Name a character in your own story who is talented at something other characters perceive as boring/mundane/ordinary/not even remotely exciting?
Doesn’t matter if that character is great at it or loves/likes being talented at it, everyone else in the story who knows the character sees it as dull/unamusing/lame. Which makes the character wonder if they should try to get better at something that will make others like it/them or not give a damn what people think about them or their talent.
Depending on whatever you consider boring/dull/mundane, in your own opinion, that is what I want you to share in terms of your character.
To make it better, things that the world in your fiction would consider boring and uninteresting, that is something your character is talented at?
Bonus Questions:
What is something that you consider boring talent, in your own opinion? What are things that other people are great at, but you find them uninteresting, personally?
What is something you excel at, but for some reason other people see it as boring or even lame, regardless of how good you are at it?
The most boring talent would probably be having a memory that is really good with mundane details-you can’t remember anything interesting or important in detail.
Its all variable. For example, To Make a Kinder Children’s Tale?
The MC is a bad theif. Its because she’s clumsy (a required plot point), but that doesnt mean she’s talentless. She can pick locks. There’s no evidence of her betrothed being able to, and he’s a prince. What she can’t do, ia do it quietly, seamlessly, instantly, so that she is likely to fail a mission that is waiting on her abilities. Why she is still alive is because she can spot “hidden guards” because they aren’t really trying to blend in (arrogance). Her interactions with princes (hobby-cops) improves their skills, but that’s because neither side of this is legendary.
Mateo is amazing at winning card games. And making money off those. Ricky is amazing at pulling useless facts from his arse and pointing out when things don’t make sense.
In one of my really old books, the main character is extremely talented at reading romance novels. (>‿◠)
Which isn’t easy since she lives during the medieval period and has to read them as codices made of parchment and vellum. One of Fabio’s ancestors was on the covers! ☜(ˆ▿ˆc)
Most of Dov’s skills are going to be considered as average or boring by his new housemates (when they return home).
For example, Dov trained in the Australian Commandos as a sniper, he completed three tours in Afghanistan, and he received a USMC Bronze Star (for rescuing a lost Marine patrol). Jason (Canadian), Johnson (British) and Polanski (Russian) are also Special Forces trained* snipers, and combat veterans (and career mercenaries). Polanski now teaches Israel’s commandos how to be snipers.
*Polanski joined her Russian SF unit (during the Russian-Afghan war) as a psychiatrist, but the unit decided she was far more valuable / effective as a sniper.
Dov also likes to think he’s good at driving (offensive, defensive, cross-country). However, Wolff’s favourite hobby, since his teen years, is customising and racing Audi roadsters on the German autobahns (or airbase runways). And Leon is an IDF Army mechanic who spends his waking hours buried up to his armpits in grease and gears (and loves it).
A good summary of Dov’s new community, and his position in it… You could crush me in a heartbeat. How does that make you different from any other guy here? ~ Krista (the teenage daughter of Polanski and Wolff).
I was watching Saiki K with my brother and it really shows how much it sucks to be a natural born genius when your younger brother can just brainwash the teacher into giving them a 900000000 score on their tests when they are 5.
