#emilywrites185

(The categorized lists are below)

What is a quirk?

Quirks are habits, attitudes, mannerisms, or behaviors that are unusual, unexpected, or strange.

People have quirks, and your characters and locations should too. Think obsessions, a silly or unusual laugh, habits like pacing around the room, knuckle cracking, or braiding or twisting hair while thinking. Someone could always be cold, even in the summer without AC. An old man could have the habit of checking his mailbox twice a day, so much so that there is a path of trampled grass leading to his mailbox.

Locations can have quirks. The front door might have to be pushed or pulled in a certain way to engage the lock. The sink faucets could be switched. The hot water tap could really be the cold water tap despite the label.

Think of somewhere you've lived or a person you knew. What stood out to you about them? What did you find bizarre, aggravating, or charming about them?

Quirks will serve as the little details that will make your characters and settings lifelike. These quirks will say a lot about what you are describing, and they can even be used to allude to something important in your plot. There could be significant explanations to the quirks you choose which can add a layer of depth to your story.

Personality Quirks:

Thorough planner

Never plans for anything

Lone wolf

Needs approval

Adventurous

High strung

Takes things seriously

Skeptical of everything

Loves to argue

Avoids people

Avoids touching people

Honest to a fault

Impulsive liar

The Martyr

Sensitive

Abrasive

Compulsive flirt

Ambitious but lazy

Behavioral Quirks:

Picks at nails

Smokes only certain brands

Drinks a homemade concoction of choice

Tops their food with a specific dressing or additional ingredient

Loud laugh

Subdued laugh

Whistles or hums when walking

Always misses the trash can

Touches their face when they talk

Gets a stomachache at tense moments

Stutters when talking to someone attractive

If they clean is always a deep clean

Avoids public restrooms

Collection of ducks

Collections in general

Very loud sneezes

Kitten sneezes

Hisses when thinking

Always sounds angry even when they aren't

Has a hard time articulating feelings or desires

Often gets cliches or common phrases wrong

Physical Quirks:

Twitchy eye

Twitchy foot

Extremely flexible

Extremely inflexible

Two colored eyes

Chipped nails

Long perfect nails

Distinctive weight distribution

Very short

Very tall

Distinctive marks like birth marks or scars

Clothes/accessories:

Wears new clothes but has an old beaten-up suitcase or bag

Fingers full of rings

Never seen without makeup

Never wears their hair down

Cracked glasses

Socks never match

Old people sweaters

One sock pulled up, the other falling down

Half tucked shirt

Always a pen in the shirt pocket

Wears only a specific color

Crooked pins or name tag

Wears anything with their favorite animal

Wears slippers out in public

Location Quirks:

Squeaky steps

Window that jams

Lot full of old trees

A popular place of business with limited, inconvenient hours

House locks that are hard to open

A front door without weather stripping

Plumbing that rattles when water runs

Whistling windows

Creaky couch

Wavy, uneven floors

Always windy

A yard where critters are always seen

A public place that seems to attract certain people or animals

Here is another installment from my very long list of favorite words.

Anathema (Noun)- Person, place, idea, or thing that is intensely disliked.

Beseech (Verb)- to beg or request with urgency or anxiety.

Cacophony (Noun)- in regards to sound, it is a chaotic mixture of loud, unpleasant sounds. Dissonance.

Demur (Noun)- The act of objection or hesitation to something.

Elocution (Noun)- the style of speaking, or the art of public speaking. A skill of clear, precise speech.

Frieze (Noun)- A coarse, durable wool fabric. Or an ornamental band around furniture or architecture.

Incendiary (Adj)- Used to describe something hot, combustible materials or weapons. Can also be used as a noun in regards to an arsonist or weapon. Someone who starts trouble. An agitator.

Loquacious (Adj)- Used to describe someone who talks a lot. Wordy and talkative.

Massif (Noun)- A clustered group of mountains that stands out from the other groups.

It is okay to think that writing is hard.

Because it is. Everyone has their own struggles with writing. I struggle with endings, editing, and reworking sentences. My list of writing struggles goes on.

Writing is one of the most involved art forms, and it takes a long time to create a finished piece and sometimes even to consume it. There are so many moving parts to writing, it’s hard NOT to have a hard time with some part of it.

Getting an idea, coming up with a plot, characters, settings, rules, magic systems, keeping elements of the story a mystery, grammar, editing, formatting...oh look, a plot hole. Now what? Uh oh, this character is doing what it wants. Weren't they just wearing green? Which arm was injured? Or was it their leg.. How am I going to get them out of this? Dangit, now I need to add something earlier to happen to make this part make sense. Maybe this chapter should go here....or maybe I don't need it at all. I don't have time to write this week. I have no motivation.. just one meme...

There's always SOMETHING that makes the process hard.

I’ve never met a writer who didn’t struggle with writing. The writing community is not afraid to express what they have trouble with, and they are also more than ready to share advice on what helps them.

If you use Pinterest and like writing, I have made an account for exactly that to go with this one! I have several boards I am filling with advice on plots, character development, word choice, quotes from authors, writing challenges and prompts, memes, and more!