Creating characters that feel like real people is one of the most important aspects of writing a novel. If your characters feel real, your reader is far more likely to root for them and keep turning those pages. But how do you actually go about bringing your characters to life?
There are plenty of tools to help you achieve this, and one of them at your disposal is the use of character mannerisms and quirks.
Mannerisms and quirks help you build your character’s personality. They help make your characters become real to your reader. We all have mannerisms and quirks, whether we notice them or not, and they fall into a wide range of categories. They’re a great resource to help you master writing believable characters.
In this article, author Libby Page digs into character mannerisms and quirks, exploring what they are and how to use them to bring your characters to life. Libby Page is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lido and four other novels and her work has been published in more than 20 countries.
What are character mannerisms and quirks?
Whether we’re aware of it or not, we all have mannerisms and quirks. The little details that make us us.
Here are some of mine:
I frown when I’m thinking, and I spend a lot of time thinking so I can come across as serious when my face is resting, even though I am also quick to smile. I rely heavily on buffer words in my speech, like ‘so’ and ‘um’ (a mannerism I wish I could change!). Something of an introvert, I often find myself crossing my arms across my chest when standing without meaning to. I often fiddle with something when I’m sat still—a loose thread on my jumper, a ring rolled around my finger, a pen lid clicked and unclicked. I dress in bright colors.
I’m sure that reading all these little details has helped give you a greater impression of me as a person. And it’s the same for the characters in your novel.
Character quirks are the small and specific details about your character.
These might be physical quirks—noticeable things that stand out about their appearance. Or they might be quirks to do with your character’s personality or disposition. Things that might be considered unusual.
Character mannerisms are the things a character says and does repeatedly and without even realizing.
They might be physical gestures or ways of speaking. They are observable, automatic behaviors that distinguish one character from another.
A key to both character quirks and character mannerisms is the fact that they should be repeated throughout your novel. It’s only through repetition that a one-off gesture becomes a quirk or mannerism associated with your character.
You want to build a picture for your reader about your character. If your reader sees your character perform a certain gesture or speak in a certain way over and over, this will help them form an impression of that character. It helps to paint the picture, with lots of lovely detail.
Why use character mannerisms and quirks in your novel?
A character quirk or mannerism is, importantly, specific.
Getting specific is one of the most important ways to elevate your writing and make your characters feel believable. What makes this character different from someone else?
By peppering your novel with your character’s specific quirks and mannerisms, you will make the reader believe the world you are creating. We all have quirks and mannerisms in real life, therefore, making those present in your novel will make your characters feel true. Even if you are writing a fantasy novel set in a different world, you still want the actions of the characters to feel believable. And it’s worth noting that animals and mythical creatures can have quirks and mannerisms too!
Using character mannerisms and quirks is an example of the classic writing advice to ‘show, don’t tell.’ Character mannerisms and quirks show what a character’s personality is like without you having to tell the reader that information.
Using character mannerisms and quirks can also help to show emotion. How a character stands, the tone of their voice, whether they meet the other character’s eye or avoid eye contact... All these elements of body language and behavior help show how that character is feeling in that specific situation.
These little repeated details also help to make your characters more memorable. Those things that stand out about them are often the things that a reader will most remember. They might be the things that help your reader fall for a character, or really detest a wonderful antagonist.
How to use character mannerisms and quirks
Character mannerisms and quirks should be consistent throughout your novel. If you mention a character having unusually striking green eyes in chapter three, it will draw your reader out of the story if those eyes are then gray in chapter ten. It might be helpful to write a list of all your characters’ quirks and mannerisms so that you can refer to it when you’re writing in order to maintain consistency.
That said, there may be a reason rooted in your story for a character’s mannerisms to change. A character who is prone to avoiding eye contact might not meet the eye of anyone apart from a character they feel truly safe with, for example. That small detail could help you demonstrate their relationship; another example of showing, not telling. Or perhaps you might show them starting to make eye contact from the midpoint onward as a way of showing their growth in the novel.
How a character’s mannerisms change can be a powerful tool to show their personal growth or change in a novel.
While mannerisms are actions that are repeated, be cautious of overdoing it when using character mannerisms and quirks. Once you’ve stated that a character has especially large hands, you don’t need to mention their hands in every single chapter. It could come to feel forced. Trust your reader to pick up on your carefully scattered details rather than feeling the need to be heavy-handed.
Make sure that the quirks and mannerisms you choose fit the character. This is when spending time really considering your character—their motivations, their flaws, their backstory and their emotional journey—will help you. Character mannerisms can be a way of showing a character’s deeper psychology and will feel more authentic if they come from a deep-rooted place rather than being purely superficial.
You can use character mannerisms to hint at something unknown about their backstory that you plan to reveal later in the novel. For example, if a seemingly confident character always pulls back from physical contact, this might hint at a past trauma. Seeing this mannerism—especially if it’s at odds with the way the character presents outwardly to the world—could spark intrigue for your reader. Or a character’s mannerism might be instinctively touching a particular part of their body, and later in the novel you might reveal it as the site of a past wound.
You’ll also need to consider the wider context of your novel. For example, there might be certain speech mannerisms that won’t be appropriate for a historical novel or children’s novel.
Think about your character’s quirks and mannerisms adding nuance to the overall story. A sort of seasoning. The seasoning should complement the dish, enhancing the flavors but never overpowering them.
Character mannerisms and quirks ideas
If you are stuck for ideas on what quirks or mannerisms to give your character, then keep scrolling through this list for inspiration. Think about which of these might be appropriate for your character and your story. Maybe try out a few different ideas and see how that quirk or mannerism impacts how you think a reader will feel about your character.
Mannerisms: behaviors or actions that your character repeats regularly with their body, without thinking
Physical mannerisms
Facial mannerisms
- Winking
- Eye rolling
- Nose twitching
- Flaring nostrils
- Prone to blushing
- Eyebrows raising
- Pursing lips
- Lips parting
- Eyes widening
- Eyes narrowing
- Opening and closing the mouth without saying anything
- Trembling lower lip
- Wide smile
- Tight-lipped smile
- Prone to pulling faces
- Teeth grinding
- Biting of the lips
- A smile that appears forced
- A smile that appears natural
- A smile that doesn’t reach the eyes
- Prone to staring off into the distance
- Chewing the inside of the cheek
- Mouths the lyrics to songs while listening to music
- Mouths the words when reading
- Glancing at others
- Rapid blinking/blinks a lot
- Fluttering eyelids
- Closes their eyes often—perhaps when listening to music or eating something good
- Furrowed brow
- Glancing at the floor/their hands
- Sticks out tongue when concentrating
- Pouting
Bodily mannerisms
- Sighing regularly
- Shrugging
- Head bobs while listening to music
- Rolling of the shoulders
- Tilting of the head
- A chin that’s held high
- A chin that’s dipped
- Regular frowning
- Hair tossing
- Running fingers through their hair
- Twiddling their hair around their finger
- Touching their own face or mouth
- Leaning forward, toward other characters
- Leaning back, away from other characters
- Nodding a lot
- Shaking of the head
- Sweats a lot
- Rubbing the back of the neck
- Cracking of the knuckles
- Bouncing on the spot
- Rocking on the heels
- Fidgeting
- Putting hands in pockets
- Flapping of hands
- Pacing
- Crossing arms over the chest
- Hands on hips
- Tugging at items of clothing
- Readjusting glasses
- Covering the mouth with a hand when speaking or eating
- Hopping on the spot
- Resting chin in the hand
- Slapping of the knees or thighs
- Biting nails
- Clumsiness—always dropping things or bumping into things
- Flexing fingers or arm muscles
- Rubbing the neck
- Hands clenching into fists
- Jaw clenching
- Picking at the cuticles
- Slumped posture
- Upright posture
- Leg moving/foot tapping when sitting down
- Standing with feet planted wide apart
- Standing with the feet crossed
- Legs crossed/ankles crossed when sat down
- Legs spread wide when sat down
- Rubbing their nose
- Hands clasped behind the back
- Clammy hands
- Shoulders always pushed back
- Pulls sleeves down over their hands
- Twiddles thumbs
- Exhaling/inhaling sharply
- Scratching themselves
- Doing thumbs up
- Wipes their hands on their clothes a lot
- Tugging at/fiddling with ears
- Gestures wildly while talking
- Sways a lot
- Wide stride when walking
- Short stride when walking
- Pinching the bridge of the nose
- Swinging arms when walking
- Hands always shaking
- Adjusting clothing
Interactive mannerisms
- Always checking their phone without meaning to
- Takes their glasses off and wipes them a lot
- Fiddling with things
- Shredding paper without thinking
- Folding paper without thinking
- Breaking things without thinking
- Always touching up their makeup
- Always checking their watch
- Peels labels from bottles
- Lines things up
- Pushes food around their plate
- Chews things—pens, the end of their glasses, etc.
- Tips their chair back when sitting
- Leans when talking—against a wall, a counter, etc.
- Standing too close to other characters
- Tactile—regularly touching other characters
- Taps fingers on surfaces
Vocal mannerisms and speech patterns
- Use of buffers like ‘um’ or ‘ah’ or ‘like’
- Throat clearing
- Ending sentences in an upward tone to indicate a question (even if it isn’t a question)
- Mumbling
- Speaking too loudly
- Speaking too quietly
- Swallowing regularly
- Shortness of breath
- Talking quickly
- Talking slowly
- Always interrupting others
- A voice that cracks regularly with emotion
- A wobbling voice
- A steady voice
- Stumbling over words
- Using long words
- Speaking abruptly, in few words
- Speaking in long, sprawling sentences
- Forgetting words
- Trailing off mid-story
- Quick to laugh
- Laughs at inappropriate times
- Prone to squealing
- Snorting
- Chuckling
- A high voice
- A low voice
- Giggling
- Scoffing
- Sniffing
- Talking aloud to oneself
- Putting on a funny voice
- Overenunciating
- Humming without realizing
- Coughs a lot
- Noisy breathing
- Mutters under their breath
- Pauses while speaking
- Yawns a lot
Quirks: distinctive, notable details about your character that could be considered unusual
Physical quirks
- Distinct eye color
- Birthmark
- Freckles
- Moles
- Distinct hair color
- Hair color that regularly changes
- Wears colorful or unusual glasses
- A disheveled appearance—hair always messy, shirt always untucked, etc.
- Dresses in bright colors
- Dresses in clashing prints
- Dresses all in black
- Dresses in outfits inappropriate for the weather
- Always dressed appropriately for the weather
- Very tall or very short
- Very big or very small
- Big feet or small feet
- Distinctive tattoos
- Very muscular
- Very skinny
- Always wears a specific item of clothing or carries a specific accessory
- Nails: painted, chipped, acrylic...
- Left-handed
- A distinctive scar
- Breathes heavily
- Snores loudly
- Skin problems
- Always wears distinctive makeup—a winged eyeliner or perfect red lipstick, for example
- A physical tic like a twitch
- Walks slowly
- Walks quickly
- Has braces
- Wears lots of jewelry
- Picks their teeth
- Has a raspy voice
- Very hairy
- Bad breath
- Always smells of something very specific or unusual
- Has very distinctive facial features
- Prone to getting cold so wears lots of layers
- Prone to running hot so wears few layers
- Wears pins/slogan T-shirts
- Dresses like a children’s television presenter
- Dresses from a different era
- Dresses in cosplay/costume
- Wears expensive branded clothing
- Only wears secondhand clothing
- Wears clothes that look in need of mending/cleaning
- Wears clothes that are too big/small
- Wears a coat all the time
- Wears their hair in an unusual way
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Personality and behavior
- Obsessive tendencies
- Writes a lot of lists
- Always late
- Always early
- Picks at food rather than eating it
- Has a big appetite
- Always carries a particular object (bag or phone clutched permanently, for example)
- Always points out flaws
- Always compliments others
- Smokes
- Always chews gum
- Speaks in idioms or clichés
- Constantly quoting facts and figures
- Always loses things
- Unpredictable behavior
- Prone to anger
- Extremely polite
- Always swearing
- Extremely introverted
- Extremely extroverted
- Very patient
- Parties all the time
- Terrible at lying
- Very messy
- Has a place for everything
- Very hard to make them laugh
- Irritable
- Loves food
- Drinks a lot
- Is sober
- Sleeps more than usual
- Very emotional and cries a lot
- Rarely shows emotion
- Always complaining
- Never complains
- Overly cautious
- Agrees with everyone
- Disagrees with everyone
- Always dating someone new
- Always making new friends
- Prone to taking in strays (both people and animals!)
- Has a niche interest
- Is an expert in something
- Very charismatic and can convince people to do anything
- You’re never sure if they’re lying or telling the truth
- You’re never sure if they’re joking or being serious
- Sarcastic sense of humor
- Dark/dry sense of humor
- No sense of humor
- Turns everything into a game
- Terrible driver
- Cautious driver
- Incredible cook
- Terrible cook
- Great at doing accents/impersonating people
- Can fix anything
- Has a specific power
- Has great survival skills and always carries a penknife
- Not scared of anything
- Has a specific phobia
- Can talk their way out of any problem
- Makes friends with everyone wherever they go
- Great storyteller
- Distinctive handwriting—terrible or beautiful
- Always doodling
- Always knitting
- Takes a book everywhere
- Gets jealous all the time
- Hates public speaking
- Loves public speaking
- Picky eater
- Drinks a lot of tea/coffee
- Very superstitious
- Only watches a very specific type of film or reads a specific type of book
- Always reading
- Always singing, humming or whistling
- Carries a talisman, lucky charm, friendship bracelet or locket
- Looks in every reflective surface they pass
- Avoids mirrors
- Irons their socks
- Never irons anything
- Only shops at a very specific place
- Always gives handmade gifts
- Only listens to a specific type of music
- Always listening to music
- Always wears headphones
- Talks to a parent every day on the phone
- Grows all their own food
- Has loads of plants and takes meticulous care of them
- Vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian
- Can recite poetry/passages from books
- Talks about manifestation a lot
- Makes a lot of mood/vision boards
- Always taking photos/filming
- Prone to counting: number of steps, people on the train, birds they see as they walk to work
- Doesn’t like to eat around others
- Is rude to waiting staff
- Tips well/badly
- Takes a lot of selfies
- Likes telling people how much they paid for things
- Speaks many languages
- Never finishes a task
Character mannerisms and quirks examples
Next time you’re reading, keep an eye out for character mannerisms and quirks and think about how they help build an impression of the character. Here are some examples of character mannerisms and quirks from novels you may have read, to provide some inspiration.
Jojo Moyes, Me Before You
Physical quirk: Louisa dresses in unusual, colorful clothing, especially favoring colorful tights.
‘... you seem to like... theatrical... clothing.’ He glanced at my tights, which were green and glittery.
‘I thought they would cheer me up.’
What this shows: Louisa’s colorful outfits give a sense of her optimistic, even naive character. Her color is a contrast to the formality of the household she joins when she goes to work for Will Traynor, showing how out of her depth she is in that role at first.
Vocal mannerism: Whistling.
I thought of Will telling me if I didn’t stop bloody whistling he’d be forced to run me over.
What this shows: Louisa’s constant whistling is another demonstration of her optimism. It could also be seen as an example of her underlying strength or stubbornness; the fact that she whistles in the face of challenging circumstances rather than allowing herself to be ground down. It also helps to highlight the differences in personality and life outlook between her and Will.
Sally Rooney, Normal People
Physical mannerism: Not making eye contact.
They couldn’t look at each other when they were laughing, they had to look into corners of the room, or at their feet.
What this shows: Marianne and Connell’s inability to make eye contact demonstrates their denial of their feelings for one another and creates a sense of them fighting their connection with one another. It creates a feeling of awkwardness but also chemistry. Similar mannerisms can strengthen their bond, as shared behaviors often highlight deeper connections and mutual understanding.
Physical mannerism: Blushing
His face is flushed now, and he touches a hand to his brow.
What this shows: There are regular references throughout the book to Connell blushing, and this mannerism helps to convey his yearning to be liked and thought of as ‘normal’ and his fear of drawing attention to himself for the wrong reasons. It demonstrates his insecurities and the value he places on fitting in.
Roald Dahl, Matilda
Behavioral/personality quirk: An extreme aptitude for reading.
By the time she was three, Matilda had taught herself to read by studying newspapers and magazines that lay around the house. At the age of four, she could read fast and well and she naturally began hankering after books.
What this shows: Matilda’s talent for reading is a quirk that is central to her character. It singles her out as unusually bright and eager to learn. It also helps to highlight the differences between her and her family, who prefer television to books, and demonstrates her feeling of being out of place.
Vocal mannerism: Shouting and rudeness.
‘You’re just an IGNORANT LITTLE SQUIRT who hasn’t the foggiest idea what you’re talking about.’
What this shows: Matilda’s father Harry Wormwood regularly shouts at Matilda and uses insulting language toward her. His mannerisms of speech paint him as a nasty, angry man and help the reader to sympathize with Matilda and root for her to get her comeuppance against the adults in her life.
T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea
Behavioral/personality quirk: Always spilling food.
He’d gotten a spot of orange dressing on his white dress shirt from the soggy salad he’d purchased from the commissary, a persistent stain that only smudged when he’d tried to rub it away.
What this shows: Linus Baker’s tendency to drop food on himself hints at his clumsiness, painting him as something of a fool at the start of the book and developing into lovably endearing as the book progresses. He is a character who craves order and follows the rules, so the fact he often drops food on himself also hints at a humanity that becomes an integral part of his character as the book goes on.
Physical mannerism: Tugging of shirt collar.
He nervously pulled on the collar of his shirt as Ms. Jenkins approached...
What this shows: Linus’s mannerism of tugging at his shirt and generally adjusting his clothing shows his nervousness and fits with the importance he places on following the rules. He wants to look neat and in order. Here it also demonstrates the deference he shows toward his boss and his belief in the hierarchy.
Next steps
Writing characters that feel real and showing their characteristics rather than telling the reader what they’re like is key to writing a novel that readers will love.
Now you know how important character quirks and mannerisms can be in building a full picture of a character, making them memorable, and giving an insight into their backstory or deeper psychology.
Refer back to this list of character mannerisms and character quirks if you need ideas for giving your character little tics or repeating behaviors that will add to the reader’s impression of them. Think about your favorite book characters and see if you can write down their mannerisms and quirks and think about why the author chose them and what they add to your understanding of that character.
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