 Mystery: October 04, 2023 Issue [#12205] |
This week: A Little Odd, Wouldn't You Agree? Edited by: Carol St.Ann  
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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. Let’s get to it.
First off, what are “character quirks”:
According to Dr. Google,
“Quirks 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 readers’ minds so they associate that quirk with that character, and that character only.”
Dictionary.com defines quirks as “distinguishing characteristics or qualities, especially of one’s personal nature.”
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 that’s more than just making the character memorable, or it won’t work.
Quirks are behaviors, tics, physical attributes, habits. But they are not knowledge or information gained through education or studies.
Law & Order’s Detective Goren’s 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.
I’ll 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 character’s 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 he’s more real.
Readers will remember a flawed quirky character whether she’s caring and compassionate or hateful and revolting.
In closing, I’d be remiss if I failed to caution against over-using the quirk. Sprinkle, don’t douse. Less is always more. Make quirk appearances meaningful to the story.
Oh, and -of course- no clichés.
Happy writing until we meet again!
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