Character Quirks...

Quirky Behavior

Hey, psst, over here. On the wall.

Wow, you the only fly in here.

Yeah. Thank Larvae you showed up. If I had to spend one more minute in this room by myself, I’d pluck my wings off. Oh, by the way, don’t go near the window.

What in Spider’s name happened to them?

Not the brightest bugs in the bed. After the seventh attempt I told them we’d never escape that way, but would they listen? And you’d think one of these people would clean the carcasses off the sill. I spit up a little every time I look over there.

No use wasting good saliva on that. So who are these people?

As far as I can figure out they populate some writer’s stories.

They all look alike.

I thought so, too, but I’ve been watching and they all have little habits that set them apart. Like her, over there, in the funny dress. The one about to talk to the big guy in the metal vest? Hand Girl. She’ll burrow her hands in her skirts. And her shoulders will square. It’s like she’s nervous, but determined. There. See. Told you. She does it every time.

You named her Hand Girl?

Needed to give her some kind of handle. Oh, and watch him, Jaw Man. They’ve been arguing over the past day and a half and whenever she goes over to talk to him his jaw clenches and he curls his hands into fists. Watch for it. Yep, there it is. When I first got here they were happier and their mannerisms were very different. She’d place her hand over his heart and he’d section of a piece of her hair and rub it between his forefinger and this thumb. I don’t know what happened, but I’d have to say there was a fly in the ointment.

You know I resent that stereotyping.

Yeah, one overzealous ancestor and we’re all at fault. I shouldn’t perpetuate the myth.

You shouldn’t. Who’s the one flicking her hair over her shoulder?

Hair Girl. She’s obsessed with her hair. When she’s deep in thought, she’ll twirl a strand of it around her finger. Or when she’s agitated she’ll run her hands through it. But right now she’s flirting with that dark-haired man. Watch how she flicks her hair off her shoulder exposing her long neck. Then she’ll give her head a shake, subtle, but enough to make her hair move again.

She knows to catch a fly one needs plenty of honey.

Ha, good one. Oh, here comes my favorite couple. They dress similar to Hand Girl and Jaw Man so I think they might be friends. But watch the young woman. See? Her hands are constantly moving when she’s talking. She’s smacked the guy in the arm a couple of times, but she just keeps going. It’s like her mouth can’t move unless her hands and arms are in motion. I call her Whirlwind. And he’s the exact opposite, hands behind his back or arms crossed over his chest. Calm Man. Mind you, I don’t think he gets a word in so what else can he do but listen and wait for an opening.

Holy Beetle Bug, what are you doing? I told you not to go to the window. I don’t care if it looks like you can get out, you can’t. Trust me.

Thanks, fly. The light is hypnotizing. How long have you been here?

A couple of days, I think. If you focus on the people, the light won’t be so tempting. Oh, look at those two. The Shoulder Roller and Nose Wrinkler. He’ll crank his neck over to the side and then roll his shoulders. If it’s quiet in here, I can here his bones crack with the force of his neck movement. She wrinkles her nose all the time. I don’t think she knows she’s doing it, but whether she’s concentrating or listening or laughing she scrunches her nose up.

I want to try naming one of them.

Only if you stop rubbing your front legs together all the time.

Sorry. That guy, the one coming toward us.

He’s meticulous. Straightens anything that’s not positioned correctly. He pushes chairs in if they’ve been left out, turns pictures so they’re angled on the shelf, brushes crumbs off the table onto his hand. I’ve never seen him roll up a magazine befo –

(Copyright: Janet S. Corcoran 2009)

To sum up, People of Blogland:

Character Tags:

• A quirk or habit that sets each character apart and gives them a uniqueness that makes them unforgettable in the mind of the reader. Caution – don’t overdo it. Mention it a few times then let it be the reader’s subconscious that supplies the quirk. Bring it back up at a crucial moment.
• Subtle, with impact.
• Think voice, hair, clothing, gestures, scent, mental state, body carriage, dialect or speech mannerisms when creating a tag for your characters.
• No flies were hurt in the creation of this story. Purely fictional.

If you have any other hints or suggestions we can use to make our characters stand out, make them unforgettable, please leave them in the comment section. And have a great Monday :)

*This article first appeared over on The Prairies, May 2009