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...