How to Create Memorable Characters (One Quirk at a Time) by Karin Beery | Guest Post

Welcome Karin to the blog, readers! She's got a great guest post lined up for you as we continue our talk about characters and characterization!

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How many people want to hear the story of a pretty, blonde high school cheerleader who’s popular and dating the most popular guy in school? Sounds cliché, doesn’t it?

There are reasons that stereotypes exist (when I visited the Louvre in Paris, I followed a group of Asian tourists through the museum – I now understand why Asian tourists always have cameras with them in movies). Those stereotypes can work for some of your secondary characters, but your main characters have to stand out, otherwise they’ll blend in with all of the other characters people read.

So how do you create characters your readers will remember?

Give your character a quirk. Not a dozen quirks (otherwise your character can become stereotypically quirky), but that one thing that makes him or her memorable. If your character didn’t have that quick, he/she will be just like everyone else.

Consider the high school cheerleader from the introduction – now imagine that she’s a vampire slayer. Suddenly Buffy’s a lot more interesting! (The movie version, not the TV version.) It didn’t take a bucket of quirks to make her memorable; it just took one truly unique characteristic.

Not convinced?

Think about some of fiction’s most memorable characters – what makes them stand out?

Captain Ahab started his career like every other sea captain, but then he lost his leg. Certainly other captains lost limbs and suffered injuries at sea, so what sets Ahab apart? His obsession with getting revenge on Moby Dick. If Ahab wasn’t obsessed, he’d be any other captain.

Harry Potter doesn’t seem like anything special either. He’s a young boy. He’s a wizard. But so are all of the other students at Hogwarts. His quirk? He has a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. In this case, Harry’s quirk was something that happened to him, but the impact is the same. If he didn’t have that scar, he’d be like every other young wizard.

And then there’s Spock (he’s not literary, but the same principle applies). If he were Vulcan or human, he might be like any other Starfleet officer. What makes him unique is his human-Vulcan lineage – the battle between logic and emotions. Straddling the border between two worlds is his struggle and his quirk.

It doesn’t take a lot to make your characters memorable. It just takes that one special trait.

Look at the characters you’ve written. What quirk can you add (or have you added) that makes them unique?

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Owner of Write Now Editing and Copywriting Services, Karin Beery specializes in fiction and professional business copy. She is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the American Christian Writers Association. A Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network member, she is the Substantive Editing for Fiction instructor for the PEN Institute. Karin is represented by literary agent Steve Hutson at Word Wise Media. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, or at her website, www.karinbeery.com. Join her at PENCON 2017 May 4-6, 2017 to learn more about creating authentic characters. https://penconeditors.com/

Spread the Christmas Joy with Karin Beery | Day 21

Joy from Karin Beery

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Christmas 2006: my family had our first pictures taken with our newest member, five-month old Ella. You’d never know by looking at it, but those photos were the only thing we did as a family that entire holiday. Though I wouldn’t call 2006 my favorite Christmas memory, it’s easily the most memorable. Why? Ten adults, five cats, three bathrooms, two little girls, and one nasty stomach bug.

One month after our first wedding anniversary, my husband and I rendezvoused with my sisters at our parents’ house for Christmas. My younger sister’s friend was also staying there with her three cats. Matt and I brought two with us. My older sister came with a husband, a seven year-old, and the five month old. My aunt was there too, and so was my younger sister’s boyfriend.

There were literally people everywhere, filling every bed and couch. The five cats prowled, constantly spotting each other and growling. There was nothing peaceful about it, but it was family and it was the holidays. I loved sharing the familiar chaos with my new husband. Less than 24 hours after we all got together, however, the real chaos began.

My brother-in-law started it. A week before Christmas the human incubator carried a stomach bug across the country, through two airports, and into my parents’ house. As one would expect, his wife caught it first. She shared it with everyone else. For four days we took turns celebrating, feasting, and trying to avoid the sickies. The virus hit in waves, crashing into one person after another. We were never all together again as someone was always in the bathroom.

Too often in my adult life I find myself at home alone when I’m sick. It’s painful, tiring, and lonely. That year I had a house full of people to care for me, and I got to take care of them. I can think of a dozen ways I’d rather spend Christmas, but if I have to get sick, I’m glad it happened with the people I love the most.

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A freelance writer/editor/coach, wife, care giver, and homemaker, Karin Beery has published over 350 articles in various periodicals, in addition to writing her novels. She is an active member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association, Evangelical Press Association, and Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, or at her website, www.karinbeery.com.