I have a handful of very noticeable habits. Most people who pay attention to them pick up on them quickly – especially co-workers and family members. I have one that no one has ever called me out on and I’m not sure where I got it. Some people recognize it in snippets, but usually I manage to hide the vast expanse that is this tiny snippet of eccentricity in my personality.

Words. Not just any words. A specific type of word. I don’t know if they have a name. Well, technically they do. They’re adjectives. Positive adjectives. Keen. Awesome. Shiny. Nifty. Swell. Killer. Those kinds of words that when you want to positively describe a situation, or sarcastically describe a negative situation, they’re appropriate.

And my quirk? I can’t stick with one. I tend to latch onto one for as long as it takes for someone to notice that it’s ‘my word’ and then I move on. A word ago it was awesome. I didn’t even realize I had adopted this word until my boss called me on it. “Come on, let’s hear it. Awesome, right?”

Fortunately, my current WIP has provided me with an epic new word. My characters each have a distinct voice and half of them come from a strong gaming background (being video game programmers), and have a dialect that’s pretty young and modern. So Scott has let me borrow my favorite new epic word.

Try it out: EPIC.

See how versatile it is? Someone asks you how your day is going and you can say “Epic”. And if you’re smiling when you say it, they’ll know all is right in your world. And if you’re not smiling, and there’s a little bit of a sarcastic edge to your response, they’ll know you’re probably about to punch the next person who asks you how your day is going if you don’t get a cup of coffee first.

See how epic it is?

This isn’t the first time I’ve done something like this. When I’m writing, because I’m a character driven author, I like to dive into my character’s minds and tend to pick up their speech patterns. Great for me when I’m writing an aggressive (but kind) female lead who knows what she wants and how to get it. Not so effective when I’m writing a male lead who knows which she he wants and how to get it, or an angel with less experience than a…something without interpersonal relationship experiences…

I’ve noticed other people do it, too. I’ve worked for several companies who have dealings with other counties. And I’ve known more than one person at each one who, after talking to someone with an accent for an hour or two, will pick up traces of that other person’s speech pattern.

I’ve also known people that after reading a particularly intense book, or watching a movie that really hit home, they’ll temporarily adopt traits of whichever character they could relate to.

Epic, if you ask me ^_^

It makes me ponder the psychology behind it all. Is this a mild form of cultural evolution? We subconsciously have a desire to fit in and will start to try and do so with whomever we’re dealing with? Or is it something else entirely?

Have you ever caught yourself doing that? Emulating the habits, speech patterns, accent, or anything else from either the people around you or a book, movie, or TV show? Or do you know someone who does?