Tics

Tics. Most of us know someone with a strange tic. A compulsive throat clearer comes to mind. Or the fingernail drummer. The face picker. The hummer. The head jerker. The eye twitcher.



Why do we have these strange and uncontrollable actions? What brings them on? And why are they next to impossible to get rid of?

I'm not recommending you give every character a tic. I'm not even recommending giving your main character a tic. But it might be fun to see how your protagonist reacts to someone close to him who has one.

What if the hero's sister has a permanent scab on her arm because she picks it every day. And she scratches it when she's nervous. When he sees her doing this, how does he feel? Does it make him feel sad? Maybe he remembers when it all started twenty years ago. The bully next door teased her about her frizzy hair and she began to pick at her arm whenever in his presence. Soon, it became a nervous habit. The hero wants to reassure her she's perfect the way she is, but he doesn't know how, so when she picks at the scab, he averts his eyes.

Or maybe it disgusts him? He can't understand why she can't control herself. For goodness sakes, her arm bleeds every day. Gross! His mouth clamps shut in a thin line and his fists bunch up when he sees that drop of blood trickling down her forearm. He has to physically stop himself from yelling at her or punching the wall. He has no idea why his reaction is so strong, and he doesn't want to delve into the why's. As a result, he avoids her.

How do your character's react to tics? I'd love to hear from you!

Happy Writing!

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