Creating Quirky Characters by Robert and Darrin McGraw
Quirky
characters add spice to a story and can also be used as a source of tension.
In Animal Future, Darrin and I began with the premise that in the near
future, an unexplained phenomenon has caused some species to become
intellectually elevated to the point that they are classified “provisional
humans” and can hold down human jobs. Although our book is a humorous
action-thriller, there is an important sub-text that asks: if the “Elevation” actually
occurred, how could two very different populations learn to get along with each
other?
We start
with a chimpanzee character. But there immediately
we have a problem: chimpanzees wearing clothes are a cliché. We counter that by
taking it a step farther and making our chimp, Mr. Brian, even more “clothed”
than a human would be. He’s a “bespoke” (custom) gentleman’s tailor with a deep
knowledge of the fashion industry. Naturally, a high-end clothier like Brian wears
high-quality suits, French cuff shirts , and silver cuff links. He speaks impeccable English and is unfailingly polite. We then put
pressure on those traits when Brian and two humans, Autumn and Mack, go on the
run from terrorists trying to kill them. Having to sleep in a zoo, go without
showering, and sweat profusely while battling to stay alive will strain
anybody’s fastidiousness and courtesy. Sometimes it’s Autumn and Brian in
conflict with Mack; at other times it’s Brian and Mack in conflict with Autumn.
Brian also
has to learn to appreciate the quirkiness of humans. Mack, a rough-edged but
pragmatic spy with a wisecrack for every situation, thinks in divergent ways
that don’t match Brian’s honest and conservative nature. Brian begins to learn
to solve problems, though, by changing his thinking.
Autumn, the
Vietnamese-American policewoman who is fleeing with them, has her own quirks,
among them an interest bordering on reverence for the cultural history of
Vietnam (unlike the rest of her Westernized family, ironically). Brian,
however, is an entrepreneur who looks very much to the future. As an “elevated”
Provie, he has little sense of the history of his species, and therefore can’t
understand or appreciate Autumn’s dedication to the past. We put pressure on
this trait by having him switch identities with a chimp employee at the zoo,
where Brian begins to see that it can be helpful to know how things worked in
the past.
Brian has
stupendous latent physical strength and aggression, but ironically, he has to
be encouraged by humans to get in touch with his ape side in order to
eventually become a hero.
In short,
in this example we build up the quirkiness of the character by:
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Making traits more extreme
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Giving them conflicting traits
-
Giving them traits that go against expectation
-
Placing them in situations and with characters
who test or strain those traits
The next time you deal with someone whose quirkiness is
irritating or downright maddening, just remind yourself, “Hey, I can use this
in my next book!”
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KINDLE
KOBO
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/animal-future
NOOK
iBOOKS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/animal-future/id945456314?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4%2522
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Animal Future
(Book 1)
In this quirky, thoughtful, action-filled
novel, a female cop, a well-dressed chimpanzee, and a spy are on the run from
shadowy assassins armed with machine guns, drones, missiles, and two-inch
fangs.
Since the
mysterious Elevation of animal intelligence, San Diego has been flooded with
immigrant animals and society has changed. Officer Autumn Winn wants to leave
the Tactical Assault squad and become an expert on her Vietnamese heritage. But
first she has to prove she’s not guilty of murdering her partner. To do that,
she has to rescue the kidnapped wife of the chimpanzee tailor Mr. Brian.
In the process
she is forced to cooperate with Mack Davis, a good-looking but smart-mouthed
operative trying to stay alive long enough to retrieve his digital wristband
with its vital data, and also discover the secret of a jade figurine he just
transported from Singapore.
As they race to
find Brian's wife, the trio must navigate a colorful landscape of characters
including a comical pair of ferrets; a wealthy human socialite; a chimpanzee
paramilitary commander; and Urizen, the deranged king of underground
intelligence in Southern California.
(Watch for
Animal Future (Book 2) to be published
in November.)
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Author BIOs: Robert
McGraw and Darrin McGraw
Robert McGraw has had several professions, but his most
difficult job is convincing his wife he's actually working even when he's just
staring out the window. He is the author of numerous magazine and newspaper
articles, as well as three books. Two of his television scripts won awards from
the International Television Association.
A former professional symphony musician who spent several years playing for the Cape Town Symphony in South Africa, Robert has a Master's degree in Education and completed the work (all but dissertation) for a Ph.D. in music. He also studied art at The Ruth Prowse School of Art in Cape Town and creates visual art in a variety of styles. His works are represented in the collection of the International Museum of Collage, Assemblage and Construction in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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Darrin McGraw grew up more or less in a succession of libraries. He is pleased to note that the New York Public Library has a McGraw Rotunda, though he cannot actually take credit for this. He graduated from Stanford University and earned a Ph.D. in English from UCLA. After working in online software development he served for eight years as the writing director of the Culture, Art and Technology program at UC San Diego.
Besides writing and reading he has many other interests including early music, alternative architecture, and woodworking. When scientists have finished cloning the woolly mammoth he has a few other extinct species to suggest, including Cleopatra and Dr. Samuel Johnson.
A former professional symphony musician who spent several years playing for the Cape Town Symphony in South Africa, Robert has a Master's degree in Education and completed the work (all but dissertation) for a Ph.D. in music. He also studied art at The Ruth Prowse School of Art in Cape Town and creates visual art in a variety of styles. His works are represented in the collection of the International Museum of Collage, Assemblage and Construction in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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Darrin McGraw grew up more or less in a succession of libraries. He is pleased to note that the New York Public Library has a McGraw Rotunda, though he cannot actually take credit for this. He graduated from Stanford University and earned a Ph.D. in English from UCLA. After working in online software development he served for eight years as the writing director of the Culture, Art and Technology program at UC San Diego.
Besides writing and reading he has many other interests including early music, alternative architecture, and woodworking. When scientists have finished cloning the woolly mammoth he has a few other extinct species to suggest, including Cleopatra and Dr. Samuel Johnson.
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