List of Quirks
(The categorized lists are below)
What is a quirk?
Quirks are habits, attitudes, mannerisms, or behaviors that are unusual, unexpected, or strange.
People have quirks, and your characters and locations should too. Think obsessions, a silly or unusual laugh, habits like pacing around the room, knuckle cracking, or braiding or twisting hair while thinking. Someone could always be cold, even in the summer without AC. An old man could have the habit of checking his mailbox twice a day, so much so that there is a path of trampled grass leading to his mailbox.
Locations can have quirks. The front door might have to be pushed or pulled in a certain way to engage the lock. The sink faucets could be switched. The hot water tap could really be the cold water tap despite the label.
Think of somewhere you've lived or a person you knew. What stood out to you about them? What did you find bizarre, aggravating, or charming about them?
Quirks will serve as the little details that will make your characters and settings lifelike. These quirks will say a lot about what you are describing, and they can even be used to allude to something important in your plot. There could be significant explanations to the quirks you choose which can add a layer of depth to your story.
Personality Quirks:
Thorough planner
Never plans for anything
Lone wolf
Needs approval
Adventurous
High strung
Takes things seriously
Skeptical of everything
Loves to argue
Avoids people
Avoids touching people
Honest to a fault
Impulsive liar
The Martyr
Sensitive
Abrasive
Compulsive flirt
Ambitious but lazy
Behavioral Quirks:
Picks at nails
Smokes only certain brands
Drinks a homemade concoction of choice
Tops their food with a specific dressing or additional ingredient
Loud laugh
Subdued laugh
Whistles or hums when walking
Always misses the trash can
Touches their face when they talk
Gets a stomachache at tense moments
Stutters when talking to someone attractive
If they clean is always a deep clean
Avoids public restrooms
Collection of ducks
Collections in general
Very loud sneezes
Kitten sneezes
Hisses when thinking
Always sounds angry even when they aren't
Has a hard time articulating feelings or desires
Often gets cliches or common phrases wrong
Physical Quirks:
Twitchy eye
Twitchy foot
Extremely flexible
Extremely inflexible
Two colored eyes
Chipped nails
Long perfect nails
Distinctive weight distribution
Very short
Very tall
Distinctive marks like birth marks or scars
Clothes/accessories:
Wears new clothes but has an old beaten-up suitcase or bag
Fingers full of rings
Never seen without makeup
Never wears their hair down
Cracked glasses
Socks never match
Old people sweaters
One sock pulled up, the other falling down
Half tucked shirt
Always a pen in the shirt pocket
Wears only a specific color
Crooked pins or name tag
Wears anything with their favorite animal
Wears slippers out in public
Location Quirks:
Squeaky steps
Window that jams
Lot full of old trees
A popular place of business with limited, inconvenient hours
House locks that are hard to open
A front door without weather stripping
Plumbing that rattles when water runs
Whistling windows
Creaky couch
Wavy, uneven floors
Always windy
A yard where critters are always seen
A public place that seems to attract certain people or animals
Always spotless