Besides loving the word quirky I think it is a great way to develop a character. Create a list of quirks that you observe in yourself and others for use in one of your characters.
Hangs all his shirts with the collars facing the same way.Shakes his hands and stands on his toes when he is excited.
Buttons her shirt wrong on purpose.
Continuously flips the remote from channel to channel, never really watching anything.
Pulls her hair behind her left ear over and over when she talks.
Still collects action figures but hides them in a shoebox.
Clicks her tongue when she's watching T.V.
When she is uncomfortable in a social situation she yawns.
She collects the plastic closures of loaves of bread.
What are some of your quirkiest quirks?
Quirky IS good! I like these examples, they are cute and original. There's a couple quirks I've been seeing over and over in books lately that are becoming cliched-- clumsy heroine, and the crossing one's arms in front and hugging oneself-- how did these two quirks become so common?
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, I shudder to think! I'm with Karen - quirks are indeed good!
ReplyDeleteGood point Karen. The last you want in your writing is cliche.
ReplyDeleteTalli, you are so funny. I didn't mean your own personal quirks...haven't caught your book yet but it is on my TBR. I bet you have a few character quirks in there.
Ooh - a list of quirks, that could be another way to provide inspiration for my short stories - will have to think about that one.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend whose husband would write down in a book everything he wore, so he gave his clothes equal time. I thought that was pretty quirky.
ReplyDeleteI like quirky. My writing often reflects that I think. Offhand I can't think of anything quirky that I do since it probably doesn't seem all that quirky to me. I'm sure my wife could come up with a long list.
ReplyDeleteLee
Tossing It Out
Great post! And a great idea for developing characters. My favorite quirk is the way my husband begins to hum when he's tense in traffic or annoyed with another driver. I guess it's better than pulling out a gun and shooting someone, right?
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