One of my pet peeves are generic, forgettable characters. It is something I do my best to avoid when writing any fiction. Yet it’s not easy; slipping into cliche is far more comfortable and quick.

However, speed should not always win out over creativity. One can easily write in a generic sheriff character into any mystery; they’re easy to write. But finding a unique personality quirk or tick that makes this particular sheriff memorable is preferable by far.

Sometimes it can be something as trivial has specifying that his office is outfitted with Maxim lighting; sometimes it can be more idiosyncratic, such has making the sheriff afraid of spiders.

Whatever the case, these minor ticks so show up in real individuals and are the sort of things that, if brought to the fore, make characters memorable.