Memorable details make good stories great. Character writing prompts that explore the little things could inspire real connections with readers and even become iconic.
Hercule Poirot’s mustache showed readers his obsessive attention to detail. Father Brown’s umbrella revealed his preparedness and ingenuity. And though not a bookish example, Michael Scott’s World’s Best Boss mug gave viewers an ironic insight into his character.
Mugs are a great example of a little thing that reveals a lot. Coffee mugs. Teacups. Travel mugs. Goblets. Skulls. A simple, everyday item that most of us don’t give much thought to can be a helpful writer’s tool for developing characters.
Here’s my favorite mug and what it might tell someone about me.
Its large size reveals that I like big portions and maybe drink too much coffee. Both true. The apple suggests education, and I was a teacher. A closer look shows that the handle’s been glued on, so either I’m too cheap to replace a broken mug, or it’s special to me. Both are true.
For more thoughts on writers and their mugs, you might be interested in this post on Gifts for Writers.
My husband Joe’s favorite work mug is this pixelated Star Wars one.
Duh, he’s a Star Wars fan.
He works where he’s not afraid to show this side of himself, suggesting a super-casual workplace, co-workers into the same things, or both. All that’s true (or used to be; he works from home now).
People love their mugs, their creature comforts, and their routines. Writers should take advantage by using such facts of human nature in their stories. Here are some character writing prompts based on their mugs:
- A dainty teacup might suggest a romantic or someone longing for another time. Perhaps a character with Cinderella or Jane Austen fantasies.
- Broken or chipped mugs could mean the owner’s too cheap or busy to buy new ones. Or that the mugs mean so much to them, they can’t part with them, no matter the state.
- A mug with a poop icon might suggest a crude sense of humor.
- Battered travel mugs reveal an adventurer or someone with a demanding job, like a truck driver or police officer.
- A Save the Whales or Reduce, Reuse, Recycle mug indicates a conservationist.
- Witty mugs suggest a sense of humor, while animal mugs suggest playfulness.
- Some mugs make clear statements about their owners with words printed on the sides. Diva. #1 Dad. Boss Bitch. Princess. It’d be a funny twist to put one of those in the hands of someone who doesn’t meet the stereotype indicated.
- Someone who frequently receives mugs for Christmas might switch daily to use them equally. A teacher, for example, may even have a mug schedule to ensure her students see her use their mug gift.
- A plain black or white mug suggests a lack of personality. Or a modernist or minimalist, someone too efficient for nonsense. Straightforward personalities are fun to write about, providing an excellent foil in emotional moments.
From handmade to store-bought, with affirmations or superheroes, mugs shaped like animals, or advertising businesses, mugs can tell readers a great deal about the characters using them. Here are other quirky questions you should ask about your main character to generate more details.
Need mug ideas? Visit your favorite mug-selling store and take pics of your favorites. Or, pop into your local thrift and antique store for a more eclectic selection. I found this one on display at my parents’ house and thought it was cool.
Here are some character writing prompts to set up a “mug” story. Some, a little dark… *Villainous cackling*
The heroine looks for a coffee mug in her boyfriend’s house and finds a mug advertising a company that, as far as she knows, he’s never worked for in a state he’s never lived in. Has he set up his household with careless thrift store finds or hand-me-downs? Or does he have a secret past? (Sounds like a Lifetime movie).
Miranda swore to him she wouldn’t attend the Expo, not after the argument with the supplier when she accused him of ripping off the company. Yet, he finds an Expo mug under the seat of the car. Sometimes, his inquisitive wife was too curious for her own good, but how could she go after making the promise?
Finding her favorite coffee mug shattered in her classroom, Ms. Lennox felt frightened for the first time at Everly High School. Sure, the faculty had given her the cold shoulder after she “won” most of the department’s funding for her web project. And, yes, accusing some of the school’s most elite students of cheating didn’t go over well, either. But surely, no one would resort to… violence. Then, with trembling hands, she found the note.
Lacing his Harvard coffee mug with poison had been easy. Waiting for the poison to hit his bloodstream had been the hardest part. She felt like a child unable to sleep the night before Christmas, only she knew what she was getting. Freedom. Joy. And one less asshole. It was her gift to the world, really. But why was it taking so long? She could see him, smug in his enormous office, scowling critically at another poor soul, business as usual. But where was the mug?
No one noticed the assassin enter the hospital. He took the stairs, head down, and the few people he passed thought nothing of him. He wore black scrubs, just like the hospital’s pharmacy department, and he carried a mug from the last company picnic. He was one of them. Had to be. No one could’ve guessed him to be a killer or his shocking target.
I’ve definitely had my coffee this morning… What mug ideas have percolated for you? Share below. For more writing prompts and other musings, check out my blog.
