Ever since, Julian Rodgers, one of my DEAD BEEF characters said, “Keep it random, keep it real,” I’ve been raising my eyebrows, laughing and crying at some of the things my characters say. This may sound a little creepy, but they come up with these things all on their own. I often stare at the screen, glance down at the keyboard, wiggle my fingers, and ask, where did that come from?

Sometimes they say things I enjoy or agree with. Other times they say things I can’t quite understand or condone. Either way, though, since they’re being real, I let my characters say the darnest things.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been sharing some of these one (or two) liners on my Twitter feed under the hashtag #CSTDT (for Characters Say the Darnest Things). Here are a few samples, most of them from my upcoming Tracking Jane series.

#CSTDT "…tears and crying, that's how springs of hope bust through." from the Tracking Jane series #indieauthor #amwriting

— Eduardo Suastegui (@imagesbyeduardo) August 3, 2014

May not end up in my #WIP, but I'll share it anyway. #foodforthought pic.twitter.com/6S3IVY4pSf

— Eduardo Suastegui (@imagesbyeduardo) August 6, 2014

#CSTDT: Education don’t make a man educated. Sometimes quite the opposite… Women, on the other hand do much better. #WIP Tracking Jane

— Eduardo Suastegui (@imagesbyeduardo) August 3, 2014

#CSTDT: "I've dealt with my demons, and my conscience is clear. Can you say touché to that?" Pink Ballerina https://t.co/MlqceyrQIO

— Eduardo Suastegui (@imagesbyeduardo) August 6, 2014

Characters Say the Darnest Things #CSTDT #amwriting #driventowrite https://t.co/4GwfETCqy3

— Eduardo Suastegui (@imagesbyeduardo) August 6, 2014

#CSTDT: “You know the problem with technology? It all runs on batteries, and batteries run out.” #WIP Tracking Jane #amwriting

— Eduardo Suastegui (@imagesbyeduardo) August 3, 2014