To me, the sign of good women’s fiction is when I finish the book and wish I knew the characters — quirks and all.
When I write I keep that in mind.
I think the best way to write a quirky character is to think of her as being transparent to the reader. We know everything about a character the author chooses for us to know — we write whatever we want our reader to know. And you know what? That is probably more than most of us know about our real life friends and neighbors, and maybe even more than we’re willing to admit about ourselves. These can be external and internal quirks — endearing and annoying quirks. Quirkiness just skirts the edge of weirdness, allows us to see inside a character — even if the other characters cannot. Maybe it’s a twitch, a habit, an obsession. It could be a secret or a wish. By adding a bit of quirkiness to the character the reader gets to see the unique way your character handles a real life situation — because that’s what women’s fiction tackles – real life in all in it’s exceptional and ordinary ways. Your women’s fiction must be unique to make it in todays market — quirks will make your character unique. Quirks will make your characters real and relatable.
In the book I’m reading now, Such a Pretty Face by Cathy Lamb, the main character hides every time she sees her handsome neighbor. At first I found I wondered if she was just being silly or over-reacting, but as I got to know her better I realized that I was privy to her personal ritual, what made her tick. She was a self-conscious woman — which to me is cliché. But she hides behind bushes! That’s quirky. She’s unsure of herself. That’s real. She’s scared of what his reaction might be to her. That’s relatable.
In Meg Waite Clayton’s The Wednesday Sisters, one of the characters wears white gloves all the time – this is obvious to all the characters and her secret is hidden from them as well as the reader. The gloves? That’s quirky. The other characters wonder about the gloves but don’t bother their friend about it. That’s real. There’s a secret in this woman’s past. That’s relatable. (This book is about women who get together to write, which is one of the reasons I loved it, I’m sure. I still want to hang out with these characters.)
For me, quirkiness is always in progress in my writing. In a WIP my main character loves to dust because it gives her a reason to touch her favorite possessions and not feel like she is obsessed with them — even though she is. These items represent a promise she made to herself about the life she wants. In my novel that’s in the hands of my agent, my main character loves to bake because it distracts her — and feeds her need to nurture. And when she feeds her friends, she can also distract them. And it works for her.
For the record — I don’t dust or bake. Makes it all the more fun to write women who do!
Do quirky characters appeal to you? Tell me some of your favorites — ones you’ve read and ones you’ve written!
Great post!!! I agree…plain dull characters are boring to read about. You want to relate but you also want the character to be an extreme too….
I agree, Stephanie. Controlled extremes can really make a point when reading and writing!
🙂
Amy
I love quirks! I can’t think of any character quirks that I’ve read right off the top of my head…I’ve gotta check out this Wednesday Sisters book! But I’ve written them into my own characters for sure.
This is actually a quirk of one my guy characters. He constantly places his hand over his left lapel, kind of like he’s about to say the Pledge of Allegiance, and my MC notices but never asks. When she finally does, what he keeps in the pocket behind surprises her, especially considering the type of person she believes him to be (or, rather, the person he pretends to be to distance himself from her).
Love the quirky, real, relatable bits!
OMG, Ashley, I can’t wait to read your book one day and find out what’s behind the guy’s left lapel. I also like the quirks in character that only the reader knows about. Gives us the inside scoop!
Amy
You’re too kind, Amy. It’s my DREAM for you to read my book someday. And I yours. I have a feeling I’d really like your style. 😉
Looking forward to more of your posts!
Yes, quirky characters are a must – especially when defined as you define them .. not just verging on crazy, but “different,” “ritualistic.” Those twitches, habits, obsessions, secrets, wishes … Yes, this is the good stuff that women’s fiction is made of. AN dno one likes vanilla, boring characters. We want the warts and eccentricities! Thanks for another great post.
Melissa,
You’re right – and we have to keep those warts and eccentricities in mind. No one wants perfect characters!
🙂
Amy
Another great post, Amy! So true how these traits we give our characters (or they give to themselves 🙂 ) are what helps them endure. So many characters linger long after I’ve read. I’m currently reading Anne Tyler’s Back When We Were Grownups. The main character constantly throws parties and get togethers. Even though it’s something she doesn’t particularly like to do. I’ve only started the book and am eager to continue reading to get to know her and discover what drove her to this particular habit.
In my WIP, one of my characters carries a folded picture of Athena in her pocket, so worn and worried it’s been taped together multiple times. Her closest friends aren’t even aware she has it.
Thanks for keeping these discussions going. And, eager to read your novel(s) and Ashley’s. 🙂
Cat
I’m an aspiring filmmaker, but I’ve been writing stories since before I could legibly write, and it was always quirky characters that inspired me — not just in my writing, but in the way I live my life. Quirky girl archetypes such as Pipi Longstalking (childhood heroine), and TV personalities like Daria Morgandorfer (teenaged heroine), and movie queens like Bridget Jones (who couldn’t love her?!) contributed to the woman I am today; independant, quirky, secure in my oddness, bit of an outsider, but it works for me. It’s the girl I’ve always been proud of being (maybe sometimes a little TOO proud…), and I try to perpetuate that mixture of quirkiness and confidence in the “abnormal” in the characters I write.
Thanks for the post (and the reading list ideas). I found it very encouraging (I had been a little worried that my characters might be a little too off, for the audience to buy).
Franki