Character Building: Using Quirks to Reveal Personality

It's my privilege to host  Becca Puglisi here on my blog today. Becca is the co-author of several fantastic writing resources, including the popular book The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression.

If you're like me, you long to make your characters more unique and interesting but sometimes struggle to know how. And in a crowded book market, having vibrant and unique characters is becoming an important way to help our books grab reader's attention.

Today, Becca shares some excellent tips on how to develop stand-out characters. Please help me in welcoming Becca!

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Using Quirks to Reveal Personality

By Becca Puglisi

I’ve spent the better part of this year thinking about characters. Which ones do I vividly remember? What makes them so unforgettable?

One of the common denominators is that they all have at least one attribute that 1) I admire, or 2) draws me to them in some way. As a shy teenager, I fell in love with Anne of Green Gables Anne Shirley’s vivaciousness—clearly expressed through her nonstop chatter. Every Christmas, I watch Elf and laugh my mistletoe off at Buddy’s socially awkward brand of innocence.

The key, I think, is to give our characters a quality that is admirable, likable, or somehow inspires empathy. Then we’ve got to show this positive attribute in a way that cements it in readers’ brains and leaves no doubt as to why they’re drawn to the hero.

One easy way to do this is through the use of quirks—small, original mannerisms or habits that are unique to a character. While these area often randomly applied as a way of making a character offbeat or “quirky,” I’d like to focus today on how to utilize quirks deliberately as a way of showing your character’s positive attributes.

Here are some quick steps on how to do this effectively:

Identify your character’s primary attribute. 

Maybe it’s a trait that will help him achieve his goal. Perhaps it’s one that matches his morals and values. Regardless of what you decide, his primary attribute needs to make sense in light of his history. His upbringing, core beliefs, profound past events—all of these things should play a part in determining who he is in the current story, so take them into consideration when choosing his stand-out trait.

Brainstorm actions that exemplify that trait. 

If your character is meticulous, what are some realistic mannerisms that she might acquire? Maybe she would obsessively clean (Monica Geller, Friends). She might count her toothbrush strokes and steps to the bus stop (Harold Crick, Stranger than Fiction). Perhaps she would make fastidious notes on post-its and stick them to every surface in her apartment (Dr. Emma Russell, The Saint).

The cool thing about choosing a quirk is that the possibilities are virtually limitless. You just have to find one that fits with your character’s whole personality. Take note of her flaws, fears, and other issues, and make sure that her quirk fits her.

Use your quirk to show the attribute.

Plenty has been said about the value of showing instead of telling in our writing. It’s the difference between someone saying that your new roommate is a little strange and you figuring it for yourself when you find her talking to her extensive ceramic bunny collection.

When someone tells you something about another person, you hear the information, but it’s impersonal—until you witness it for yourself. Then you experience an emotional response. This emotion is what you want to evoke in readers, so instead of stating outright what kind of person your character is, show it through the use of a well-chosen quirk.

Use quirks sparingly.

As with any other gesture or habit, quirks that are used too often become distracting. Choose fitting times for your character to show his personality so each instance has meaning and serves a purpose.

To wrap things up, I’d like to close with two examples of how quirks have been used to convey character personality. The first is an example of how not to do it.

How Not To Show a Quirk: Early on, I almost quit watching the show Revolution because of the main character. Charlie cried in every episode. It got so bad that my husband and I started betting on time slots to see who could most accurately guess when she would overflow. This mannerism of hers was completely overdone, and worse, it didn’t tell me anything about her personality.

The writers must have gotten my memo because all of a sudden in season two, the waterworks are gone. While I’m glad, its sudden departure shows that it wasn’t a true indicator of her personality anyway. This is a good example of a quirk that didn’t make sense for the character and was used haphazardly, without purpose.

How to Show a Quirk: On the other hand, the first time we meet Hermione Granger (in the Harry Potter series), she starts off her mostly one-sided conversation with Ron and Harry by informing them that she’s learned all the course books by heart and that all the spells she’s practiced have worked perfectly. Her bragging is a quirk that she exhibits fairly consistently; it’s a sign of both her intelligence and competitiveness but also of her insecurity.

As the books progress, her bragging progressively lessens and eventually disappears—a sign that she has successfully navigated her character arc and no longer needs to prove herself. This is a great example of an effective use of a quirk to show a character’s personality. It also proves that quirks can be used to show not only positive attributes, but flaws, too.

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Becca Puglisi is the co-creator of The Bookshelf Muse, an award winning online resource for writers. She has also authored a number of nonfiction resource books for writers, including The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Emotion; The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Attributes; and The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws. A member of SCBWI, she leads workshops at regional conferences, teaches webinars through WANA International, and can be found online at her Writers Helping Writers website.

Becca is giving away a PDF copy of her newest book The Positive Trait Thesaurus (above)! Enter the Rafflecopter for your chance to win a copy!

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What do you think? What character quirks have you seen or read that were effective in conveying personality?

When the Story Calls . . . And When it Doesn't

By Jody Hedlund, @JodyHedlund

I'm sorry for not posting last week! I was without power for half the week due to a tornadic wind shear that swept through my town. I blogged about the storm and shared some pictures HERE on my group blog!

On to this week's post!

I was glancing through my writing pins on Pinterest and came across two that I really love. But interestingly, both pins showed the dichotomy of the writer's life.

One said this: "But a lot of writers - and I'm one of them - do tend to feel dissatisfied. It makes you a little hard to live with, but it's a goad and does keep you alert and restless." - Tobias Wolff

There's a lot of truth packed into that quote, namely that when writers really submerge themselves into their story, when the words are flowing, and when the characters come alive, it becomes increasingly difficult to tear away from that other-world.

When I'm writing, I don't want to stop. I'm there living in a different time and place with people I've come to care about in a story that twists and turns and grips my heart. I don't want to leave to come back to reality.

But . . . of course reality always calls me out of the story-world. It drags me into the here-and-now. And then as the pin above says, I feel dissatisfied and restless. I'm distracted easily. My kids have been known to ask me a question and wait for an answer as I stare into space. Other times I'm rushing through housework so that I can return to my story.

The other pin that I really like said this: "Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on." Louis L'Amour

The dichotomy of the writing life is that as many times as the words flow and we can't pull ourselves out of our writing, there are just as many times when the words seem stuck, or at least they trickle out slower than a turtle jogging through peanut butter.

It's on those kind of days I heed the advice of this pin: "Clean the house before you start writing because as soon as you sit down you're going to want to scrub the floor, wash the dishes, and empty the litter box."

Yes, there are plenty of times when I sit down before my lap top, pull up my WIP, and I start thinking of everything else I need to do. I go make more coffee and get a snack, and when I come back I decide that's the perfect time to dust the crumbs out of my keyboard.

When I finally start typing, I eke out a few sentences at a time, deleting more than I actually write. My daily word count goal looms before me like Mount Everest–an impossible climb.

That's the life of a writer. There are days when the story flows and the sweetness of it makes reality look bleak in comparison. But then there are days when I'd rather scour the toilet than put words on the page.

So what's a writer to do with such a schizophrenic muse? 

What I've learned over time, is that I don't need to let my temperamental muse discourage or frustrate me. I've accepted the fact that the writing life has both the really, really good days. And the really, really not-so good days.

Instead, I do what any serious write must do: I put my fingers on the keyboard and I type whether I feel like it or not, whether the muse shows up or is out to play. I make myself write words when they won't be found. And I make myself quit when they won't leave me alone.

Such is the writers life–the emptiness, the filling, and the pouring out. It's a cycle that never ends. And I embrace it for all its worth.

What's the writer's life like for you? Have you experienced times when the words flow fast and times when they trickle? How do you handle such a schizophrenic muse?

Author Marketing: Having Multiple Strategies

By Jody Hedlund, @JodyHedlund

In today's crowded book market, ALL writers (whether traditional or indie publishing) must participate in marketing their books if they want a chance at getting noticed among the millions vying for reader attention.

Of course there are some differences in marketing for self versus traditional publishing. Traditional publishers often (but not always!) budget some marketing money for each book they publish.

Interestingly, the big name authors usually get the best (most) marketing dollars. On the one hand, it seems more logical for publishers to spend the larger share of marketing money on the lesser-known authors since readers already anticipate and pre-order the big-name releases months in advance. But on the other hand, publishers want to make sure their breakout novelists continue to do well (because those are the authors paying the bills).

All that to say, most mid-list authors don't have an endless supply of marketing dollars budgeted to the their books. So as I said before, that means no matter which venue of publishing we choose, we'll have to put forth our own time and money to market.

But that brings up the question: Which marketing methods are most worth an author's time and money? We obviously don't want to waste either on methods that may not bring enough bang for our buck.

Another writer recently asked me whether having a review on a major website was worth the investment because she was considering having her book reviewed there. She asked: "Could you let me know if you felt the service was worth the cost? As writers, we don't make a lot of money, and I would hate to spend money on something that didn't show a good return."

I'm sure my answer frustrated her. Because my answer is frustrating even to myself. But what I've learned over the past few years of marketing, is that there is no easy way to discover exactly how effective any ONE effort is.

For example, during the span of three weeks in October I was wrapping up a 20 book giveaway blog hop and an enormous contest with an incredible prize package. I had two reviews on major book review sites. Along with that I participated in a huge fiction scavenger hunt that brought hundreds and hundreds of readers to my website. I had a paid promotion ad on Facebook which took news of my book to over 50K. And then I did a five-book giveaway on my blog, which also generated lots of tweets and facebook sharing as contestants tried to earn more points.

All of those efforts together worked to spark interest in my new release. I saw more people adding the book to their shelves on Goodreads, more tweets, more facebook likes, and even some spikes in sales.

But . . . I'm not able to pinpoint which of those things helped THE most. 

In other words, we can't put our eggs all in one basket. We need to have multiple marketing strategies going at the same time.

Of course we want to be wise in what we do with our limited time and money. We can't do EVERYTHING. But what I've done is pick a few new things to do with each book. I try not to get into a rut doing the same-old-same-old, but rather look for fresh and different ways to promote.

There's NO magic formula and NO one thing that works best over every other strategy. At least I haven't landed upon that one way yet!

The key is to think outside the box. Stay relevant. And keep doing a little bit every day.

I hold on to the hope that eventually all of the hard work will pay off!

Have you found any marketing techniques that are especially helpful? Or is it difficult to narrow down what helps the most?

The Cardinal Sin No Writer Should Ever Commit

By Jody Hedlund, @JodyHedlund

This post contains SPOILERS for the newly released book Allegiant by Veronica Roth. So if you're planning to read the book and don't want to know what happens, then click off this post and come back after you've finished the book!

I already made the mistake on Twitter of blabbering about Allegiant with no thought to the those who might not want to know what happens. I won't make the same mistake here! So again, please don't read further if you want to avoid a MAJOR spoiler.

I read the first two books in the popular dystopian Divergent series this past year. But they didn't wow me, especially the second book, Insurgent, which I thought was rather slow and confusing at times.

But my daughter LOVED both. So she kept me well informed when the countdown began for the third book's release. When the big day came, she asked me to buy it for the Kindle since the wait for it at the library was like a million years long.

I clicked over to Amazon to check on price for the Kindle and the audio versions. And to my utter bafflement, the book had less than three stars as the overall rating. Of course, I was even more astonished to see that the one star reviews completely outnumbered the five.

As I started browsing to see why the book had garnered so many one stars, I read things like:

"Possibly the Worst Trilogy Ending I've Ever Read" and " Horrible Just Horrible!!" and "Outraged"

After seeing those headings, I had to read the reviews. I couldn't help it. I wanted to know why readers hated this book!

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!

The number ONE reason why readers hated the book was because in the end, Roth KILLS OFF her main character. Yes, the heroine DIES.

Over and over in the reviews readers say they felt betrayed by Roth, that now they wish they hadn't read any of the books in the series, that they won't read them again or go see the movies.

The bottom line is that readers are crushed. They invested time and money into the books. More importantly they invested emotional energy into falling in love with the heroine. And after waiting with such expectancy for the series to come to a satisfying conclusion, they are instead left feeling empty and hopeless.

After reading the reviews, I now have absolutely NO desire to read the last book. In fact, I now felt like I wasted my time reading the first two. So even though I haven't read Allegiant, I can completely relate with what readers are saying about it.

As I analyzed the overall reader reaction (along with my personal response), I quickly realized that Roth committed a Cardinal Sin that no writer should ever commit. And that's this: Don't kill your main character.

They trusted her to bring the series to a satisfying conclusion. And she let them down. Let's face it, most of the time killing a main character just doesn't work, especially at the end of a dystopian trilogy (which is already hopeless enough). (As a side note: Killing a main character rarely works in a movie either. Those kind of movies always leave me feeling let down.)

Maim the heroine, hurt her, kill off minor characters? Perhaps.

But never, EVER, kill your main character. Period.

In the original version of my first book, The Preacher's Bride, I had my hero languishing in prison at the end of the book (because that's what happened to him in real life). My publisher kindly asked me to change the ending so that the hero was released and reunited with his wife. And even though I balked at the idea of fictionalizing the ending, I rewrote the last chapter to reflect a happy reunion.

Over and over, I've gotten feedback from readers who say that they loved the ending and that it made them cry.

I shudder to think if I'd insisted on having my own way and kept my hero in prison just so the story could remain true-to-life. I'm pretty sure I would have had a LOT of disappointed readers who likely wouldn't have gone on to read any more of my books.

The fact is, readers want the last page to leave them with hope. They want to walk away feeling joy and satisfaction that someone could do the impossible and beat the odds.

Let's face it. There's already enough tragedy in the world. Enough heartache. Enough loss. Readers pick up a book to escape that reality. They don't want their reading experience to mimic life as they know it. They want the reading experience to transcend it, to make them aspire to live better and be different.

So, dear writer friends, let all of Allegiant's one star reviews teach us a lesson. Refrain from killing off your main character, no matter what kind of lesson you hope to teach, no matter how realistic you want to be, no matter what kind of literary statement you hope to make.

Reader's want hope. Give it to them.

What do you think? Is there ever a time when it could work to kill a main character? Or do you agree with me that it's a Cardinal Sin?

Having Self-Discipline All Year (Not Just During NaNo!)

By Jody Hedlund, @JodyHedlund

As most of you writers know, National Novel Writing Month is coming up. It takes place in November of every year. It's abbreviated NaNoWrMo or NaNo for short. The goal is to complete a full book in the month OR to write at least 50,000 (50K).

Whether you've ever participated or not, the month always generates a lot of enthusiasm for writing. Everyone everywhere is talking about how much they're writing, whether they've met their daily word count goal, the sacrifices they're making to write, and how they're feeling about the whole process.

I've watched from the sidelines and I've also participated. Both ways, I come away from the month inspired.

What I've realized is that NaNo is basically the one time of year when everybody decides to get disciplined about writing.

In some ways that's a really great thing. Most of us just don't have the time and energy to write 50K every month all year long.

On the other hand, I was struck by the realization that for many writers, NaNo is probably one of the only times when they set goals and work really hard to meet them. 

I recently read an article "How to Write Like Nicholas Sparks: 4 Tips" The very first tip was: Write 2,000 Words A Day.

Often when writers see a tip like that they shove it aside and say something like, "I don't have time for that." Or "I don't do well with daily word count goals. The pressure stifles my creativity." Or "I prefer to have weekly page/scene/chapter goals instead of word counts."

I see the validity in each of the above statements. Most people can't carve out 5 hours a day (which is what Nicholas Sparks spends on 2000 words). A lot of writers have a day job and do writing in their "spare" time (like me).

There are some people who freeze when under pressure and literally can't type a word. And there are some writers who can stay on track with chapter goals (versus word count).

But all too often, the above are just excuses. The truth is, keeping a daily word count goal is one of the most effective ways for writers of any level to complete a novel.

In fact the popularity of NaNo testifies to the successfulness of such a method. And it also debunks the myth that writing under pressure stifles creativity. In fact, I believe that writing larger amounts of words in a shorter time actually stimulates the creative part of the brain.

How?

Well, the pressure to produce forces us to shut down that nagging internal editor and give free rein to the story. We just have to write, even if it's crap. We have to push forward, even if the words aren't flowing. And eventually we find that when we persist and persevere, the story starts to flow and come to life in ways we never expected.

So, yes, I believe in daily word count goals. But I would issue three tips of caution for anyone using the method:

1. Set a realistic daily word count goal. Know what you can accomplish, and then set the goal just slightly above that. When I wrote my first published book, The Preacher's Bride, I only wrote 500 words a day. At the time, I had a six month old, a toddler, and three other young children. 500 was a stretch.

Even though I can write more per day now that my kids are older, I can't hit 2000, especially during the school year when I'm teaching. For the book I'm on now, I've set a goal for 1500 a day on weekdays and 2500 on Saturday.

2. Back up your daily goals with a weekly total. I first heard this recommendation from writing guru James Scott Bell. And it's solid advice that's held me in good stead for the past eight or nine books I've written.

Even though I give myself daily goals and I work hard to meet them, there are days where I fall short. Any number of things slow me down–the need for additional research or further plotting. Or life. There are days when I just can't get in the amount of writing time I anticipated.

If I miss hitting my goal one day, I try to make up the words by the end of the week by writing more on another day. For the book I'm currently writing, my weekly goal is 10,000 words.

3. Finally, don't compare yourself to other writers! That's hard during NaNo when everyone is tweeting their word count minute by minute. But for the rest of the year, set your daily goal and don't let what others accomplish intimidate you. Know what YOU can accomplish. Do the best YOU can do.

The important thing is writing consistently. Writing on a consistent basis will keep your creative energy flowing and eventually produce a completed book.

So to all you NaNo writers, I wish you all the best! And I also encourage all of us to look for ways to be self-disciplined all year (and not just during Nano!).

So what do you think about daily word count goals? Any other tips you'd offer? And are you doing NaNo this year?

Anniversary Celebration & Five Book Giveaway!

By Jody Hedlund, @JodyHedlund

Today on my blog I'm celebrating a very important anniversary with a FIVE BOOK giveaway!

Tomorrow is the wedding anniversary of John and Abigail Adams, the second president of the United States and his first lady! This famous couple was married on October 25, 1764.

As many of you know, my recent release, Rebellious Heart, is inspired by this couple's early courtship, including how they met, developed a friendship, and then overcame obstacles to finally fall in love.

In her last letter to John before their wedding, Abigail asked him to take all her belongings in a cart to her new home in Braintree: “And then Sir, if you please, you may take me.”

Isn't that sweet?

One thing I really love about their relationship is that it was based on a solid foundation of friendship. John and Abigail Adams are known for their friendship and the many letters they wrote to each over the years. In fact, at one point Abigail addresses John as "my dearest friend."

In appreciation of their friendship, she said this in one of her early letters to John: "A friend is worth all hazards we can run. Poor is the friendless master of a world; a world in purchase for a friend is gain. Who, that has once been favored with your friendship can be satisfied with the least diminution of it? Not those who value it according to its worth."

While romance is important in any relationship, I believe our culture puts an over-emphasis on the romantic feelings in a relationship to the detriment of forming a life-long friendship. Many young people "fall in love" but neglect to develop a solid friendship with their partner first.

The Adams story is a great example of how couples can make a point of being friends, finding areas in common, having the same interests, and enjoying spending time together as friends in addition to (or perhaps even before) the romance.

As my older children enter high school, they're garnering interest from the opposite sex. Recently one of my daughters had a young man ask her to "be his girlfriend." While she admired this boy, she wanted to develop their friendship first. She told me she thought she was too young to get into a dating relationship and wanted to focus on just being friends.

I was really glad she came to me and that we could talk about some ways she might share her feelings to the young man without hurting his pride. Even more than that, I was glad that she wanted to work on being FRIENDS first. She's establishing healthy boundaries that will carry over into the future.

All that to say, I think our modern culture has a LOT to learn from couples like John and Abigail Adams, from their courtship and marriage! Their relationship is one worth emulating AND celebrating.

So in celebration, I'm GIVING AWAY FIVE BOOKS!!! Four of the books are recent releases from fellow Bethany House authors, dear friends of mine that I've grown to appreciate and admire:

The Miner's Lady by Tracie Peterson, 

Into the Whirlwind by Elizabeth Camden

A Home for My Heart by Anne Mateer

Stranded by Dani Pettry

The fifth book is ONE choice from my published books, including my new release based on John and Abigail Adams, Rebellious Heart.

Fill out the Rafflecopter form to be eligible for the giveaway and to earn extra entries! Giveaway ends October 31 at midnight (ET). Winner must email me back within 24 hours of notification.

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What do YOU think of modern dating compared to the courtship of old? What do you wish was different about dating practices today?

WINNER OF GIVEAWAY: Claudia Castenir!!

Why Voice Is Becoming More Important in Today's Market

By Jody Hedlund, @JodyHedlund

The explosion of self-publishing has revolutionized the book world. There are more books available now than ever in the history of the world. As I browsed articles about the numbers of books being published, I saw statements like:

• Bowker: "The number of self-published books is up 287% since 2006"

• Bowker: "Self-Publishing Sees Triple-Digit Growth in Just Five Years "

• Forbes: "There are somewhere between 600,000 and 1,000,000 books published every year in the US alone, depending on which stats you believe. Many of those – perhaps as many as half or even more – are self-published."

Obviously, the latest statistics for 2013 are yet to be determined. But I can only imagine that the growth has continued at a mind-blowing rate. At least it seems that way from my perspective. Everywhere I turn friends, acquaintances, and even complete strangers are promoting their newly released self-published books.

I've heard publishing professionals call this phenomena of growth a "glut of publishing." The glut isn't limited to just self-published books. The traditional market is swamped too.

All of us, no matter our publication venue, have experienced firsthand just how difficult it is to get our books noticed, stand out, or build a platform among the many others clamoring to do the same.

It's not enough to simply have a riveting, well-written, page-turning story. There are plenty of excellent books that end up getting lost in the myriad mountain of published books.

I mentioned in a previous blog post that I think being on the forefront of a new genre can help push an author from obscurity to stardom. But what about those of us who are content to stick to the genre we already love and know? Are we hopelessly doomed to drown in obscurity?

Is it possible to stand out within our genres of choice? Especially when the genre is already flooded with so many talented authors?

As I've pondered this "glut" and what it means for myself and all authors, I realized that VOICE is becoming more critical to the modern author. 

An author's narrative voice is our unique way of stringing words, sentences, and thoughts together that resembles (perhaps echoes) the qualities of our personality, inner being, and values. Some writers develop and hone their voices over time. Others seem to come into writing with a distinct voice already there.

Whatever the case, our individual style, unique spin, and special way of putting thoughts onto paper has always been important. But nowadays, in order to stand out among the masses, voice has become even more important.

Recently I chatted with a friend who shared concerns that aspects of her unpublished novel had similarities in setting and plot to my recent release, Rebellious Heart. When she wrote her book, mine hadn't yet been release. So she had no idea our stories would overlap. But then after she read mine, she spotted many similarities. She wondered if publishers or readers would now be interested in hers, or if they'd reject it because it's already been done.

I think that's a common concern for many of us. What if our stories, plot, characters inadvertently resemble something already in print or hitting shelves?

The fact is as hard as we try to find unique plots and characters, our stories may end up sharing common threads with other books. Readers don't seem to mind. After all, whole genres are born this way. Readers fall in love with a certain topic and want more books about that (think Amish or Vampire).

Sometimes we can't avoid the similarities. Maybe our book is the thousandth book set during the American Revolution involving the founding fathers. But, when we tell our stories in our VOICE, with our fresh flavor, we're still able to give our readers something new and different.

The more your VOICE shines through in its beautiful unique way, the easier it will be for your book to stand out from all the others that are like it.

If we don't spend time developing and practicing our voice, we're more likely to end up with a cookie-cutter book–one that sounds like too many others. As I said before, it's hard enough to stand out from other books even with a fresh voice, much less one that blends in.

My challenge to myself and to you, is that we cultivate our narrative voices, get to know who we really are, and then let our voice pour forth in the words we write on the page.

How about you? Are you discouraged with how hard it is to stand out in today's crowded book market? Do you think having a unique, fresh voice is one way to help books rise above the masses?