I'm not implying that he used the same few sayings, or actions, or idiosyncrasies, for every single exchange and appearance that some of his characters make. However, over the course of most any scene you get several occurrences those "personality traits" as the means of character specific depth. (Fisher sayings, braid tugging, chewing on lips, stroking beards, owlish blinking eyes, etc. etc.) Most of the secondary characters and nearly all the female characters are constructed and written in this way.
I'm surprised you think sniffing, blinking, etc. are personality traits. They're within quotes, so I'm left wondering what you mean here.
And they don't add depth. They're the surface, the actions these characters perform. Yes, the fact that the women sniff when expressing disapproval seems to be more like a universal thing than the idiosyncrasy of a few people. But that is so very very minor, that it always baffled me that people used these actions to say that all his characters were the same.
Lamentation by Ken Scholes the Discussion Thread
06/11/2009 04:57:27 PM
- 998 Views
The setting/created world of the Psalms of Isaak.
06/11/2009 06:43:57 PM
- 728 Views
Reminded me of WoT...
06/11/2009 09:41:44 PM
- 746 Views
Same here, at least as far as the world creation goes.
12/11/2009 05:18:27 PM
- 666 Views
Can't believe I never noticed that...
13/11/2009 05:04:27 AM
- 713 Views
Complete with salty sayings, even!
13/11/2009 04:05:45 PM
- 644 Views

At least it wasn't as heavy-handed in LAMENTATION.
13/11/2009 08:42:36 PM
- 683 Views
But Siuan's fish talk is fun!
13/11/2009 10:22:23 PM
- 701 Views
As in most cases with Jordan...
16/11/2009 05:02:21 PM
- 730 Views
He did not...
16/11/2009 10:21:15 PM
- 742 Views
Yes, he most certainly did.
17/11/2009 02:20:28 PM
- 764 Views
What?
18/11/2009 07:58:21 AM
- 766 Views
/Setting: codes and ciphers
10/11/2009 12:19:27 AM
- 670 Views
My thoughts. (i.e. <insert generic subject here>)
06/11/2009 07:38:26 PM
- 867 Views
Themes...
06/11/2009 09:00:23 PM
- 794 Views
I feel like I should have posted a reveiw but I really such at reveiws. Anyway...
07/11/2009 04:53:15 AM
- 741 Views
If you don't mind me asking, what series/books in particular have characters you don't care for?
10/11/2009 08:12:52 PM
- 626 Views
Characters...
08/11/2009 02:30:30 AM
- 745 Views
Isaak, or "he who laughs".
08/11/2009 02:54:44 AM
- 804 Views
Indeed.
10/11/2009 05:31:55 PM
- 622 Views
Personally I can't wait to see how Neb developes... *NM*
10/11/2009 12:05:05 AM
- 348 Views
Winters & Neb
11/11/2009 04:56:35 PM
- 701 Views
Should you ever conduct an interview with Scholes, would you ask him...
12/11/2009 05:51:52 PM
- 684 Views
That's a great question.
12/11/2009 07:38:13 PM
- 670 Views
Thanks in advance. And please let me know his answer one way or the other.
13/11/2009 03:40:19 AM
- 692 Views