.
Iâll further point out that all of them also have a partner who is, for all intent and purposes, rather normal and frequently tempers the quirky characterâs level of quirkiness and keeps the story in check.
A carefully crafted quirk makes a character less than perfect, and that endears him to the reader because heâs more real.
Readers will remember a flawed quirky character whether sheâs caring and compassionate or hateful and revolting.
In closing, Iâd be remiss if I failed to caution against over-using the quirk. Sprinkle, donât douse. Less is always more. Make quirk appearances meaningful to the story.
Oh, and -of course- no clichĂŠs.
Happy writing until we meet again!
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Mystery: October 04, 2023 Issue [#12205]
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