I had a brilliant blog idea last night. It was half-written in my head as I stumbled off to fall asleep. It was so brilliant that I had all but forgotten it by this morning.

So instead, I’ll try too hard to make a loose connection to real life. Attempt inspired by yet another car financing commercial. They are as common in this state (and I assume most, since it’s a nationally owned station), as check loan places are.

This commercial offered to reduce my car payments by up to 50% and even let me skip a payment. This was wrapped in the altruistic paper of ‘because you love your car but can’t afford it, and everyone needs a hand sometimes’. The very first thought I had was “but how could they make such an offer?” Followed closely by “Well, let’s say you’ve got 3 years left on a 5 year car payment. They refiance your balance into a six year payment, lower the interest rate 1% because they’re going to milk 3 more years worth of fees out of you anyway, and viola – 50% lower car payment.”

And then I started thinking about how I know this, and why it’s not a marketable skill. I know this because I’m observant, I’ve had bad credit and know how ‘bad credit’ financing works, and I have a decent idea of how auto and home loans work in general thanks to several other layers of personal experience.

Sorry, you’re all yawning by now. Other obscure things I know:
– how to create screen printing color separations both for large format and lithograph machines
– how long term care insurance is priced, sold, and underwritten
– how insestuous any insurance company is…health, life, property and casualty
– what RIP means in terms of printing
– the list is long and random

What does any of this have to do with you as a person and a writer? (Watch me work my shiny sleight of hand and pull this all together). I bet every single one of you has a similar list. Obscure things you know that don’t relate to any job you’ve ever had and/or your currently daily life, but you know anyway. In detail. And on the rare occasion when it comes up in conversation, your eyes light up because its a chance to talk on something obscure that you’re familiar with.

And characters can have these quirks, too. They don’t have to just have physical tics or marks to set them apart. Maybe your main character knows how to clean a carburator with her blow-dryer even though she works in marketing. Or her boyfriend knows how to train a cat to fetch the paper even though he’s a lawyer.

Something to think about next time you’re stuck and don’t know how to sequae (sp?) to what comes next. Give one of your characters one of those obscure bits of knowledge you have, and see what they do with it.

What are some other people’s obscure knowledges? I’m curious now.