Recently, I had a reader ask me about a particular character’s dialogue. In my first book Of Demon Kind, Lorn and Lily stop at an inn. They meet Croger, the innkeeper who repeats the phrase, “to be sure…” when he is addressing the main characters. The question was if that
repetition intentional? The answer is, absolutely yes! Sometimes I use dialogue to give insight into my character's traits and mannerisms. In this case, the innkeeper uses the phrase as a way of showing subservience and deference to his customers. I wanted to give him a customer service sort of affectation and state of mind. He is a bit down on his luck having just suffered an attack on the town and his wife and child are sick. So, Croger the innkeeper is just happy to have paying customers.
Also, when I was writing Croger’s character, I just sort of heard him talking that way in my head. When I pictured his appearance and tone of voice that is just how he talked. I thought the repetitious phrase was a good way of revealing a little more about the character than just that he was an innkeeper.
If you have any questions about a character or about one of my books or just about why I write the way I do, please be sure to email me. I love answering readers’ questions.