Now this is an interesting topic. What is the oddest character you have
ever dreamed up, and how did they fit into a story?
First, I had to figure out what made a character odd? Their appearance,
their occupation, their hobby, did they come from space? I write contemporary
but with a touch of paranormal. My WIP has a dog that may have a paranormal
element. My Hawkins Ranch series has a grove of trees where the spirits of
Native Americans reside and talk to the owners of the ranch. I decided on
Lillian Abernathy from A Cruise to Remember. She’s a widow in her sixties with
Alzheimer’s and a touch of kleptomania. She wants to repeat a cruise she and
her deceased husband had taken, to bring back memories, while she still can.
She’s takes Hallie, the heroine with amnesia, on the cruise as her companion.
They travel through the Caribbean where they are considered potential jewel
thieves.
Lillian is a strong secondary companion who helps the story progress
with both the plot development and the growth and development of the heroine. She
plays matchmaker, and also brings a little of her own romance into the
story.
I’m looking
forward to reading about other authors odd characters. Join me in checking them
out.
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com
A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1LT
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com
A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1LT
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Rhobin L Courtright www.rhobincourtright.com
I’d
also love to hear from people about the oddest character they’ve read about.
I like you comment about deciding what is odd. It leads to how readers (and people) can learn to enjoy someone's oddness, which might not be odd at all to someone else. You also show how someone's oddness can be used against them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rhobin. I think many of us struggled with the definition of odd.
DeleteLove your alzheimers lady and can easily imagine the trouble she could get up to on a cruise. One of my stories has a secondary character with Alzheimer's but she isn't nearly as entertaining.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Skye. I really enjoyed writing about Lillian. It's always fun when you love your characters.
DeleteBeverley, you asked for the oddest character I've ever read. That's probably Smeagol in The Lord of the Rings series by Tolkien.
ReplyDelete"What has it got in its pocketses, precious?"
He is incomprehensibly evil at the start, but as the story unfolds, we learn how he got that way, and there is a hidden lesson: greed for gold, greed for power is addictive, and turns you into a tool of Mordor.
Thank you, Bob, for sharing. I'd forgotten about Smeagol. It's been a long time since I read Lord of the Rings. Loved the book. I think it's time I found my copy and read it again.
DeleteI vote for the dog with paranormal elements...or the Native American spirits who counsel a lead character. Actually, the character would be the "odd" one, since he/she hears voices. But then, as authors, don't we all?
ReplyDeleteAs for LOTR, one of my sis-in-laws is bringing a LOTR Trivia game to Thanksgiving, where there will be 30+ people! Okay, a few of them are toddlers and babies. But most of the adults have either seen the movies (me), or read the books AND seen the movies (most of them.) She says that the winner gets to keep the ring that comes with the game...until next time we all get together, and someone else might win it! I figure I don't have a chance, since I never read the books. But it will be fun to play, anyway.
Thanks Fiona. I love both the dog and the "spirits". It was a difficult choice. And I haven't heard of the LOTR Trivia game, but it sounds like fun - and you get a ring. They are great books. I really am going to read them again. I have the trilogy.
ReplyDeleteAlztheimer's with a touch of kleptomania? Love this character. I bet she was interesting but fun to write.
ReplyDelete