There are those who might feel that the reason I love quirky characters is because I am one!  Hmm...

So what is it about quirky characters that appeals to me so much, both in terms of reading about them and writing them myself?

1. Humour - there's usually a lot of humour, often irony, involved here. That appeals directly ever since I first came across irony in Pride and Prejudice which I read at secondary school many, many moons ago. That book was an eye opener for me in terms of how irony can be used (and the best kind is subtle with it too). It paved the way for me to appreciate more direct irony in the works of Terry Pratchett and P.G. Wodehouse, to name but two, later on
2. The Unexpected - The irony (!) here is you expect the unexpected from quirky characters. You'd be a bit disappointed to say the least if they didn't come out with something. Often this is the pivoting point of the whole story too. What is fun is trying to guess what they come up with.
3. Memorable - You remember quirky characters. It's why I've always loved Jo March in Little Women and George in The Famous Five. Again I wanted to find out what they could do and whether they could surpass what had gone before. It kept me reading! The trick for a writer is to achieve the same thing. It is also the challenge! What is it that makes your characters memorable?
   

Image Credit:  The marvellous Pixabay.

My CFT post this week is on the topic of Murphy's Law and how it can affect writers.
Image Credit:  As ever, the wonderful Pixabay. Captions on the CFT post.

Now we all know Murphy's Law is no respecter of barriers. Whatever profession you're in, whichever hobby you enjoy, it will strike at some point. So as to the actual creating of a story, what are the things to look for so you can avoid them?

1. Naming Characters - For longer works of fiction, it is too easy to give characters names that are too similar to others (for example Stephanie and Stephan. Two different characters but the problem with names that are similar is they can make the characters forgettable or interchangeable, neither of which you want). I get around this by ensuring each of my characters has a name that starts with a different letter of the alphabet. It's simple but it works. Murphy's Law can kick in here by making you not spot this until after you've got your first draft down. (Yes, it can be fixed at that point but it can be frustrating when you've got two similar sounding characters. The last thing you want is anything that might cause confusion in a reader or a sense of "what is that character doing here? I don't see the point of them" reaction).
   
2. Outlining - The query here is how much to do? Will Murphy's Law strike in that you either outline too much or not enough? How can you judge what is correct for the writing you're working on? A rule of thumb I use is have I got enough to get started on the story? Have I got enough to get me to the middle of the story? Have I got enough to be able to conclude the story? You don't necessarily need to outline everything. You just need enough to get you to the next stage in the story. Think of this as outlining the major markers. Get those right and it will help you get everything else in place. You just want to stop yourself going off at unproductive tangents and that is where Murphy's Law will trip you up. Stop the unhelpful tangents and you save yourself valuable time too. Work out what you think you need to know.
   
3. Settings - The trap here again is detail. How much do you need to know before you write the story? What impact will the setting have on your characters? Preparation is the key to beating Murphy's Law hitting you here. Again work out what you think you need to know. And bear in mind the setting must have some kind of impact on your characters - they're either going to love where they are (but it is under threat - which is where your story comes in) or loathe it and want to escape (which is where another type of story can come in).
   

I suspect there won't be any great surprises here but each one should be a challenge to all of us to ensure we keep doing these!

1. Characters I love or love to loathe. They've got to be memorable.
   
2. Situations which are critical for the characters. They've got to strive for something important.
   
3. A setting I would love to visit! (Anyone fancy a trip to The Shire in The Lord of  the Rings? Mordor, I'd be happy to miss!).
   
4. Great pace.  Absolutely no boring bits!
   
5. It's a story I'd be happy to re-read at any time and enjoy it all over again.
   
6. Humour, where apt for the story and the characters. I have a very soft spot for irony.
   
7. Tragedy, when necessary as it often is, not to be overdone. (I think tragedy has much more of an impact when it does not become melodrama).
   
8. Snappy dialogue.
   
9. Catchphrases I can remember - and enjoy doing so.
   
10. The story shows me something of the human condition which I'd either not considered before or reaffirms something. Funny stories can do this surprisingly well.
    

My CFT post looks at why Controlling the Weather isn't a good idea even if we could do it. I also look at why "it was a dark and stormy night" has gone down as one of the all time "great" writing cliches. But can the weather play a purpose in writing? Can writers control their use of it so it is effective, rather than something that can be mocked (as that infamous opening line so often is)? What should writers control in their writing?

The weather can play a role in writing as long as it matters to the story (in terms of outcome/character development etc).  Generally speaking, it matters to the story is the most important rule in all fiction writing! Weather can also be used to reflect or contrast mood. If someone is singing in the rain, we would generally want to know why!  Interest piqued... now follow through with interesting reasons why!

What writers should seek to control in their writing should be:-

1.  Everything that is in the story has to be in there. Something would be lost in terms of character and/or plot if anything was removed. If anything could be skipped, cut it out. It is what readers/editors will skip.

2.  Their characters. Characters should be well developed and should engage with the reader (even if it is to make the reader hate them!).

3.  Dialogue.  This should reveal information/move the story onwards. Any dialogue without a purpose shouldn't be in there.

Image Credit:  Pixabay.  For captions see the CFT post!