We all do weird things now and then, with or without reason, and when you get to know someone well enough, repetitions of the behavioral pattern can result in head-shaking and laughter, maybe a few, "Oh, Donald"s thrown in (unless of course their name isn't Donald, but whose isn't, amirite?). Humans have idiosyncrasies, and they add a new layer of depth to the people around us--they can be revealing or puzzling, amusing or disgusting, frustrating or embarrassing....
We all have them, so why shouldn't our characters?
As I see it, there are three main types of idiosyncrasies--Reasoned, Reasonable, and Weird.
- Reasoned: These are the types of traits that make complete sense once you know someone's history or inner self. Maybe someone flinches when someone tries to touch them, and once you know that the character was abused, it makes perfect sense! Or someone is boxed in by people on all sides and runs away to cower by themselves. Maybe they have claustrophobia, or, if they're comfortable in tight spaces, they could have social anxiety. Reasoned Idiosyncrasies just make sense--but not until you know the person.
- Reasonable: Reasonable Idiosyncrasies make sense... kinda.... These are the idiosyncrasies that don't seem to have a root cause. They just kind of exist, yet no one really questions it too much because the behavior is within our sphere of understanding. Maybe the character collects rocks, not because they like geology, but because they just think rocks are pretty, or they laugh when they're nervous--a pretty common "nervous tic," at least in fiction. Many nervous tics fall under this category. You can't explain them, but you really don't have to. They're just there.
- Weird: This is the interesting one. These are the things people do that just make no sense whatsoever, things they might not be able to explain. Sometimes it's situational--when the guy who hit Stephen King with his van told King that his leg was probably broken in five or six places, King's response was "I'm sorry." It doesn't make sense, but it's so human, something a number of us can imagine ourselves doing. Show of hands, how many of you apologize to people on a daily basis for things you had no control over? Things other people did to you? ((You can't see them, but there are so many hands up right now, I promise, just trust me.)) And have you ever just gotten up in the middle of the night to sort through your bookshelf and rearrange everything by author? I have. Other times, it's just a person being themselves. Maybe they suck on their middle finger as opposed to their thumb, or they always feel like they have to have exactly the right pair of pants to wear, or the day will be horrible. Maybe they always carry around a water bottle full of mud, and they might not be able to tell you why, just that they think it could come in handy, or they mutter ancient incantations under their breath instead of curse words, or they repeat every thirtieth word two times. Sometimes these things can overlap with the other two--the character could be recalling that mud helps draw out bee poison, or their parents were wizards, or they might have palilalia, or any number of things. But weird is weird, and if no one can understand it, this might be the category it fits in best.
If your character has at least one of each of these, they're on their way toward roundedness. Multiples of some or all of these can flesh your character out further still. Just make sure that your character doesn't become one big walking idiosyncrasy themselves. If your character is too weird, they might not be taken seriously.
On the other hand, if you're writing a comedy, go for it! Try to find a balance that works with your story and characters. Straight-laced heroes may only have one or two of each, where the less held-together heroes (or villains) might be riddled with them. The more you have, the more potential for silliness, or for drama, depending on what kind of idiosyncrasies you use.
Are there any idiosyncrasies you'd like to see more in fiction? Any you'd like to see less? Send it my way and I'll compile a list!
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