This week: A Little Odd, Wouldn't You Agree? Edited by: Carol St.Ann  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
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? |
| ASIN: 0995498113 |
|
Amazon's Price: $ 19.95
|
|
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!
====•=======•
One Last Thing!
Remember to nominate great mysteries and great mystery contests and how-tos!
|
If you’ve got a mystery in your head:
Try out your mystery chops here:
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2281662 by Not Available. |
Flesh out your mystery story here:
A Few Good Reads:
|
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Don't forget to support our sponsor!
| ASIN: 0995498113 |
|
Amazon's Price: $ 19.95
|
|
| Have you ever written a quirky character? Share the link to it here. We want to read it! |
| ASIN: B085272J6B |
Product Type: Kindle Store
|
Amazon's Price: $ 9.99
|
|
To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.
|
Mystery: October 04, 2023 Issue [#12205]
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
