#IWSG July: Do you share your (ahem) superpowers with your characters?

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, which means it’s time to share our hopes, dreams and fears with the Insecure Writers Support Group, the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh, and this month’s hosts are; Erika Beebe, Natalie Aguirre, Jennifer Lane, MJ Fifield, Lisa Buie-Collard, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!

Do stop by and say hello to them!

I’ve been rubbish at posting recently, so it’s time to dust the cobwebs from my blog, clear out the spam and answer this months’ IWSG question, which is…

What personal traits have you written into your character(s)?

Well, it’s funny I mentioned dusting and clearing out just now as my character, Elinor (also known as Granny), has similar tidiness traits to me. She doesn’t put things away, but she knows where she last saw them. If someone tidies after her, it’s fatal, because suddenly things are out of place and can no longer be found.

I know that my husband’s left slipper is under the sofa, that the dvd the dog chewed is on top of the cabinet and my son’s minecraft toy is where he left it on the stairs three weeks ago. If they ask, I can tell. If someone moves them, then my superpower is gone!

Leave the washing up to drain long enough it’ll dry itself. Dust just comes back!

Ok, I’m not a complete slob – people do actually come back after visiting my house.

Here’s a snippet so you can get the feel of what Elinor is like (the narrator is Skye, her tidy-minded granddaughter):

‘Granny,’ I said in my most reasonable tone. ‘If we don’t clean, we get nasty bugs and things in the supplies. I’m sure you wouldn’t want weevils in the flapjack, and goodness only knows what effect silverfish might have on the bog-mandrake.’
‘I don’t mean basic household chores,’ she snapped. ‘I’m talking about disturbing the natural order of things.’
‘But these are basic chores.’
‘Skye.’ The look she turned on me had too many years of experience in it. ‘Don’t forget who raised your mother. I had the devil’s own job keeping her under control, and I can recognise her touch a mile off.’
‘But we’ll have all sorts of creatures coming in.’
‘Where d’you think I get most of my spell ingredients?’
‘Things will go off.’ I wasn’t prepared to back down on cleanliness.
‘It’s just the natural transition to the next stage of their existence.’
That sounded like so much guff. ‘It’s unhygienic,’ I muttered.

I’d ask what your views on tidiness are, but I think I might be afraid to know the answers…