So like, I've written a bunch of characters on here and I've critiqued plenty more, including the mannerism section. And I just feel like… it's the worst. Of all the sections on this website, mannerisms is the worst. It's useless. It's so fucking stupid and I need to rant and maybe see why other people might like it? Because I'm confused. Sure, let's write down three to four physical movements that are unique to your character. It'll look great on screen or in graphic novels! But in written text? Holy hell, no! I can just see people repetitively adding that 'Helen tucks her hair behind her ear' every single time she's embarrassed. Mannerisms aren't actually that important in text, you know? What was the last book you read where it was important? And did every character have a distinct mannerism? How much wasted space is that? It's stupid! I mean, I read Warrior Cats, and it was kind of important that a cat flicked her paw a certain way as a weird tic because that was a sign she was reincarnated from a different cat, but that's the only example I can think of! Why is this section so important to some people? I don't want to read about foot tapping or hair tucking more than ONCE.
someone please just tell me im not alone in this its almost 1am and im LIVID or tell me why im wrong i can take it
too lazy to write lots about it, but yeet i agree
Tbh, I secretly want to use the mannerisms to express certain character quirks and personality traits, but then I remember what mannerisms actually means and my heart sinks
Yeah… I fill out the mannerisms section when designing characters and make it pretty detailed, but I find that I almost never write about them when I actually write the story. They act more like an addendum to the personality section (ex. this character tries to be more intimidating when he feels threatened). The only mannerisms I've ever found useful have to do with how the character speaks; it's pretty hard to give each character a distinct voice and slang/cusswords/catchphrases the character uses can be helpful (however I have to be careful not to overdo it). I keep filling out the section though. I do think it's important to know these things about your characters even if you never write about it.
Also @Winter it doesn't matter what "mannerisms" means. You can use that section however you like. It's your character so you do whatever helps you.
I also keep filling out the mannerisms despite my burning hatred for it OTL but yeah the speech ones are the best to think about because dialogue is so much more interesting than 'he holds his pinky out when he drinks tea like a twat'
YES! I AGREE!! AND I USE IT FOR LIKE THINGS THAT AREN'T FULLY MANNERISMS AND PEOPLE ARE LIKE "YOU NEED BETTER MANNERISMS THIS DOESN'T TELL ME ANYTHING" AND I'M LIKE "BUT SAYING THAT CHARACTER X LAUGHS WHEN EMBARRASSED DOES??"
@@JynnieStardust YES! I know I've been a bit of a brat when it comes to critiquing mannerisms because I assume people just want a full course when it comes to character critiques BUT DAMN IF IT ISNT THE MOST USELESS PIECE OF KNOWLEDGE
I find that, while they don't come up often, they can still be used to great effect. Don't just beat your reader over the head with "Oh man, look at this tough guy! He keeps cracking his knuckles! He puffs out his chest! He gets a real mean face when someone threatens his bestest buddy in the whole wide world!" At that point, it's excessive and annoying. I only ever drop them in here and there to add just a bit of flavor (or when I've got nothing better to do).
Perhaps, if the section really bothers you, you could hide it in your settings? People can't critique what's not there
@ninja_violinist I don't get my characters critiqued, I DO critiques. Large ones, that average three to four paragraphs. I can't not critique what's there because that's what I promise to do u_u
Ahh I see that's a struggle
I'm sorry
i typically use mannerisms to describe manners. like are the polite? are they rude? because it just helps me get to know the character better and makes them easier to write. (i know that's not what mannerisms are, but you're kind of right, writing down something like "taps foot when bored" or something like that without anything else is kind of useless). but yeah, they probably can be useless to some, but to others they aren't. i just kind of use it as a bit of an extension for the personality category. obviously it's your own opinion tho!
