If I Were a Character… – A writing exercise

There are little things about characters that make them more real to both the author and the audience. Birthmarks, scars, and little quirks are all things that contribute to who that character is and how they act in a story.

Victoria Griffin created a list back on April 10th, 2016 to pinpoint the things about herself that made HER a character. Check out what would make her stand out on a page here, but in the meantime, I figured I’d jump on board and play along with my own personal version of the game.

What makes me a character….

• I have a scar on the left side of my head from not wearing a helmet on a bike ride to work. I had to get twelve staples and it still aches sometimes.
• I have a bad habit of biting my cuticles till they bleed when I’m very nervous.
• Half my head is shaved, the other half is almost to the middle of my back, but when I’m working, it’s always thrown up in a bun.
• My clothes always have at least five strands of dog hair on them.
• I rely on my stage acting knowledge to come off as more confident than I really feel.
• I whistle way more than is probably socially acceptable.
• There’s usually something odd in my pocket (worry stone, tiny Ganesha, a nail or screw from a project, a shell I thought was cool, etc.)
• I’m almost always wearing jeans and flip flops, if the weather permits.

 

How about you? What makes you a character, and how can you pick out little things to make your MC unique? Not a writer? What little things do some of your favorite characters do, have or say that makes them unique?