What's In Your Character's Pockets?

 

 

 A blog post about writing? Yes.

I've really not done any of these yet. Namely because my blog has been terribly neglected for a long time. But I want to get into a better habit with time.

And I want it to be multi-functional. Life lessons from Abba, plus personality psychology, plus writing advice, plus sharing some of my own writing.

So, here's some writing advice. For all y'all fiction writers particularly.

One of the biggest struggles people tend to have is character development. And there are many ways to develop a character, to which point I hope to cover many of these in the future.

But today, I want to talk about a unique aspect that many people never even consider.

Everyday Carry, or EDC.

As defined by wikipedia:

"Everyday carry (EDC) or every-day carry is a collection of useful items that are consistently carried on person every day. The main reasons for having EDC are utility (usefulness), self-sufficiency, and preparedness: to help individuals improve simple everyday problem solving, from the mundane (opening packages, minor repairs) to possible emergency situations such as first aid or self-defense etc. Some of the most common EDC items are watches, pens, wallets, car and home key rings, mobile phones, flashlights, multi-tools, tissues, medications, and personal care items.^[1]

The choice and priority/ranking of which items to carry, and how or where to carry them, vary according to each person's needs depending on their occupation, avocations, lifestyle, and similar factors of everyday life. Goals include being able to solve everyday problems more efficiently and to be an asset instead of a liability or helpless bystander when a problem arises.^[2]

While often distributed among pockets in everyday clothing, carry options are frequently expanded by the addition of clothing accessories like a fanny pack, purse, small daypack, sunglasses, bracelets, or even footwear like long boots or a vest with pockets. How EDC items are stored, though, depends on the purpose and intentions for their use."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyday_carry

As this applies to characters, what they carry in their pockets or on their person can say a whole lot about them. What are their must-haves? What are their daily dependencies?

As seen in J.R.R. Tolkein's "The Hobbit", the contents of a person's pockets can even become critical to the plot of the story.Though this is not always the case.

The girl with two pens and a notepad probably struggles to remember things unless she writes them down. The boy with a random pebble probably prefers to be wandering aimlessly through the woods, collecting small trinkets along his way.

Does the character wear a watch? Do they have a wallet stuffed with bills or a thin and virtually empty one with a few credit cards?

Knives, marbles, coins, chapstick, hairties, lucky charms, a stick of gum, a lollipop, keys, a lighter, matches, a flashlight, bracelets, jewelry, the possibilities are endless. Even a character who carries absolutely nothing in their pockets, that says something about them as a character.

In "The Dark Knight", Commissioner Gordon searches The Joker and finds nothing on him but knives and lint.

In a lot of advanced video games with some kind of inventory system, the items you carry or don't carry will directly affect your gameplay. Maybe its a first person shooter and you're struggling in a gunfight in the dark becuase you don't have night vision goggles. Maybe its a roleplaying strategy game and you just barely finished off a difficult opponent because you had a whole bunch of health potions.

The things you carry say a lot about you as a character, and they affect your interactions with the world around you.

Let me give you a couple examples from my own character collection.

Renee "Gabby" Bertrand is a highly energetic and outgoing teen who usually has her hair in double French braids, secured with elastic hairties. In her pockets are always a collection of miscellaneous hairties of varying colors. Why? Because her hairties are a reflection of her mood. When her emotions go through a mood change, she subtly reflects that through the color of hairtie she wears. Nobody in her life has a dictionary of what mood she actually means to reflect with each color, but the people who get close and intimate to her can start to pick up on the implications.

Jessica Delaney is a quiet but talented combat helicopter pilot, who always has a knife and flashlight on her, which isn't that surprising. Very basic survival EDC. But what is a bit less anticipated is that she also always has her mp3 player and a pocket of orange lifesavers. Because Jessica struggles with stress and anxiety when she flies, and the music and lifesaver candies help her to stay calm. Even more unique yet, she always seems to have a random piece of sidewalk chalk in one of her pockets. Why? Because she did a lot of sidewalk art as a kid, and the stick of chalk is an ever present reminder to her to not dwell on the past or the future, but rather embrace the present moment just like she did as a child.

And if she runs out of lifesavers and her mp3 battery dies? She might have a mid-flight panic attack that blindsides her entire flight group and she might miss a critical shot.

For a third and final example, Valerie Clarke is a highly intelligent and clever negotiator. But her biggest flaw in life is a bad memory and a tendency to get lost in intuitive thought. So her EDC includes, among other things, two pens, a notepad, and a wristwatch. And one of her more odd items is a couple rubber bands. Because they give her hands something subtle and concealable to fidget with when she's trying to concentrate.

If her pens run dry, she might forget something crucial and end up losing a big negotiation because of it.

The things your character carries everyday may seem like a trivial waste of words and sentences. But in reality, it unlocks a whole new way for your characters to become a little more alive and relatable. And it can even affect the whole plot of the story for better or worse.

So.

What's in your character's pocket?