Round Robin Blog Fest! (87) Aug 21
"Do you have any character habits or favorite words that always crop up in your writing?"
"Yes," she admitted with a heavy sigh. "It seems I've corrupted my darlings."
I drink a great deal of coffee, and so do my characters. In my first novel, "Lynx" Rodeo Romance, Book 1. My hero was drinking coffee, my heroine was drinking coffee, My heroine and her best friend were working at a cafe. Where you guessed it, they prepared and poured coffee (which would have included the adult members of the small Montana town).
Funny, no one seemed to find it strange. My critique group never pointed it out, readers never posted any negative comments. Shoot, Lynx even had a thermos of coffee in the barn when he was tending to his horse!
I noticed (lol) 'we' all seemed to have a caffeine addiction, when I was scanning the story while drafting the second book in the series, "Brede". Everyone in the story had moderate caffeine consumption.
Upon further thought:
I have a wicked/quirky sense of humor.
It only appears in bits in pieces in my western and historical romances (for which my darlings are eternally grateful, I'm sure).
However, in my Paranormal/Fantasy stories and YA/MG stories, it's embedded in the DNA of (usually) my main character.
Poor Meridith, as if becoming a zombie wasn't challenging enough, she has to deal with the twisted sense of humor I've bestowed upon her. She has a hamster named Gertie, for heaven's sake!
Writing is a craft, I keep reminding myself. We develop our skills, adjust to reader preferences: more action, less introspection in contemporary novels, etc. However, since our darings (our characters) are of our creation, there will always have a bit of the writer in the main characters.
There is no way around it.
It may be an unimportant part of my character which creeps into a story. I dislike turnips, so no one will be chowing down on a plate-full, even if they were roasted by an award-winning chef.
What habits are my current characters engaging in? I'll be re-reading my story after I type: The End. I'm certain I'll be making revisions because my characters like to sit out on the patio/veranda/porch in the evening--without a cup of coffee.
Happy Reading,
Connie
Link to my youtube channel. Click here to watch my new video: Gumbo Ya Ya
Also, be sure to check out our wonderful authors:
Anne Stenhouse http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-2ow
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog
Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com
Judith Copek : http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/2021/08/characters-habits-or-favorite-words.html
Interesting that your characters don't eat turnips. I cannot stand the taste or smell of seafood, but my characters often do, as appropriate to their situation. (When asked about food preferences, I always say, "I"lll eat anybody, as long as it was born on land).
ReplyDeleteDr. Bob, I love seafood but I can understand the smell being a bit off-putting. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteConnie, everything you point out is very accurate. Our characters (with or without displaying our habits and preferences) come from our one and only mind.
ReplyDelete😊
DeleteOne of my early writing tutors expounded on creating conflict. You could put your dislike of turnips into good use by having one character love them and the other hate them, especially if one of them was a Scot who celebrated Burns Night!
ReplyDeleteVictoria, thank you for the tip. I'll need to research Burns Night :-)
DeleteMust have been you I was channeling when I mentioned the coffee in my post. I often suggest I might not be a real author since I never drink the brew. I am a tea drinker so I do get a fair share of caffeine, but no coffee. But it's just so easy to let our characters follow our leads and it takes work to teach them habits we don't possess.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it takes work to teach our characters we do not possess. As for tea verses coffee, I also drink tea. Royal Albert teapot, cup and saucer and tea strainer. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteGreat post. Interesting how you insert your habits and characteristics into your characters.
ReplyDeleteBeverly, I'm glad you enjoyed my post,
DeleteCoffee and Americans was such a cliché for us Brits that when I went to America on my first visit and discovered virtually no one drank coffee (tea and iced tea were very popular) I was astonished. Maybe it's differentin different States? Great post. Anne
ReplyDeleteYou are so right that understanding craft isimportant to writing.
ReplyDeleteNow that I think of it, my characters seldom have a cup of coffee. I have a cup for breakfast. Maybe some of them should drink some. Right now I know just the person. However, it's hot in Central Kansas in the summer, so they are mostly drinking ice tea and lemonade, but why not iced coffee? Thanks for the tip.
Hey Anne--in the southern US states, they offer iced tea in every restaurant--and it's sweetened. Up north, we offer coffee first. So yes, part of it is regional. BTW, Skye said she might like coffee if it was served "drunken" style--like I have some of my characters drink--just the way I like it! LOL.
ReplyDeleteI do have my characters occasionally drink white wine--which I don't care for. Or they eat seafood--which I abhor. I try to make their characteristics suit THEM, not ME. But yes, since WE write them, a bit of us is probably in all of our characters--even the supporting ones. Maybe that's a part of the author's "voice."