Sometimes we refer to people as ‘real characters’. How weird.
Is this uniquely Australian? Is it an Australianism? ‘Oh, my great aunt was a real character!’ Either way, it’s nearly always a term of endearment.
There are loads of characters in my daily circle.
The old bloke who wears a duster coat, drives a 1950s jalopy and sells half dead flowers on the main street.
The boy who sits on the roof of the butcher’s shop hand-feeding meat to the crows.
The woman who runs the local op shop and won’t sell you stuff if she doesn’t like the look of you. (She inspired one of my stories. Of course she did!)
There are characters everywhere in our lives; diverse, kooky, delightful characters who challenge us, confront us, enrich our lives. Real characters who shake out the safe and mundane.
But when it comes to fiction how many characters do we need?
More importantly, how many MAIN characters do we need?
And while we’re at it, what defines a main character? What makes our hero different from everyone else?
That’s what I’m talking about this week on Q & Q Friday video, Questions and Quacks. Yes, indeedy. Q & Q Friday has become an institution!
Ping!
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See you Friday morning! 7am sharp. (Yawn.)
Jen xo
