– That my son is almost 10 months old and we still haven’t gotten professional photos yet?
– That I pour Hershey’s chocolate syrup on chocolate fudge brownie ice cream? And sometimes caramel syrup too?
– That I eat a bowl of that ice cream every night?
– That my house is a mess?
– That I’d like to call in sick when I feel just fine?
– That I crack my knuckles at least ten times a day?
– That I dog-ear pages in books that don’t belong to me?
– That I occasionally throw away cans when it would take maybe five more seconds from my day to recycle them?
Question to Ponder: What imperfections do you give your characters?
Dog-ears just tell the story of where you stopped reading somewhere in the middle of the night. Fun post, glad to find you.
Stay home, have babies, and write, write, write! Simply a delight to meet you.
Blessings from Costa RIca,
Sarah Dawn
T. Anne – good to know I'm not the only one with a messy house.
Kelly – at the risk of sounding melodramatic…. I would just DIE without my nightly ice cream fix. 🙂
Beth – I drive some people absolutely crazy with my knuckle-cracking. I give that apologetic look when I see others cringe… but you are right, it just feels SO good!
Jen – thanks for approving of my messy home! And I just have to say it again – CONGRATS on the agent call!!! That is such awesome news!
Carrie – you know, the head shots? The photos from JC Penny. Those type of photos. I haven't done any of those yet.
Cindy and Erica – sorry to make you both cringe with the dog-earring. I'll try my best to use a bookmark, but it's sort of futile. Just like cracking my knuckles, I've tried to quit….but I lose my bookmarks somehow. 😉
Wendy – I once ate some of my college roommates wheat thins without asking. I felt bad after. Sounds like I can relate to one of your characters. 🙂
Jeannie – thanks for the award. And look for me on your couch at four tomorrow. Now, do I get a discount since I'm your crit partner?
Karin – I'm not a shoe person, but I know many a woman who loves their shoes. 🙂
Marybeth – I WISH I liked sorbet (it's much healthier), but I need creamy chocolate. Frozen custard is even BETTER than ice cream.
Faith – I agree! Completely. An apple a day may keep the doctor away. But a bowl of ice cream a day keeps the cranky pants (as Sherrinda would call them) away. 🙂
Galen – perfectly normal, of course. In fact, they are SO normal and average, they sound downright boring. 😉
Tracy!! So glad to hear from you, girl! Brogan misses Griffin too! I can't believe he's already one! If you ever want to get together for a play date, never hesitate to email. keganshert@gmail.com
Jenna – pretzels and sugar?? Really? hmmmm….now I have something new to try!
Elizabeth – if you don't mind, I might borrow that line a time or two. 🙂
Thanks, Eileen! He is getting a little better with the glasses. He has his great days with them, and his not so great days.
Jody – I hear ya with God's grace. I couldn't survice one second without it!
Jessica – maybe we should have a ice cream party at the ACFW conference! I might be having withdrawals. 🙂
Tab – thanks for the award girl! I appreciate it big time! And life as a teacher and mum (I love saying mum) is a lot better this week than last and hoping the trend will continue. 🙂
Oooo, Heather! Your comment made me crave a SECOND bowl of ice cream. Sometimes I make brownies, and hubby and I put the brownies in our ice cream…..now I'm drooling. I definitely need to make brownies tomorrow!
LOL about the cans. I do that too! (shh don't tell) My house is never going to be clean. Ever. And it's not from a lack of trying, there are just too many living people that occupy it. Not to mention beasts.
We have ice cream every night too!!! 🙂 LOVE it!!!
It might be bad, but it feels soooo good (cracking knuckles as I write this..hee hee). A lot of my characters have imperfections, because that is what makes us all unique!
I love it that your house is a mess. I'll be your friend forever, based on that one comment alone.
My characters have very real flaws since i write n.f. Mostly I write about stupid things I have done, which I hope makes everyone feel a little better about themselves.
Professional photos? What does this mean, "professional photos"?
I would eat ice cream every day if it was in our freezer every day. Sometimes we run out.
My house is a mess, and I regularly crack every joint in my body except my shoulders.
Wait… you DOG-EAR OTHER PEOPLE'S BOOKS? I don't think we can be friends anymore. (Just kidding! But if you borrow my books, use a bookmark.)
I do some of those things, too! But dog-earing the books…ooooh, I don't think I could do that!
I love reading about imperfections in characters and I am working toward making my characters more interesting by applying these imperfections in a fun, relatable and useful way.
The librarian in me is hyperventilating over the dog-earing of books! LOL
What some consider a flaw, others consider a sign of sisterhood. Flaws can draw us together and flaws can drive us apart.
Being choosy with the flaws you give your characters so that they are identifiable and not repelling is the delicate balance. 🙂
My characters are all perfect to make up for all of my imperfections. 😀 Teasing, of course. Some of mine interrupt, are bossy and two of my characters once ate fresh bread at a neighbors home w/out asking…sneaky, sneaky.
~ Wendy
yes, to all of the above. i'll schedule you in at 4 on your way home from work.
oh…stop by my blog today…you got an award!
Wow, 10 months? My niece and nephew live across the country from all aunts, uncles, and grandparents, so they each went every two months for the first year 🙂 (Except Miles – the first boy grandkid for both sets of grandparents – he got a 4 day old pro pic!)
I LOVE giving my characters flaws and quirks. It's my favorite part of character development! I do struggle, however, with not making all of my heroines shoe lovers…because I do love my shoes.
Is it worse that I missed BOTH of my daughters 1st grade picture days so she doesn't have a pic to go with the first grade 🙁 I'm SUCH a scatter brain. UGH
I love all your quirks. I'm not an icecream girl as much as I love Raspberry Sorbet! YUM
I try to give my characters little quirks too, for some reason I think it's easier to do with the bad guy than the good guy though.
I think a bowl of ice cream per day is practically necessary to survive! Just sayin'.
Good reminders here… I know I need to work harder at getting my character's little quirks out into the open, and maybe spend more time thinking about it before I dive into the writing.
And I'm to understand these things you do are…what? Faults??? Ha, I could tell you faults, but, will spare all.
Uh, characters. Hmmm. Well, one of mine is overweight, knows everyone’s business—and trades that knowledge for personal advancement. Another is a one-eyed, ambitious person in authority who uses that position to advance his career at the expense of others…to include blackmail and murder. Another is a womanizing alcoholic—and he’s the protagonist. Another is a wife beater who deserts a wounded, immobile comrade in a combat situation, then, watches the enemy kill him.
So, no. Most of my characters are pretty normal folks…Grin.
Best Regards, Galen
Imagineering Fiction Blog
Hi Katie,
Just wanted to say that Griffin is almost 13 months old and we don't have any professional pictures, either. Don't feel bad. And taking a sick day when you feel just fine? Those are called "Mental Health Days" and we all need them once in a while.
Griffin met a new friend at day care, but he sure misses Brogan 🙂 Hope you guys are doing well and good luck with the new school year.
I love ice cream too!! I used to have it every night when I was a kid – with pretzels and sugar on it. Yep, I really did.
In my sweet romance WIP my main female character says a particular phrase a lot that has a couple swear words in it. I'm thinking about having her toddler repeat it back to her at the end of the story.
Not sure though.
I hope it's not bad! I do a lot of those things, myself. 🙂
As far as the house goes…I say I'm raising children, not raising a house. It seems to work well when we have company. 🙂
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
Katie, I bet your list of Is it Good? is far, far longer!!!
I hope school is going well for you and that Braden is getting more used to those glasses.
Ah, Katie! I couldn't fit all of my "bad" habits into one list!! Makes me all the more grateful for the grace of God!! Hope you're surviving week two of back to school!
Hahaa! Love the icecream every night. 🙂 I like to do that too. LOL
I need to work on my characters, that's for sure. Blech.
Not bad at all 🙂 Very human of you Katie :))
One of my 'characters' (remember I write non-fiction) likes the throw fits…
By the way I have an award for you on my blog, drop by and pick it up sometime 🙂
How goes the busy life of mum and school teacher?
Is it bad that I do some of those things as well? 🙂 I love pouring caramel all over my cookies & cream ice cream! Then I add a cookie or two to the top.
Great post. I love thinking of quirks to give my characters.