Tells

[TheEarl]

I often find it adds more to a character in a book that I'm reading if he/she has some kind of tell (something which only that character will say or do). For example, currently reading Prelude to Dune and only Rhombur uses "Vermilion Hells" as a curse. It gives some colour to the character.

I'm currently attempting to write a novel (4 chapters in, written over 3 months) and I think one of my characters needs a tell. I think it needs to be verbal and I don't think he should have stutter. Anyone got a real life tell that they use or someone else uses to inspire me?

The Earl

 

[pop_54]

Hi mate

Loads mate, depends on his character Earl, is he posh or common.

My old work mate always curses with a strange one, "Oh Bogrot" if something goes wrong on him, it's his swear word and I've never heard anyone else say it as a curse.


pops.............

 

[gauchecritic]

Not really the point

For example, currently reading Prelude to Dune and only Rhombur uses "Vermilion Hells" as a curse. It gives some colour to the character.
The Earl

I'm almost certain that the phrase 'Vermillion Hells' is used by an Asimov character somewhere or other.

Not quite a stutter, more of a 'Parkinsonism' (the chat show host) "Saying... saying the first word of sentences twice."

or you could always fall back on the old favourite Mrs Malaprop, ie "Inadversantly using the similar sounding but wrong word." (More used for comedic effect)

Gauche

 

[wildsweetone]

My UK visitor calls getting drunk, getting 'rattarsed', and occasionally he tells me to 'go swivel' lol Does that help any? I'm not sure I want to know if it does, either.

There's that fella on Coro Street, Fred Elliot I think his name is. He has that kind of trademark double thing where he says something and then repeats it with "I say...". Know what I mean?

Or one of my favourites (don't tell anyone ) "Oh, pigs tits and gorilla snot." Depends on the company at the time though. lol

 

[Un-registered]

"I'll tell you something for nothing ..."

 

[TheEarl]

Thanks for the help so far. None of them really fit my character though. I don't really want something comedic (the story is an adventure/sci-fi/allegory kinda thing (never afraid to cross boundaries ) and a stutter just doesn't seem to suit him.

Any more?

The Earl

 

[English Lady]

i often proclaim that something gets right up my left nostril!

My sister has lots of different weird sayings, she currently calls everyone(male or female) "chick" and she often gets "emotionally upset". She really does strange things with the english language.


tutter the mouse (off bear in the big blue house) has some cracking curses "oh hickory dickory" or "oh gouda" all the more funny because he's a mouse.....

Ok i bet that didn't help either.and it shows up my TV viewing habits too...

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

TheEarl,

In the "for what it's worth" column, here are a few ideas.

1. Give the character a repetitive sentence tag, such as: "don't you know," "so to speak," and "I mean."

2. Have the character over-use a word or expression such as "really," "outstanding," or "What do you"

3. Let the character make a brief hesitation immediately after beginning to speak. "In my, uh, opinion." "What we, I think, need..." "It's time we, you know, did."

If we keep slinging it against the wall, something's bound to stick.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[TheEarl]

John is: depressed, sad, fatalistic and very very put upon. Reluctant hero.

You're all getting closer. The best thing I've come up with is "Life sucks then you die" as an answer to a setback, which is somehting which I say a lot. Would prefer to have other options though.

Keep throwing the spaghetti, it'll stick soon enough.

The Earl

 

[pop_54]

lo again

Well now we know he's a downer. Hmm.

*If I had a whore for my birthday it wouldn't have a hole in it*

*How can I think straight with my twisted brain*

*Bent as a bloody safety pin*

*Life's a twat, death's an arse-hole*

 

[TheEarl]

He's ogt a good reason to be depressed though, his wife's just died and he's got a shit job and the evil government has just evicted him.

The Earl

 

[English Lady]

if he's the reluctant hero, maybe something like


"i'm not superman you know" would work.

 

[TheEarl]

Getting closer, but I couldn't really make him say that often.

This is getting too specific. What I was actually looking for was a list of RL tells that you or people you know use just to build up an idea of what other people say.

The Earl

 

[Un-registered]

He's got a good reason to be depressed though, his wife's just died and he's got a shit job and the evil government has just evicted him.

Beats living in the UK by a mile, then.

 

[TheEarl]

Cheap shot un-registered. And quite frankly uncalled for.

The Earl

 

[gauchecritic]

"oh knollocks"

 

[wildsweetone]

'methinks'

'would that i could'

'god struth stiffin a crow!' (that's how it looks with a kiwi accent)

 

[jfinn]

I often find it adds more to a character in a book that I'm reading if he/she has some kind of tell (something which only that character will say or do). For example, currently reading Prelude to Dune and only Rhombur uses "Vermilion Hells" as a curse. It gives some colour to the character.

I'm currently attempting to write a novel (4 chapters in, written over 3 months) and I think one of my characters needs a tell. I think it needs to be verbal and I don't think he should have stutter. Anyone got a real life tell that they use or someone else uses to inspire me?

The Earl

Are you absolutely sold on a figure of speech? If not, how about running a thread of exhaustion through his words and actions. It's a big bi-product of depression. He can speak with effort, wade through the day, breathe heavily, that sort of thing. Every action, every movement is a struggle.

Just a thought.
Jayne

 

[MathGirl]

cussin'

As the atheist would say when he hit his thumb with a hammer:

"Unverifiable superstition on a crutch!"

 

[daisie]

I use nonverbal 'tells' in my work. My characters have props. In my first book, one person's prop was his particular car; one woman had a pair of cat-eye glasses; another woman had her folding knife.

I'm reminded, though, of Wyatt Earp, in "Tombstone," who always said, "Aw hell."

D

 

[Guest]

wry humor

Earl-

If he is a reluctant hero then perhaps something along the lines of "Could be worse, I could be *fill in something to exacerbate the situation*"

"Could be worse. I could be stuck here with three guys wanting to crack my balls, instead of just two."

My own tell is "Just another day in paradise" as the response to life crapping on me.

Another friend always uses golf analogies... "Was doing great with Margo, had chipped up onto the green in two with a sweet 3 foot putt, until Cindy dropped by the apartment... definitely a double bogie then."

I think using a frequent "frame of reference" is a way to do a tell without it being repetitive.

b

 

[sweetnpetite]

John is: depressed, sad, fatalistic and very very put upon. Reluctant hero.

You're all getting closer. The best thing I've come up with is "Life sucks then you die" as an answer to a setback, which is somehting which I say a lot. Would prefer to have other options though.

Keep throwing the spaghetti, it'll stick soon enough.

The Earl

Maybe if he spoke with a lot of self doubt:

"you'll probably think this is a stupid idea but..."
"I'm not sure but..."
"this is dumb but..."
"never mind, forget I said anything"
"stupid, stupid, stupid"
"why did I say that?"
"stop that, rewind, erase"
he could tell really long stories and just trail off when he realized no-ones listening
"does that make sence?"
"I'm sorry but..." [any time he gives an opinion or idea]
"you probably know better than me but..."
"I don't really know anything about *** but...."

I used to know this woman who would say something like this:
"this is probably a dumb ideal but I was thinking, you know, maybe, if it wasn't too much trouble, we might you know think about, maybe...."

then she'd tell you her idea, it was always a good one, and then she'd say. "never mind, that's a dumb ideal" she always said "ideal" instead of idea, too.