Prose and cons: the mystery writer unravelled

How would you class your character? Introverted? INFJ? Number 7 on the Enneagram? If you've no idea what any of those mean, don't worry. You are still you, in or out of a box. Most people, if you ask them directly, do not want to be put in a box. But for writers, it can be quite useful to have some sort of guide for building a coherent character. That's where the above terminology comes in.

Writers are reflecters. They usually have their personality types at the ready, and may tell you they're high functioning introverts (as if it's some kind of disability). I've noticed most people are quite ready to jump into a box, while shouting they're different. I'm not. Like pretty much everyone, I will have a trait or interest to set me apart from the group I imagine myself to belong to.

But do you put emphasis on the group, or on the difference? That probably depends on the group or difference too. For instance, I was the only girl child, but being one of the children was more important. I was a Christian archaeology student, in which the Christian part will always be most important. I'm the Dutch mum among those picking their kids up from school, but does that really make me different? These things are true for every individual, so they should also be present in book characters: belonging to two groups, but being the odd one out for belonging to the other group.

Many writers see themselves as introverts. I'd probably be classed as an extrovert, but I'll go with this quote from Now, Voyager: 

Dr. Jaquith: You know, there's nothing like these old Boston homes anywhere...you see them standing in a row like bastions, firm, proud, resisting the new, houses turned in upon themselves hugging their pride.
Charlotte: Introverted, doctor.
Dr. Jaquith: Well, I wouldn't know about that. I don't put much faith in scientific terms. I leave that to the fakirs and writers of books.

Of course, I am a writer of books <grin>, but I'm not going to box myself in. In real life, you can be quite like a certain 'standard character', but there are always things that are specific to you and that make you human, and not a number or an acronym. That's why I don't use those classifications, even for my characters, but certainly not for myself. It's wonderful to be weird!

My own weird writer brain wants me to know a little about a lot of things. Which means I always know just enough to get people to tell me more, or to know where to look for more, whether that's edible plants in a hedgerow or the possibility of a multiverse. As a writer, you get to obsess over anything you want: anatomy, architecture, history, psychology, travel, language, cultures, puzzles, food...

The same goes for hobbies, I've found. I love everything that has to do with creating, but other than creating stories, I do a little of a lot of things: brewing, baking, cheese making, liqueur making, sewing, crochet, knitting... tried sprang weaving when I was writing my archaeology thesis. I get this from my mum, although if I'm to follow in her footsteps, I've yet to try out spinning, weaving, Tiffany glass, bronze figurine making... The painting I leave to my husband.

I'll admit to being creative, but I don't consider myself an artist. Not when I have an artist around, who is so good at all that artisty stuff, like forgetting to pay the bills, not knowing in which pile a certain book or paper has disappeared, and having a bookcase that makes my palms itch. I'm too much of a librarian...

If I could and had the time, I'd make all my own clothes, grow my own veg, bake my own cakes and brew my own booze. Unfortunately, I also have my own kids. And a brain that wants to tell stories all the time. So I do many things only now and then. Or not to a standard I would like. 

Take microwave mug cakes, for example. Of course they're not as good as a lovely, moist but crumbly oven-baked cake! But sometimes you just want something sweet and warm that hits the spot. And then you can take the time to make a good cake later.

In a way, I feel like that about my writing. Some people create the most beautiful sentences, conjuring up fantastic worlds full of the most imaginative creatures. My writing... is not the best in the world. But it's soft, and sweet, and warm. Like a microwave mug cake. But better.