Do you know what Quick and Quinn look like?
I sure don’t.
When I wrote Through Quick and Quinn, I purposefully left character descriptions out of the novel. I didn’t even allow myself to picture them in my mind! The only things mentioned in the book are how dark Quick’s eyes are, and how Quinn’s hair is long enough to whip in the wind when riding on the handlebars. I wanted to leave the rest open to the readers.
But why?
Reason #1: The obvious one. It was important to me that the readers be able to imagine Quick and Quinn however they wanted.
Reason #2: I was hoping that when readers picture Quick and Quinn a certain way, it would allow them to relate to the characters even more.
Reason #3: In my opinion, way too much emphasis is placed on physical appearance in today’s world. It’s hard enough to navigate adolescence, let alone with such societal pressures.
Reason #4: I wanted Quick and Quinn to be measured by their inner characters and for readers to define them by their choices, their behaviors, and their words. Not their looks.
Reason #5: Quick and Quinn could arguably be seen as souls.
I made this decision years ago, and even posted this reel last year:
Something changed, though. I don’t exactly know how or why, but it is what it is: I’m now ready to see Quick and Quinn. And this is where the secret comes in.
For TQAQ’s one-year anniversary, I decided to hire an incredibly talented artist to create a scene depicting our beloved Qs. One that would portray them as both separate individuals and a reciprocal unit.
So now let’s imagine this:
Green grass. Desert cacti and scenery in the background. Quinn sitting cross-legged, eyes closed and face tilted to the sun. Quick with his laptop, intently focusing on his research. Sitting back to back, leaning on one another. Trusting one another. Respecting one another’s space and time. Independent. Interdependent. But never codependent.
That’s our Quick and Quinn. And you’ll be seeing it first. Thanks to artist Natalie Leonard (@writernatalieleonard on Instagram), our favorite characters are coming to life very soon.
Here’s the rough sketch we started with…
I can’t wait to see the finished product! I’ll be assembling a character art reveal team, so stay tuned if you’re interested. And please, be in touch! I’d love to hear your thoughts about this, and what you think they look like <3
Have a blessed week,
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