 | 21 Sep 09 |
I’m superstitious.
I’m not picky about where I get my superstitions; I mix and match them. I knock on wood, toss salt over my shoulder, rub Buddha’s belly, and utilize Feng Shui design in my office. I have lucky numbers, and have been known to wear stones for their reputed properties. I don’t walk under ladders. If a black cat dashes across my path, I wince and look for trouble coming. I love wishing fountains and good luck charms. Some superstitions I had to change because they worked backwards for me. That whole “see a penny, pick it up” thing for good luck? Brings me bad luck every time, so I avoid pennies on the ground like the plague.
I read my horoscope, both Western and Chinese. On a recent writers’ retreat, my laptop’s operating system died. Faced with the dreaded blinking cursor on a blank screen, I didn’t think, “Well, the darn thing is a little over three years old.” No, no, no. I thought, “Damned Mercury Retrograde!” I’m certain MR is the reason why my runs-like-a-top desktop computer has had a few fits this past week. And MR is definitely why it took me a week of searching support forums to learn that the utilities disk required to use the Windows re-installation disk (a disk to use another disk, yeesh) has to be snail mailed to me, because Dell doesn’t have it on their site to download. I’m going to use this opportunity to justify adding a netbook to my arsenal of writing implements, but I’ll wait until I get back from Lora Leigh’s RAW next week… when Mercury will be in direct motion again. (Appliances and equipment purchased during retrograde are supposedly doomed. *cue creepy music*)
Some of you will read all this and think I’m nuts. Hopefully, most of you will think I’m just quirky. Regardless, my fondness for superstitions is one of the eccentricities that make me ME. It’s one of things that defines me and makes me unique.
I starting thinking about traits and quirks and eccentricities while trying to deepen a character I’m working on. Formerly a supporting cast member, she’s now moving to center stage. I need readers to know her well. I need them to care about her and see her as unique in all the world. A woman with quirks that make her non-cookie cutter. Does she laugh when she’s nervous? Can she hold her liquor, or is she a lightweight? Does she raise her voice when she’s mad, or does she speak with dangerous softness? Does she listen to the radio and watch TV at the same time? Is she a good driver, or does she run over curbs?
I read a story once where the hot-as-hell alpha hero, a man who faced death every day without a shiver of fear, was afraid of heights. Absolutely brilliant the way it was executed. That phobia breathed life into the characterization and made a huge difference in how I related to him. And so my desk is covered with papers that detail my progression to uncovering my heroine. When I’m done with her, I’ll do the same for my hero. I can’t wait to figure out what his quirks are!
How about you? If you’re a writer, what’s the most unique quirk you’ve ever given a character? If you’re a reader, is there a favorite character of yours that has unusual eccentricities? And confess, are you superstitious?
Sylvia Day is the national bestselling, award-winning author of seventeen novels. A wife and mother of two, she is a former Russian linguist for the U.S. Army Military Intelligence. In addition to her novels, she’s written numerous novellas and short stories for both print and electronic-original release. Sylvia’s work has been called “wonderful and passionate” by WNBC.com and “wickedly entertaining” by Booklist. Her stories have been translated into Russian, Japanese, Portuguese, German, Czech, and Thai. She’s been honored with the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award, the EPPIE award, the National Readers' Choice Award, and multiple finalist nominations for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® Award of Excellence.
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Pennies only bring good luck if they’re laying face-up. Otherwise, they’re bad luck.
Superstitious? Me? Naw. ;o)
Good thing the black cat thing is just a myth, because a stray I feed is jet black and he crosses the road in front of my house all the time. I’d be covered in bad luck if it were true. Hmmm, maybe that’s the problem…
by B.E. Sanderson September 21st, 2009 at 5:07 amI didn’t know about the face-up thing with the pennies! Maybe that was my problem with them.
I love black cats. The way they look. I can’t actually get too near them because I’m allergic.
by S. J. Day September 21st, 2009 at 9:14 amI’m not superstitous, although grade school, I used to avoid stepping on cracks (at the urging of the girlfriend I walked home with). Maybe I should have kept it up, as my mom’s got some back issues now. But I don’t hold myself responsible.
So far, most of my characters deal with fears, not phobias, although I’ve got one yet-to-be-sold manuscript with a hero who’s claustrophobic, so I had some fun with him.
I enjoy reading quirky characters, so maybe I should think more about layering things like that into my work.
by Terry Odell September 21st, 2009 at 5:37 amA claustrophobic hero? I love that! I can see how the added conflict would be great fun to write.
by S. J. Day September 21st, 2009 at 9:18 amYeah, I got to put him in some tight places!
by Terry Odell September 21st, 2009 at 9:34 amWell, since I write paranormal, and my favorite of my published ero/rom is about a fortuneteller and fate…
It’s only superstition if it doesn’t have an effect. LOL
Actually, I love black cats, so I refuse to believe they’re bad luck. Maybe I get an out because I was born on Halloween? But then, I’m also a fan of Friday the 13th (the day, not the movie). But, yeah, I won’t try to do anything TOO important during MR or moon-void (that takes a little more research, though), and I always pick up pennies when I find them.
Nothing wrong with living life a little off the beaten path. There’s less traffic that way.
by Lorena September 21st, 2009 at 5:40 amA Halloween baby? How fun is that! The possibilities for parties are endless and everyone is ready to party.
by S. J. Day September 21st, 2009 at 9:20 amWell, I’ve got Friday the 13th covered! So, for me, black cats are good luck (I’ve been owned by some beautiful ones!), I pick up pennies ALL the time (and then turn around and spend them at Border’s!). I do the salt throwing also, just in case, but over the left shoulder, as my grandmother taught me. There are some superstitions that have never seemed to apply to me, and some that just give me double-whammys every time, no matter what I might do to try to mitigate them.
My favourite character quirks? Hard to choose. Probably one where the hero has to be constantly in a place where he just can’t stand the type of music played there, or something to do with his clothes. I really don’t know. I’ve never given too much thought into a character’s quirks, or why they are the way they are. You authors are so good at explaining that for us throughout the course of the book!!
Later,
Lynn
by Lynn R. September 21st, 2009 at 6:31 pmI wonder why the left shoulder…?
by S. J. Day September 22nd, 2009 at 7:56 amI won’t say that I’m superstitious, but I do throw salt over my shoulder when I spill some. It’s an old habit I picked up from my grandmother and one that some deep seated part of me is unable to ignore.
As far as characters go, of all the characters I’ve created, Vic Carponti in my novel War’s Darkest Fear is by far my favorite. In Fear, Carponti loses an arm in Iraq and serves as the comic relief in the book. While my hero is mopey and depressed about his injuries, Carponti is waving his arm around and calling it the nub. He’s never serious. He’s a compilation of all the soldiers I’ve met over the years who uses such horribly dark gallows humor to get through some really horrible experiences. I figure if soldiers make jokes in the middle of a firefight, why couldn’t I have a character who is completely irreverent about his status as an amputee.
I think readers will look at Carponti when the book is sold and think that he’s over the top. I hope they’ll love him and see someone who’s able to deal with his injuries b/c he’s by far my favorite character. He’s not superstitious at all but he’s pretty unique.
by Jessica Scott September 21st, 2009 at 7:04 amGreat post!
I’ve met people like your Carponti. They’re fabulous. Kudos to you for writing him!
by S. J. Day September 21st, 2009 at 9:21 amI don’t think I’m superstitious really, maybe a little. But I have a dear friend who is SERIOUSLY superstitious. She makes the x in the air if a black cat runs across the street in front of her. Woodpeckers are a sign of good luck for her (whenever they appear in her yard or wherever she is) whereas red birds are a sign bad things are coming. It’s really interesting to watch her reactions to how strongly she feels about the signs (good or bad).
by Debra Webb September 21st, 2009 at 7:25 amIt is interesting to watch quirks in action, isn’t it? We can grow very fond of some of those eccentricities in our mates and friends. They’re part of the overall package that make the special people in our lives so endearing.
by S. J. Day September 21st, 2009 at 9:24 amI throw a pinch of spilled salt, knock on wood, spill the last few drops of any alcoholic drink on the floor/ground (for the Little People), and if the person I’m walking with and I pass on opposite sides of a post/pillar/etc., I always say, “Bread and butter.” I have no clue what it means, but my grandmother and mother both did it. Friday the 13th is usually a good day for me. MS sucks hind tit and I just want to hide under the covers until the period passes. Pennies on the sidewalk have a whole different meaning for me–they are messages from those passed over. Owls are a sign of death coming, and peacock feathers in a house bring bad luck. (Those are from the DH’s family.)
Quirks in characters…I have one who is convinced technology hates her (and it does, bwahaha!). I have another who hates snakes. And one who panics in the dark. Quirks are what makes them (and US!) fun.
by Silver James September 21st, 2009 at 8:07 amI love the “Little People” one! I’m going to do that.
by S. J. Day September 21st, 2009 at 9:26 amI’m not superstitious, but I had a weird omen last week. I haven’t seen a snake in my yard for at least 2 years. Last week I took my dog out before I went to what I knew would be a difficult meeting. There was a snake in the yard! Turned out the person I was meeting was even more of a “snake in the grass” than I had thought possible. Cue the Twilight Zone music, LOL!!
by Janel September 21st, 2009 at 8:55 amSigns like that always trip me out in hindsight!
by S. J. Day September 21st, 2009 at 9:27 amI hate when it’s MR. This time it’s my cell that won’t work correctly. And no, I don’t need a new one, it works fine and then stops (in the middle of call, not dropping the call, just stops) and then in 5-10 minutes it’s fine again.
I love the little people too. My best friends grandmother used to tell us about them. She was always leaving something for them.
by Vicki September 21st, 2009 at 11:41 amThe cell phone fritzing would drive me nuts.
Is alcohol the best thing to leave for the little people?
by S. J. Day September 22nd, 2009 at 7:52 amI’ll pick up any coin on the street so long as it’s heads up. Aside from that? I’m not superstitious at all. I’ll walk under a ladder, spill salt all over myself, allow ten black cats to walk in front of me and break a dozen mirrors while they’re doing it. Hell, I wouldn’t have known Mercury was in Retrograded if Rocki hadn’t been tweeting about it.
My mil has never allowed a goldfish in her house, refuses to own an opal, as it isn’t her birthstone, along with a host of other things. Hubby has his own little superstitions. He LOVES reading horoscopes. I do too, but as much as I’d like to believe all that good stuff, I really don’t. But it’s fun to get excited over them when they apply to something in your life you happen to be going through at the time.
I went to a psychic once and laughed my ass off. rip. off. years ago my housekeeper asked me to lend her $2,000. she said a psychic (a supposed very reputable one, one that had been all over the local television programs, wrote a book, read for high profile peeps, blah blah) told her for 2K she could tell my friend where her long lost brother was buried. I asked her what her brother’s name was, and his date of birth, put her on hold, called hubby who ran it through the system at work and in two minutes had an address. That weekend my friend and her entire family met with her very much alive brother, and all was good. So, I have great skepticism.
we have one coming to our local rwa chapter meeting next month. i’m going *only* to support my chapter.
by Karin Tabke September 21st, 2009 at 11:54 amIs she going to do readings? Are you going to get one done?
by S. J. Day September 22nd, 2009 at 7:53 amI’m very superstitious, goes with being Irish.
In our house we have a saying, ‘if we didn’t have bad luck we’d have no luck at all.’ So that I got my new dishwasher during the whole Mercury thing is probably a good thing. LOL
by Jill James September 21st, 2009 at 5:36 pmThat’s the thing about luck, it’s different for everyone. What’s lucky for one person, isn’t for another. “Find your own luck” couldn’t be truer!
by S. J. Day September 22nd, 2009 at 7:54 amI’m Irish, too, but the only thing I can’t resist doing is throwing salt over my right shoulder if it spills. (I figure, why not? But I’m an indifferent housekeeper anyway.)
I’m superstitious about my favorite racehorses. I hate it when the odd TV racing pundit says, “He’s a lock to win this.” That’s a jinx. Me Irish mother has a word for that kind of fate-tempting. She calls it “Titanic talk.”
The killing machine in my new book–guy is in black ops–has one quirk: he corrects peoples’ grammar.
by J. JCarson Black September 21st, 2009 at 5:52 pmFate-tempting… I like that word.
And I love the quirk of your hero! I bet that makes for some fun dialogue.
by S. J. Day September 22nd, 2009 at 7:55 am