Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Wacky Characters

What are the wackiest, most unique characters you've ever written about? An exotic dancer? A lion tamer? We all enjoy reading about unusual characters so I've come up with a list of several unique professions.

Wouldn't it be fun to create one of these as a main character? Here goes: Sex therapist, undertaker, prostitute, circus worker, Amish or Mennonite, nun, wiccan, palm reader, inmate, stripper, pimp, billionnaire, homeless person, inventor, gypsy, cowboy, escort, celebrity, inventor, and a bank robber.

Which of these would you dare tackle? Have you already written about characters in these professions? Can you think of other unique professions? Please share.

7 comments:

  1. Well, I've not used any of the ones you mentioned, but I have used a closet exorcist(cleans your closets). Of course, no one has bought it yet.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I haven't used any of the characers you've mentioned, though I find each of them intriguing. How about a billionair who poses as a homeless person to annonimously provide for down in their luck people. He falls in love with a young mother who had fled her abusive marriage and is struggling to get on her feet? Cool concept!

    I wrote a short on a female anchor woman who exposed child abuse while covering a religious cult society.

    I also used a Private Investigator who falls in love with a Chicago-based homocide detective. She was hired by a Jewish man whose daughter has gone missing, and in fact, was murdered. A mystery with romantic undertones.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've written quite a few stories with cowboys, rodeo riders, and even a female bullfighter (rodeo, not matador). One of my heroines worked in a morgue. Would that count as an undertaker? One of my miner POV characters in a romantic suspense was a bank robber and one of my heroes was an inventor. I might try my hand at a prostitute or escort girl, maybe even a stripper.

    Unique professions fascinate me and I'm sure I've heard of a few that you didn't mention; I just can't think of them right now, though I probably will in a couple of days when no one cares anymore.

    I like Shirley's closet exorcist (I could use one for my closet) and would look forward to reading it. Kathy's idea was a good one too. By the way, Kathy, how is that story going?

    Read your poem. Nice job.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks, Shirley, Kathy and Maurine. Great ideas from ALL of you. I can tell you're all very good writers.

    I think choosing a unique profession like this would spur on a great story, don't you? Shirley, are you joking about yours?!

    I thought of a couple more...a spy and a slave )(that would have to be an historical which I don't write) or it could be a relative of a slave and how that changed his/her life.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Not joking, Beth. It was a short story, but the main character had a side job as a closet exorcist!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Shirley, does the character exorcise closets or he/she's in the closet about being an exorcist?! lol

    ReplyDelete
  7. Here are some unique professions courtesy of my mother who couldn't get them to post: comedian, dentist (dentist, Mom?), movie director, stunt man (that's a good one), logger and politician.

    Thanks, Mom!

    ReplyDelete