Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Q is for Quirks

HAPPY TWO MONTH BLOGGING ANNIVERSARY TO ME!!! That's right Bloggers it's official I've been blogging for two months and I'm elated to have met so many wonderful people! You have all truly inspired me in one way or another! I was able to finish my first draft and now I'm on to revising and I have all of you pushing me along the way! THANK YOU!!! Thank you for all the wonderful sweet comments you give me throughout the week as well! You all keep me motivated!! Oh and I also noticed I hit the 400 Follower mark, thank you to all of you who comment daily, and those who comment when you can, your love is appreciated, and I hope you feel the love back!!

Okay now to todays actual post, Q... this is a tough one, or is it?

Everyone has a quirk, and if you don't your lying to yourself! As writers I believe we have many, I also believe it is what makes us who we are. Have quirks about ourselves gives us the opportunity to add even more quirkiness to our characters and to our stories.

My main characters name is Lauren, she is your typical over-dramatic 17 year old who always complains that her life sucks. Her number one complain... the fact that her perfectly manicured parents produced her and rather than gracing her with the traditional good lucks they gave her bright red hair and really skinny frail legs. Her quirkiness comes out in her attitude and how she copes with certain situations. She ends up falling into the Traveler's world where she will have to grow up and forget about how awful she thought her life was and start realizing that if she isn't careful it could only get worse. Her funk and sarcastic personality makes for a little quirkiness when she meets a boy. Strange habits begin to unfold that she didn't even realize about herself.

So I'm sure your wondering what quirks I have... so I'll share a few:

I travel with a new toothbrush always
I like to do a few jumping jacks to help wake up in the morning

-- My brain isn't functioning or I'd list more --

So what are a few of your quirks... what about your MC's?

Oh and just to try this out for size... does anyone have any questions they'd like to ask me? That was my original Q but Quirks sounded like so much fun! I am open for questions though, if anyone wants to know more about my life, blogging or writing ask away and I'll post when I'll answer them on tomorrow's blog post!

53 comments:

Mary Aalgaard said...

400 followers in two months, you're amazing. Q for U: How did you do it?

My quirks? When I go to the Y to workout, I park in relatively the same spot every time and use the same locker, if it's available. If not, I can't find my clothes back, or my van. I'm easily distracted.

JE said...

Yeah, 400 followers in 2 months is very impressive. Good for you! And ofcourse, congrats on finishing up that MS. Nothing feels better than that. Well, finishing the editing does. LOL. Well, then querying it does. Okay, so there are lots more things that feel good too!

I've got lots of quirks and my MC normally do to. My main one is OCD, it's pretty bad. And my current MC is pretty much a pain in the butt. She's on a road to redemption though ;-)

I've got a suggestion for you post (if you haven't already answered it in a post I have missed). Why did you start writing?

~J

Private said...

Congratulations on hitting 400 followers, you must be a wizard of sorts! How on earth did you manage that?

Ella said...

Wow 400 impressive! Quirks great topic: I have to do my morning pages, have 2 cups of coffee, before my day starts. I always park far away in large parking lots. I like
adding more exercise to my day. I
almost always travel with my pillow and photos of my loved ones. When I go home, my feet have to hit the town warf. I don't feel like I'm home til I do. I grew up near the bay~ Fun post!

Candyland said...

Wow! Congrats girl!
My quirks...I have quite a few, but a couple are that I sleep with a fan no matter how cold, and wear a rob no matter how hot.

My MC likes to count things, like seconds that pass after she asks a question or when she wants to bolt, tiles between she and the door.

Lola Sharp said...

CONGRATS Jen!! 400 followers in 2 months is phenomenal! But then, so are you. :o)

Yes, I have quirks, we all have works, therefore our characters must have quirks.

Mine? I chew the skin around my fingernails (the smallest hangnail get gnawed on). I sleep with a fan on year round; I like the noise and fresh air. I like (need?) the chairs around my kitchen table to be all pushed in properly.

Happy Tuesday! :o)
Love,
Lola

Christina said...

Congratulations! You are a great blogger! And over 400 followers? Wow! You are fabulous!

Matthew MacNish said...

Thanks for sharing Jen, and congrats of course.

I'll venture a guess as to how Jen get's so many followers. She blogs daily, always an interesting post, and she comments on other blogs judiciously.

Can't think of any quirks right now, but thanks for sharing yours!

Christina Lee said...

Wowee only two months?? GREAT. My questions: Are you in the query stage now or still editing?

Unknown said...

Wow, congrats on the 400.
My quirks: I always need noise on when I write. I often put a movie on and just not pay attention to it.

Thanks for sharing.

Karen Lange said...

Congrats, Jen! Glad that we've gotten acquainted through our blogs.
Blessings for your day,
Karen

Hardygirl said...

Hmmm. . . quirks. My mc has a signature walk that she thinks looks wicked and sultry.

I just like to doodle on everything!

sf

Jaydee Morgan said...

Congrats on your two month blogging aniversary!! You have such an awesome blog, I'm not surprised at your follower count.

I don't have quirks, just special parts of my personality that make me unique ;)

Robby said...

400 followers! That's fabulous.
If I have one quirk, it's this- if you don't put the toilet seat down when you leave the bathroom, I'm probably going to scalp you.
It's up to you to figure out whether or not I'm kidding. :D

Ellen Brickley said...

Well done on your followers, Jen :D I can't believe you've only been blogging two months, it feels like you were always here!

My quirks:
Well, the first one I don't consider a quirk, but everyone else does - I brush my hair before I wash it. It makes brushing it afterwards easier. But people seem to find that odd.

Like you, I never pack toothbrushes when I go on holidays, I buy new ones.

This one is weird - Irish car registration plates list the year of registration and the county of registration, following by a unique number between one and six digits long (eg - 07 D 12345). I compulsively take the last number if it's four digits long or more and try to turn it into a calendar date. So if I saw a car with the registration number 07 D 12345, I'd read it as 07 D 12th March 1945.

Yeah, it's weird. I also add up the numbers on digital clocks.

Stina said...

Wow, 400 followers in two months! I bow to your greatness.

My mc's quirk is that she plays with the dolphin charm on her bracelet when she's nervous or uncomfortable. I loved her bracelet and charm so much, I bought one for myself during our recent family vacation. So would that make me a little quirky? Because I wanted something that my mc had?

Tara said...

Congrats on 400 - and in 2 months, wow!

Your MC sounds fun.

Agnes said...

Congratulations -- I am so impressed!

Southpaw said...

400 followers in two months, you've amazed us all. I’m also impressed you’re able to do the A-Z challenge.

Quirks? Of course, I naturally don’t have any but my MC does have a few. We can’t all be perfect. ;)

lisa and laura said...

2 months and 400 followers?!?! Holy. Crap. You are a blog goddess.

As for my quirk, I'm always thinking of ideas. I wake up at 5 AM, I stop to jot stuff down at the gym. Sometimes I don't hear when people talk to me because I'm too busy THINKING. There's something seriously wrong with me.

Carolyn V. said...

Woo hoo Jen! Congrats on the two months! =)

My quirk...I have to keep my phone with my keys (they are hooked together with a clip), so I don't lose them. Weird. I know.

Tina Boone said...

Congrats on finishing your first draft and on the 400 followers in two months. Amazing.

I can relate on getting some exercise in to wake up. Most of my quirks stem from a mild case of OCD. I'm one of those who washes dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. I also wake up with dialogue in my mind when I'm working on revisions for my novel. It's like my brain keeps writing while I'm asleep.

Christine Danek said...

You are rockin' Congrats on the two months and 400 followers --holy cow. I can't think right now so I may come back and list the quirks.

Crystal Cook said...

Congrats on the anniversary!!! And 400 woo hoo! You're awesome girl! :) i love your blog Jen, your posts are always fun and inspiring, but mostly i love getting to know you. You are the sweetest and make blogging a whole lot more fun :):):)

Quirks. . . I put peanut butter on my pancakes before I put syrup on. Seriously it's delicious, but everyone thinks I'm nuts.

Question for you. . . How did you write your MS so fast without getting stuck? And what's your favorite band?

Have a happy day :)

Summer Frey said...

Quirks...hmmm...

Well, I also brush my hair before I shower. Someone else mentioned that. I just do it because my hair is so thick, it's a pain in the ass to brush when it's wet if it isn't already tangle-free.

I count my steps when I walk, and I can't step on cracks. This gets very difficult in the grocery store, where they have the big tiled floors. Actually, I count lots of stuff, and once I start counting them, I can't stop until I'm done with whatever that was.

I read really fast. Is that quirk? Like, my husband clocks me at 20 seconds per page. (See, Spencer and I are soulmates.)

Meh. I'm probably all-around quirktastic, so...

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Happy two month anniversary...and HOLY COW 400 followers in two months! That is exceptional! WTG!

Theresa Milstein said...

I bet that plenty of teens will relate to being quirky. As a teenager, I had a friend whose mother looked like a model and she, though pretty, did not.

One of my characters always swears she'll never do something again in a moment of aggravation, but then she always does it again anyway.

Saumya said...

Wow! 400!! Congratulations!! As a writer myself, I truly enjoy your blog!

My quirks include shaking my legs when I'm anxious, needing to squeeze toothpaste from the bottom of the tube, and reading embarrassing stories in Cosmopolitan.

How far along are you with your project?? I'm about halfway through mine! Good luck with everything!!

Unknown said...

400!!!! You rock, girl! Let's see...I have many quirks. For instance, when I empty the dishwasher, I set the dinner table. No matter what time of the day it is. Why put the dinner dishes in the cupboard and the silverware in the drawer, just to lug it all back out later in the day?

Also, I always pop two sticks of gum in my mouth -- never just one. One's chews down too small :)

As for my MC, she's a germ-o-phobe. She slathers Germ-X over her hands every time she leaves the grocery store or gym.

Congrats again on all your blogging awesomeness!

Talli Roland said...

Only 2 months! Jen, that's amazing! :) Go girl.

Your main character sounds really cool - I like quirk! I've got a few characters in my current novel who have some bizarre stuff going on - one is addicted to Botox and keeps pinching his face!

Ann said...

Happy 2 month anniversary. Only 2 months and 403 followers. That is amazing. I have too many quirks to list. Would take forever. WOW 403 followers in two months. Good for you!!!!

Shannon said...

Congratulations on such an impressive two month mark.

Question for you:
How do you fit blogging, writing and revising into your schedule each day?

And to answer the quirk question:
I can't eat any meat with bones in it (chicken, ribs, etc). *shudder*

DL Hammons said...

Happy two month anniversary!!

Creepy Query Girl said...

My quirks- I'm a homebody. I bite my nails, and I crack my jaw a lot when life gets stressful.

Character's quirks- In my first novel, my MC has this brooch she plays with CONSTANTLY- it's her protection against renegade spirits, but still. She drives me nuts.

Unknown said...

Congrats on the followers!

Quirks is such a good thing to think about in writing. I know I have a lot, but I guess a quirk for my characters would be their language habits. I always pick up on slang.

MTeacress said...

My quirk: at times I am so overly friendly I scare people. At other times, I'm in another world and people think I'm rude.
Here's my question: How on EARTH did you get so many followers? I bet you've got a method to your blogging that is very inviting - something beyond the cool A-Z idea. Could you share? I've been going at it since January and am entirely proud of my 33 followers, but I'd like a few more. ;)

Anonymous said...

Hold on. You have been blogging for such a little time, and you have over 400 followers?.
Gosh, you deserve it. You are an amazing writer!

LOVE!

Kimberly Franklin said...

Two months? It feels like I've been talking to you forever now. Haha. And my name is at the top of that name thingy. LOL. I love it!! :)

I like the word quirks. The next time my hubby laughs at me because I'm a tiny bit (huge amount) OCD I'm just going to call it my quirkiness. LOL. That sounds so much better!! :)

PJ Hoover said...

You really do jumping jacks every morning? Now that is impressive.
I'm not sure on my quirks. Maybe that's why I have a hard time giving my characters any believable ones.

Clara said...

This seems really interesting. Everyone has quirks, girl, I have a lot...Hum question: Is the glass half full or half empty?

Jai Joshi said...

Congratulations on your two month blogging anniversary and on reaching 400 followers! That's amazing but it only goes to show how enthusiastic you are and how motivated.

Well done!

My quirks are that I sleep really late and never ever tell people the full plot to my stories. Never. I'm superstitious about it.

Jai

Andrea Allison said...

Congrats on the blogiversary and the 400 followers. I don't know how you managed it. I've been blogging for six years and have just now past the 100 mark. Then again, the whole "following" system didn't exist six years ago. Whatever you're doing keep it up.

Guinevere said...

Congrats on the blogiversary and 400 followers!

My quirks: I tap the top of a soda can three times with my fingernails before I open it. I have a song or dance for everything, including the Morning Song, Kitty Breakfast Song, and the Chinese Walking Catfish Dance to Express Impatience (there really is such a thing as a Chinese Walking Catfish). The latter weird is rather private, though - not many people get to see it. Just the cats and MJ.

Shelley Sly said...

Congratulations! 400 followers in 2 months! I'm just as amazed as everyone else. :D

I love quirks. One of my quirks: I'm an accent chameleon. I didn't realize it until recently, but I pick up the speech patterns of whomever I'm around. Talking to my family, I pick up the Jersey accent I was raised with; talking to locals in Maryland (where I live) I pick up the slight drawl. It's pretty funny.

Leigh Hutchens Burch said...

Yes, you must let us in on this secret scheme to get 400 followers in two months time. That is unrealspice!

My quirks, since you asked, are:

splitting my split ends

and

making sure the toaster is unplugged when it's not being used.

well, my brain isn't functioning either, because I know I have more quirks than that. :)

Happy two month bloggiversary!

Cynthia Reese said...

Congrats on the two months! May you have many, many more!

My most famous quirk (The Husband would say I have many to choose from):

My feet are almost always cold -- my whole body, actually. So I wind up wearing thick socks and jackets or sweaters even in July in Georgia. And no, I am NOT 90 years old and on blood thinners!

Portia said...

Congrats on your blog anniversary! Hmm, quirks ... Probably my biggest quirk is night writing. I'm terrified I'll forget the words if I don't wake up and write it while it's fresh. Even if I repeat it over and over in my head, if I fall back asleep it will most likely be gone by morning.

Eva said...

Quirks are funny things. I type my fingers when I'm thinking even if I don't have a computer. I know, it's crazy :)

Amy Jo said...

Happy anniversary! :)

Alissa Grosso said...

Happy 2 month anniversary!

As for quirks I have a bunch. One is that I always eat Pop Tarts "crust" first, which means I actually neatly eat all the edges off before eating the part with the filling.

I think I need to work on giving my characters more quirks. In my present WIP the character's only quirk is that she HATES to be called by her childhood nickname.

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary, Jen! <3

You've definitely made me think more about my own quirks and those of my MC. Quirks definitely make a character come alive for me, when reading and when writing. *ponders*

India Drummond said...

Hmm.. quirks...

After I eat a bowl of cereal, I put a napkin over the bowl to hide the left-over milk. I just can't stand the sight of a bowl of "used" milk.

Now that I think about it, that's fairly strange of me. Heh.

Jessica Bell said...

Wow, you've been productive! 400 followers! Whooeee!

My question: How often do you actually read and comment on your followers blogs? Are you able to get to each and every one of them at least once a week? And if so, HOW?????

My quirks: I can't wear long sleeved tops two days in a row. For some reason they just feel dirty to me. LOL hmmm ... I hope that's not a sign of OCD ...