Breaking news! The winner of Leslie Karst's MOLTON DEATH is Joan Emerson. Joan please email Leslie, LJKarst at gmail dot com to claim your prize!
LUCY BURDETTE: as I mentioned Monday, Lottie and I go out for a coffee from the nearby Cuban coffee queen every morning. We walk in and get in line , and while we’re waiting, I am watching the other customers and the baristas. Lottie is watching the door to the back kitchen area in case someone should emerge with a paper plate full of turkey. (This happens sometimes so she is ever hopeful.) But on this particular day, I was in line behind a Key West police officer.
When there is a cruise ship at Mallory Square, they send a few officers to guard the entrance to the on-ramp. He was ordering breakfast sandwiches and coffee for several. All I could notice is how tall he was. I didn’t ask him, of course, but I’m sure he was over 6 feet, and that got me wondering about life as me, a short person, versus life as him, a very tall person. How differently would you see the world?
In my Monroe County Sheriffs Police Academy last year, one of the officers was about my height. I asked her, whether her size affected her job. She thought it helped because she was not instantly intimidating to citizens and could talk to them more easily. Interesting, right? I don’t think I’ve ever written a tall main character, and I’m not sure I’d have the perspective to do that. (Which is kind of silly because I write all kinds of characters with all kinds of backgrounds, so why would height make any difference?) But tell me it wouldn't make a difference if you were a SWAT team officer this size, versus me?
If you write, how tall are your characters? As a reader, do you notice these things?
I have to admit that I've never really thought about the height of a character unless the author specifically mentions it. However, I am certain there are some stories in which a character's height [or lack thereof] might have an impact. It's an interesting consideration . . . .
ReplyDeleteThose are some great pictures, Lucy. Waving my hand as a fellow short person who is only getting shorter.
ReplyDeleteMy longest running very tall character is the police lieutenant in Lick indiana. Buck is a folksy quirky guy, and I have written that he stretched his long legs out to Ohio, and how my protagonist has to crane her neck to look up at him, way up.
But I haven't written from the point of view of a very tall person, yet. (Right now I am moseying slowly through a very very long line at immigration in tokyo!)
Happy trails Edith, have a blast!
DeleteBon voyage Edith and keep us posted.
DeleteHave a great trip, Edith!
DeleteI do notice height in books. I love me a tall man.
ReplyDeleteLOL
DeleteHow fun. I have thought a lot about height. I have always been 5'10" but with two knee replacements and age I seem to have shrunk a quarter inch. Still, tall for a woman of my generation. My mother was about 5'8" and was tall for her generation. I have recently realized that a woman I respect a lot is about 4'9" or 4'10" (I usually see her behind a desk; she's our town librarian). This was a common height for women in the past. I thought about trying to write a historical heroine of this height, and realized it would be a real challenge. Without meaning to, I have the physical confidence/arrogance of a tall person. I am not particulalry strong but having a long frame gives you a certain amount of strength just through leverage. I also have worked a lot with horses and cattle, animals that a lot of people find intimidating. I think about how much MORE intimidating they would seem if I were a foot shorter. Similiarly, I have tall brothers (6'1" and 6'4") and have a son who is 6'4". My father was and husband is 6'1". The men in my life have always been gentle and soft-spoken, slow to anger. I am deeply afraid of men who yell. I have thought about how much scarier such out-of-control men would seem if I were a lot shorter than they.
ReplyDeleteOn a historical note, I researched a runaway enslaved man in CT who was 6'3" tall. In an area where black men were uncommon, his height made him a marked man. He was taller than the famously tall George Washington. Being so easily recognized, he was recaptured over and over. He was very smart, however, and on third escape made his way from CT to New Bedford, MA and went out on a whale ship. He was recognized and captured after four years and immediately escaped for a fourth time, losing himself during the confusion of the Revolution. I was happy to find him as a free man (under a different name) in the 1800 census. (Selden)
what wonderful comments Selden! I tried to explain to the hub the other day that I have trouble putting a suitcase in the overhead because of my height, and lack of leverage, not so much strength. I love your comments about the tall but gentle men in your life. And that's a fascinating research project. Are you writing his story?
DeleteWhat a fascinating story about the runaway slave Selden. Would like to hear more about him.
DeleteSelden, your comment about the librarian being short reminded me of a librarian at the branch where I grew up (and where later both my sister and I worked in high school). Mrs. Weber was maybe 5’2”, but I swore she was 5’9” because of her personality. She was very self-confident and brooked no nonsense from anyone. Great lady. So posture and how you carry/project yourself can make up for lack of actual height. — Pat S
DeleteI am about the same height as you, Lucy. My whole life I have wanted to be taller. As a young woman, I was attracted to tall men, but the man I married is 5'8".
ReplyDeleteAs a reader, I am very tuned in to the height of the characters. Almost all cozy, romance and mystery writers create tall characters for their protagonists' love interests. Think about Nathan and how we all know that he is tall and handsome.
Some female authors who are tall women create tall female protagonists. Jenn has tall women in two of her series. In many stories, a character's size determines a lot about the plot. Jack Reacher, for instance, is gigantic.
True Judy! I started down this rabbit hole when I realized that my friend Elise Hart Kipness wrote a tall main character in LIGHTS OUT--she is smaller than I am, so I was surprised. Tall side characters are easier to deal with because I can see them from Hayley's perspective.
DeleteI've written all different heights of characters. Pete Adams is over 6 feet tall. But Matthias Honeywell is only 5 foot 8 and wears thick-soled shoes and boots. Plus, Matthias's partner is a very tall woman, which nags at him a bit. The thing I like about writing shorter characters is people (bad guys) underestimate them.
ReplyDeleteAnnette, yes! It's true in real life too:)
DeleteAs at least one of you already said, I'm short (5'3 1/2") ands getting shorter, and I'd love to have been taller. But I only made my police detective heroine Giuliana 5'6"; her colleague Renzo, although very good-looking, is 5'10". Swiss don't tend to be very big. But in SONS AND BROTHERS I have a very large, strong man who's big even as a child, because it's important to the story.
ReplyDeleteAt 5'2", I am a short person and all I know is that, if I could choose, I would come back as a tall, very tall, person, so that I could reach the top shelf at the supermarket!
ReplyDeleteAmanda, can you imagine what it is like for people in wheelchairs not being able to reach the shelf in the supermarket?
DeleteDiana
Amanda, your comment about supermarket shelves reminded me of the personal story Lee Child tells about choosing the name "Reacher" for his character. He was with his wife in a market during a time when his work life was in transition. He helped some little old ladies reach groceries on the top shelf. His wife suggested that if nothing else, he could be a reacher.
DeleteDiana: I can imagine; nothing is easy for a person in a wheelchair!
DeleteJudy: That is a fascinating story I did not know. Thank you!
I'm 5'7" which is much taller than both my parents. But I'm average height compared with those I hang out with now in Ottawa.
ReplyDeleteI don't really notice a character's height unless they are really part of the story. Reacher is a hulking 6'5" brute which he uses to his advantage in his stories.
Only if the author mentions it in the book is when I notice the height.
ReplyDeleteI am only 5'1", so pretty short by any standard. While I haven't had to think about height for writing purposes, I have thought a lot about it in life. I am convinced that our physical size shapes our perception of the world in many subtle ways.
ReplyDeleteAbout 25 years ago I worked for a man for several years who was 6'3" and muscular. He had broad shoulders and long legs. In those years I got a lot of insight into differences that our relative sizes made for us. Flying coach was virtually torture for him, but people often misinterpreted his upgrading to first class as pretentious. Asking for help with anything came easier to me. People tended to defer to him as an authority in any room, even if they didn't know his position. And interestingly enough, bullying or any kind of victimizing the weak seemed to bring out in him a visceral anger and desire to protect. Some of those may have been unique to him and me, but I'd wager they are somewhat typical of our size differences.
such interesting observations!
DeleteI do notice height – sort-of. There was one series of books that I read where the female was (I think) of average height – 5’2”!. When the new cop was introduced, it was remarked that he was very tall. Over and over again. I used to wonder about the capability.
ReplyDeleteOther characters who I remember as being pictured as tall are Gamache, and Lindley (Elizabeth George).
Other than Poirot, how many are short? When speaking of Poirot, do you like me, have trouble picturing any actor other than David Suchet as the correct character – forget the acting skills. Kenneth Branagh, and Peter Ustinov were just too tall – I could not put them in character.
I am barely 5’2” and shrinking. A tall(er) woman was over and I was making tea. It required more than the regular number of cups which are kept on the 2nd shelf of my cupboards – beside the bowls. Not so easy reach for me. She laughed when I opened the silverware drawer, took out a fork, and used it to ‘capture’ the handle of the mug and pull it down. Then she reached up and took down 2 more – no fork, no ladder. Show-off!
I keep a little stool nearby Margo:)
DeleteI'm 5'6, so pretty much in the middle of the spectrum. In college I had a roommate who was 4'11. I felt like a giant next to her. A later friend is just about 6' tall. Both friends suffered for their stature. I notice height in books if it is emphasized by the author. Barbara Nickless's character, Dr. Evan Wilding, is memorable because he has dwarfism and is used to the shocked reactions of people who meet him for the first time.
ReplyDeleteI used to think I was tall, but now I don’t. Listen to this. The other day, on an airplane, speaking of overhead compartments, Lucy, I was getting ready to attempt to heft my bag into the spot over my seat when a tall guy whooshed his suitcase over my head and took my spot.
ReplyDeleteCan you actually believe that? I still am enraged when I think about .
As for characters, I mostly deal with it comparatively. That someone had to look up to meet someone’s eyes, or was having trouble getting their legs into the front seat of the sports car, or that they couldn’t see over the tops of the other peoples heads in the crowd.
. Way back in college, I dated someone who was 6’ 7, a foot taller than I was, and I have to say I was constantly thinking about what he saw from that perspective. It’s very very different.
Yikes! That was rude of that man to do that, Hank.
DeleteDiana
Well, Hank, you can always get retribution by using him in a story. And giving him a horrible fate.
DeleteWow beyond rude. We would expect the tall man to assist you, not snatch your spot!
DeleteLUCY: May I ask how tall you are? When I met you and Hallie at Bouchercon in Toronto, I thought you both were about the same height as I am...
ReplyDeleteHaving two Tall parents, I was surprised that I stopped just before 5 feet 6 inches tall. Another lifetime when I was a teen model, I was 5'4" and I thought that I would be 6 feet tall like my paternal Aunt when I stopped growing. To my surprise, that did not happen. The only time in my life I recall being "tall" was being 5'2" at the age of 10 while my classmates were under 5 feet tall.
At University, most of the women students were shorter than me. When I was living in England, I noticed that more women were taller.
Despite my being shorter than my parents, I always saw myself as tall. In my writing, my main character is tall at 5 feet 9 inches tall, which was rare for women in the 1920s.
Diana
I'm 5'2 but I consider myself tall in personality:)
DeleteLOL - I write tall. Hayden's latest love interest is over six feet. Sassy's (you'll meet her in No Return) is also well over six feet. My dad's family, and my dad, were all over six feet. My mom's were all less than 5'9." My genes were harvested from the short side of the gang, but I find comfort in tall.
ReplyDeleteso interesting!
DeleteI never notice, or care about, people's height in a story. Same with eye colour. Maybe hair colour, but not much. Different strokes.
ReplyDeleteComing of age in the fifties and sixties, I was usually one of the tallest girls in my class, and always yearned to be shorter. One taller friend always stood ramrod straight (and still does), but I developed a self-conscious slouch (better now!). The young amateur sleuth in the mystery series I’ve written (but not yet published) is six feet tall (like my daughter), and her height is integral to how she sees and carries herself.
ReplyDeleteI think I only notice height in a character if it’s pointed out by the author and is important to how the character carries themself. As noted above, Jack Reacher is a large, imposing man who uses his physicality often in the books. If it’s not mentioned, I presume the women are my height (5’7”-ish) and the men are taller. In other words, I view the characters from my perspective. — Pat S
ReplyDeleteYes Pat, I bet most people make the assumption that their height is "normal"
DeleteSuch a good question! Realizing that I do not think about height, not unless the character is unusually tall or unusually short (always for a reason... in terms of their personality or the plot). And Lucy, just for the record, I do not think of you as "short" - you can fill a room when you need to which is my definition of tall. And Hank, you are definitely "tall"... imhop. I was the tallest girl in 4th grade and that shaped my view of myself ever since, though I am not in the least bit tall.
ReplyDeletethe Reds specialize in big personalities LOL
DeleteI love this post, Lucy! I have always been the tallest female in my class, grade, job, etc, so I consciously try to vary my characters' heights just to make it more interesting for me. I did a signing once where a reader met me and looked confused. She said, "I can't believe how tall you are. You write short." I remember laughing, thinking what does that mean? I hope it means that my characters are relatable no matter how tall the reader is or isn't. LOL.
ReplyDeleteSo funny Jenn!
DeleteGrowing up, I was almost always the tallest person in the class. This was frequently a disadvantage because I was too big to sit comfortably in the small chairs in kindergarten and more was often expected of me because I looked older. One time I was on public transportation with my mother and had paid the child’s fare because it was appropriate. The driver pulled me back and told me that I should be paying the adult fare. Fortunately, my mother was there to tell him that I was still eligible for the child’s fare. Another time, I was with a friend who was my age but was able to pay the lower amount because she was small-I had to pay the adult fare.
ReplyDeleteIn gym class I didn’t fit in because many of the activities were designed for people smaller than me with a lower center of gravity and my legs were too long to jump over a lot of the equipment. Most gymnasts are on the small side and have greater flexibility.
Characters who are short are sometimes perceived as cute because of their size and are misjudged as to their capabilities.
I do notice when height is brought up because it is not always relevant to the story. I do, however, identify with the taller characters and feel a connection with them. I’ve read several books recently where the main character is having trouble keeping up with the person she’s with because they are taller and can take longer steps. I have experienced the same thing when a person I’m with is suddenly several steps behind me.
Our granddaughter is big for her age right now and we worry the school will expect more than she can manage
DeleteWhat a fun post, Lucy! As a fellow shortie, coming from a family of shorties, I've always thought about my characters' heights. I made Duncan tall--just over six feet. My ex-husband was 6'2" so I was very aware of the difference in perspective compared to my 5' 2". And I definitely wanted Gemma to be taller than me--I imagine she's maybe 5' 6" or 7". Melody on the other hand is short, a petite frame. And although Doug is a rower, somehow I always have trouble visualizing him as tall, but he's got to be at least six feet. It really does affect how your characters interact with their world.
ReplyDeleteexactly Deb!
DeleteI'm 5'5" (still! no age shrinkage!) and comfortable with it. It was pretty much an average height for most places I've lived. In books I don't notice height unless it is unusual. Very tall women, very short men. And in one case post WW2 a very tall Englishman. Like 6'7" tall. Usually their heights are very much part of their character and attitude.
ReplyDeleteIn elementary school and junior high, I was taller than many of my classmates, including boys. But, I topped out at 5’6”, and the boys started catching up and surpassing my height. I liked being on the taller side, even if it wasn’t tall tall. My daughter followed the same pattern. My son did not, and I was a little concerned he would be shorter than my daughter, which, of course, was a silly thing to worry about. However, he followed the boy pattern of getting taller later and ended up around 5’10”. Now I’m down to 5’5” and feel like I’m still shrinking. I don’t like that.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know that I ever stop and think about how tall a character is in a story unless mentioned by the author. But, I do have in my mind while reading the height of the main characters.
At 5’8”, I was average for the upper Midwest. In pictures from my wedding, all 5 women in the wedding party are within an inch of each other. Since moving to SoCal I feel tall. I think it was a safety advantage all the years I took public transit into DTLA.
ReplyDeleteI love traveling to the Netherlands because I feel almost dainty there.
I know two very tall men friends who are both 6’8” and my house cleaning perspective changes when they’re coming. They use the top of my fridge as a shelf & I'm always concerned about them hitting an overhead fan. I’m at 5’.
ReplyDeleteso interesting! I thought you might say that they clean spaces you would never see...
DeleteThere are times when being short presents challenges. Reaching that top shelf in the grocery store? I have stepped up on the bottom shelf or asked a tall person to reach the item for me. I don’t fly that much. Luckily my husband is tall for reaching that overhead bin. Without him, I would definitely be purchasing an under the seat carryon bag.
ReplyDeleteI have never wished to be tall. My feet reach the ground and I am happy with that.