You can infuse aspects of your own talents into your writing, applying them to various characters in your story or novel as a way to inject more humanism to them or applying them to various scenes to texture them with more interest. These talents can be broad-ranging. For example, I am somewhat of a poet and songwriter as well as an award-winning artist, former IT tech writer, and former website coder. So guess what some of my characters do? Yep, poetry, songwriting, painting, drawing, and setting up websites. In a recent scene in one of my chapters, I had a musical group performing and made up song lyrics. (I also made up a melody, which my composer husband wrote down for me.)
Other talents that you might have and therefore could use are cooking, knitting, crafts, masonry, auto mechanics, astronomy, mathematics, and bodybuilding. Your hobbies and other interests, such as solving crossword puzzles, collecting coins or stamps or other objects, can also be used. You can have a character known for her great pies (my character is Katherine Baum), for example. You can have a character that works in one field but also has an interest in another (I have Tom Summers, who is an expert on cattle breeding but who also sets up websites when needed). You can have a character who owns a special collection (my character Jim O’Connell has a collection of Meissen porcelain).
Things like this will flesh out a character but can also provide plot points. Katherine wins a prize at a local annual fair for her pie in the baking contest, in contrast to how her husband Henry is treated in the woodworking contest. Tom sets up a website for the ranch so they can show the world how a mated pair of golden eagles nesting on the ranch are fairing. And Jim O’Connell has his Meissen collection targeted by his enemy, who wants it in exchange for … well, you’ll have to read the book to find out.
Such additions can also become a memorable item for your readers and viewers. Columbo had his cigars and a wife we never got to see. Miss Marple knitted. Poirot was fastidious in his personal habits. Even more recent characters have their personal quirks. We’ve recently come across a police detective who loves country-western music and drives a classic car.
Got a character that seems flat? Incorporate your extensive knowledge of wines by mentioning that he or she judges wines at a local competition, or bring in your love of crocheting by having a character that crochets tea cozies for a local charity to auction off.
Examine your talents or those of people around and see which you can use.
Hope you found this helpful and have been inspired to start and/or continue writing!
Please check out my WIPs. And thanks for reading.
Disclaimer: I get no compensation for links in this post or on my site to other sites and/or products.
A.C. Cargill, Author 