Witches reading. (Well, one has a book).
Funny. Clair
Dickson touched on this subject on her blog yesterday. The idea of physical traits. I had a slightly different twist on it in mind.I was listening to BLUE HEAVEN (C.J. Box) on audiotape and a character with tasseled loafers was introduced. The alarm went off immediately. Have you ever met a tassel-loafered guy in fiction who wasn't going to be a pain in the ass at best, a killer at worst.
Other signals might include: too much perfume, a knuckle-cracker. Anyone who grooms themself too well or too little. What else? How do you know to be wary of someone in a novel? What physical attributes to you confer on the bad guys?
Men with jewelry, whether it's rings, gold chains, bracelets -- it's never a good thing.
ReplyDeleteBeards and mustaches.
ReplyDeleteCan you name a villain who does not smile? (e.g., The villain in Tom Knox's THE GENESIS SECRET, a recent release which I finished reading last night, is a psychotic, sadistic, SOB, but he smiles nicely. Thus . . . the smile is the dead giveaway in nearly all of literature.
ReplyDelete:-)
Shifty eyes.
ReplyDeleteFacial scars, esp ugly ones that didn't heal right.
Goatees! Everyone knows that a goatee mean you're evil!
I also tend to expect the person who's impeccably dressed in suits or other fine clothing to be evil or underhanded.
Lisa-A wedding band and a watch I'll let get by.
ReplyDeleteGeorge-Now I know you work at a university too. Half the men in our department have beards. And they are pretty evil in their way.
Now this is weird. We just came back from lunch where a very nefarious type smiled so much my own face started to ache.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Patti. I'm a college professor (sans beard or mustache). But the most evil professors and administrators around here have them.
ReplyDeleteI lean toward excessive jewelry and moussed hair.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking for all bearded men, should I ever meet him, George's ass is mine. ;-)
Not a physical attribute, but I had to laugh watching Joe Brown the other day. One of the litigants was actually holding a cat in his arms in court and Brown said, "The villain is always the one holding a cat!"
ReplyDeleteNow I am embarrassed to ask, "Who is Joe Brown?"
ReplyDeleteMoussed hair-definitely.
Interesting question and responses. Spending too much time on appearance is a signal, but I think character and actions reveal more than appearance.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. But I think writers use attributes to cue a reader that someone is up to no good. Or they inadvertently signal it with certain physical traits.
ReplyDeleteDresses made of large flower prints. The wearer is probably the victim but only because her behaviour is villanous!
ReplyDeleteSadly every once in a while, I am tempted to buy one this time of year. Luckily I've only done it once-for my son's college graduation. I have to burn all the pictures with me in them. I deserved to be the victim.
ReplyDeleteJodhpurs. Duelling scar.
ReplyDeleteWow. What have you been reading/writing lately?
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised no one went with the too tight jeans, or the too short skirt, or the cleavage displayed for all the world to see. Ya gotta love a femme fatale.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes. Or the too high-heels.
ReplyDeleteIn a lot of pulpy type stuff, men who seem effiminate are almost always evil.
ReplyDeletePerfect teeth and a charmingly innocent smile.
ReplyDeleteNames. Would you trust a character named Silas Chilton? Or Hannibal Lecter? But how could you not trust Joe Pike and Walt Longmire?
ReplyDelete