Traits, Habits and Mannerisms
Think about your friends and relatives, and even the people you don’t care for -- maybe someone you saw on the evening news. Now picture them sitting on chairs in a circle. Is one of them tapping a foot? Maybe one is looking off into space, bored to tears. Is there a woman sitting up straight, knees held primly together, appearing expectant? Is one of them a killer? (Of course, because I write mysteries.)
Everyone has traits that make them memorable, whether the memories are good or bad. The same goes for fictional characters. Writing them so they’ll be remembered is half the battle. A good storyline is made even better by the individuals who carry the story.
In my two series I have Sandi Webster who sighs frequently, taking it to levels of competition, and her partner, Pete, who’s overly protective. Pamela Cross rolls her eyes even though her mother once told her they might get stuck that way, and Chris Cross, the Bogey Man, bears a strong resemblance to Humphrey Bogart. He rolls his upper lip under, tugs on his ear and rolls back on his heels. Who can forget Stanley Hawks and Felicity DuBois, a couple whose clumsiness endears them to the other characters, and the readers. Livvie Brewster is menopausal and frequently fans herself, insisting that she’s not sweating, but only misting. Even pets have mannerisms. Sherlock, a yellow Lab, races for the kitchen when the phone rings and he slides into the wall every time.
Are these memorable traits? I’ve had readers ask when I’m bringing Livvie back because they enjoy her menopausal antics, and many readers can relate to what she’s going through. Felicity’s little “accidents” are humorous and readers have asked to see more of her in the books, too. I guess you’d have to say that, yes, they are memorable.
What about other more peripheral characters? How do people react under stressful circumstances? Their traits will tell you whether they’re nervous or not. Someone picking at a napkin in a restaurant, a twitching eye, or even that tapping foot tells you how a character is handling a given situation. A woman rapidly tapping her fingernails on a table can be annoying, and yet telling.
Back to the circle of friends and relatives. Watch Aunt Ivy. She’s looking everywhere except at the other people. She’s drumming her fingernails on her knee. She puffs air into her cheeks until she looks like a chipmunk, and then releases it. Her right knee begins to bounce. She keeps glancing at the exit. Does she have something better to do than sit here with this group? Is she annoyed? Or is she avoiding looking at everyone because she has a secret? Or maybe she knows someone else's secret. Maybe she wants to leave so there’s no chance she’ll spill the beans.
Fred, the man who lives down the street, keeps swallowing like his mouth is too dry. Is he nervous? He’s pulling on his shirt collar, too. Maybe he just doesn’t interact well in a group. He could be self-conscious. Then he says, “Hey! When are we gonna get this show on the road? I’ve got a football game to watch.” Oh, okay, football. I get it.
Freida keeps rubbing her arms, like she’s cold. When she’s not rubbing her arms, her fingertips pat a rhythm on her chest. Her eyes dart from face to face. What’s her story?
So when writing characters, give them traits, habits and mannerisms. What they do is as important as what they say and where they are. It makes them so real to the reader. Let them be clumsy or nervous or snooty or funny, or even a little eccentric. Any trait or mannerism you give them can make them memorable.
Uh oh, look out! Fred just made a break for it. He’s out the door and gone. He’s got a football game to watch and nobody’d better get in his way. I sure hope he wasn’t the killer.
Until next time, watch the people around you, but not to the point where they think you’re a little weird. Study their mannerisms. Even if you're not a writer, it can be very entertaining.
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Categories: Developing characters, Pets, Reactions, Fun, Authors, Emotions, Books, Book Marketing and Promotion, Humor, Reading, Fiction Writers, Marja McGraw, Mystery
Tags: Marja McGraw Blog Fiction Writers Mystery Blog Mystery writer Authors Books Humor Humorous Mystery Mystery Fun Writing Mysteries Sandi Webster Cozy Mysteries Mystery blog Chris Cross Marja's Mystery Blog writing Describing characters rolling eyes sighing
Great post! It is fascinating to watch people and to incorporate some of what we see into our characters; it makes them "real." In "Old Murders Never Die," I related to Sandi Webster because, like her, when I'm confused, frustrated, etc., I tend to let out a huge sigh.
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Hi, Patricia. Well, it may not come as a bit surprise, but I sigh AND I roll my eyes. Write about what you know about? Thank you for stopping in.
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Great post, Marja. It's something I need to remember both when reading and writing that each person, real or fictional, does something physically to show what is going on inside their head.
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Very true, Anne. You can learn a lot about a person just by watching. Thank you for stopping in.
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Excellent post, Marja. I love Livvie and think you should give her a bigger role.
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LOL Thanks, Jean! Livvie is coming back in my WIP, minus hormone pills (for at least part of the book). It helps to know people actually like what I've done with the characters.
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We writers are so weird. Sitting in a group recently, I wondered which of us would the rest of us bury next? There were some older folks, a range of ages and health issues. One of the younger ones had a massive coronary that next week. He died way out of turn. Jumped the line. I hate when that happens.
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Oh, my. Only a writer could tell the story the way you did. Good job! Thank you for stopping in.
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Enjoyed the article. Great way to bring the characters to life.
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Thanks, Kat. When a person is shy, they do a lot of people watching, and that was me at one time. You begin to realize that people have mannerisms that give away what they're thinking or feeling.
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Super blog, Marja! You really get to the heart of creating characters.
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Thanks, Tricia. I just watched an old episode of Castle, and even romance gives itself away with a look or a quick movement. Fun stuff!
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As acquisitions editor, one of my pet peeve (and I'm seeing more and more of this) is that writers get on a dialog roll and totally forget there are other things going on! I can't take dialog in a vacuum. Make the characters do something. Those gestures, as Marja pointed out, go a long way to defining people.
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Thanks for stopping in, Sunny. You're right. People can talk til they're blue in the face, but it's their gestures that might give a clue if they're being honest or not. And it's too one dimensional with just dialogue and no actions to go with it.
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The character descriptions you shared in this blog proves you know what you're talking about. I could envision each individual. Lots of fun.
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Thanks, Theresa. If you could picture them without having a physical description, then I must be doing something right. : ) Thank you for stopping in.
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Intriguing to link a mannerism with guilt. I recall one story where a character ripped paper napkins to shreds whenever he sat at a restaurant table. Later, to the reader's horror, this gave him away as the killer. Unfortunately only the reader, not his dinner companion, realized this ... Your insights reminded me of this, and of how important mannerisms are. Thank you.
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Thank you for stopping by, Melanie. I can only say I'm glad I wasn't his dinner companion. Now I need to take my own advice. Sometimes I forget.
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In my workshops, I often get no dialogue at all from new writers, so I have to encourage that. With mannerisms. And even the ones writing for awhile fall into the he said, she saids, without mannerisms. Thanks for this blog; we all need reminders now and then.
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You're welcome for the reminder, and thank you for commenting, Eileen. It's just human nature to do something besides simply speak.
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Yep, very good blog. So true, so true.
I have a character I put in my next book who sniffs, cracks his knuckles and loudly sips his coffee. He drives the main character to distraction.
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I'm laughing because he'd drive me to distraction, too. Thank you for stopping in, Stephen.
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I really liked this post, Marja. It came at the right time for me, too. I'm on rewrite and checking for just this type of thing.
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I'm glad you enjoyed it, Jackie. Best wishes with your rewrites, and I'll look forward to your new book.
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Great post Marja, we all have some sort of idiosyncrasy...thank you for reminding us to pick up on these. Augie Hicks
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Thanks for stopping in, Augie. Depending on the circumstances, even just staring off into the distance can reflect what we're feeling. In my case, if I do that my husband knows I'm thinking about books. : )
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Going to keep close eye on those around me so I can share their traits next time we meet. Another fun and informative posting. Thanks!
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LOL Thanks, Jake! Lunch soon.
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