Free Character Writing Prompts #55:
The Talkers


These character writing prompts will give even "the talkers" something to talk about. Even though they say that it's better to keep quiet to avoid being considered a fool, rather than blabbing to remove all doubt, these chatty folks did not get the memo. Talkers are the kind of people who love hearing the sound of their own voice even if what they're saying doesn't seem to be worth much of anything. They hate silence and will go to great lengths to keep the conversation going during a party, date or meeting. Every once in a while, these garrulous gabbers will say something interesting or out of the ordinary but it's usually preceded and followed by such garbage, it's tough to pick it out. These characters are usually portrayed as idiots and annoying people in most stories. 

Free Character Writing Prompts #55: The Talkers

1. If there was anyway to best describe him, it was as a storyteller. It's not that the most interesting things in the world would happen to him, but the way he described events he was involved in was intriguing for everyone around. When you were with him for a short period of time, you were riveted. If you had to spend an entire car ride or evening with him, however, you would be overwhelmed by chatter. He loved his stories and he strung them together from one to another, never giving you a chance to reply. What does he enjoy so much about his stories and does he even know he's preventing people from responding back to him?

2. He was the kind of person who always has an opinion about something, even if what he has to say is of little to no value. Watching him from the outside you'd almost think that he is part of a professional debate, though he's the only one who knows it's going on. He did have some knowledge about politics and his own profession, but he'd comment on sporting events, international relations and religion-related topics that he had absolutely no expertise in and seemed to form an opinion about on the spot. Those who were actually knowledgeable in the subject hated how convincing he tried to be of his point of view, even if it was all smoke and mirrors. Why does he feel the need to become heavily involved in every discussion?

3. Throughout most of high school, her mother had one heck of a time getting her to speak her mind. When she returned from her first semester of college it's almost as if someone had flipped a switch. Now all she did was speak her mind from sunrise to sunset. She would occasionally listen to what other people had to say, but she had become a master overnight at turning a conversation back toward her. She was small and cute and had faded into obscurity during her high school years and potential friends and boyfriends finally began to notice her in the dorm-room setting. Her mother figured that her garrulousness was simply a matter of catching up for lost time for the first 18 years of her life. Will she be talkative for the rest of her life or will she just have to get this chattiness out of her system?

4. On the positive side, she was able to start a conversation with nearly anyone of any race, color or creed. She would make that person feel enabled and comfortable, at least for a spell. It wasn't long before she would steamroll that person in conversation and that feeling of comfortability would quickly vanish. She had been extremely afraid of talking to strangers during her youth and her parents made her practice calling random businesses and talking to sales clerks throughout her adolescence. As a result, she became so at ease talking with people that it became her favorite thing to do, even if she couldn't turn it off. What is usually the breaking point for her between making a person feel welcomed and making them feel overwhelmed?

5. When most people think of someone who talks too much, they envision someone who talks as fast as the Micro Machines guy from the 1980s, who overwhelms you with speedy monologues. This man was the complete opposite in his speed, as he was one of the most deliberate talkers you'd ever encountered. That being said (slowly), he rarely ever stopped his chatter and you could never actually tell if a sentence was ending or not. It was as if he was saving up all of his words for the first 30 years of his life and now he was slowly unveiling them one at a time like an arthritic Vanna White. How did he come upon his unique speech pattern and why does he talk so constantly?

6. For the most part, he was a smooth operator when it came to the ladies. His silky speech and his sense of humor would usually get him phone numbers more quickly than a telephone operator. The problem came when he kept talking during the first and second dates and would eventually offend the other person in his attempts at comedy. It's not that he was offensive, per say, it's just that when all you can do is make jokes at other people's expense, eventually, someone will get pissed off. That would usually happen for him within the first three chances of meeting someone. Why is his humor so combative and will he ever learn his conversational lesson of less is more?

7. She was a creature of habit through and through. She would brush her teeth the same way, style her hair in the same manner and go to the same restaurants from week to week. When she became a tour guide as a full-time gig, she began treating all of her encounters with friends and family like she was a tour guide. She devised a great deal to say about her life and whatever locations they would visit. It was as if she was a recording that never stopped. At first, it was cute for her friends, who hadn't known her as much of a talker, but upon visiting some places multiple times and hearing the same shtick, they got frustrated. Will she be able to break her habit and stop annoying her friend after they bring it up?

8. She was fond of saying the phrase, "Action speaks louder than words," and used it frequently during her political campaign. The problem is, her constant action appeared to be using words to deal with all her problems. She had become elected to Congress due to her ability to talk circles around all of her opponents. As she reached a more national level, it was becoming more obvious through the power of re-watching her debates and speeches, that for the most part, she was all talk and little action. She was a quite honest and forthcoming person, but she would make promises that she never followed up on and it was beginning to catch up to her. She vowed that she would change her ways during her most recent speech, but it was too early to tell if she was being honest. What will the future of her political career hold?

9. He was a motivational speaker who was known far and wide as one of the best lecturers known to man. He could walk into a room of destitute, disturbed people and he could leave with a room of clamoring followers who wanted to follow all his teachings and purchase his products twice over. What those people didn't realize was that he was the exact same way with his wife and friends and sometimes they wanted to smack him upside the head. He didn't need to be preaching his optimistic and personal growth-related teachings to them. After all, they knew all that he'd done, they'd been there for all of it, they didn't need him to talk about it 24-7. Will this master of positive thinking be able to reign it in for his loved ones?

10. If you started playing a video of stereotypical 90's standup in the background of her talking, you'd eventually hear the two of them sync up. It's not that she wasn't funny or that she wasn't a very interesting person. It's just that she never stopped joking, whether or not the situation called for it. She was literally like a recording playing back a record of every joke she'd ever heard or half-remembered. Occasionally, she was funny, but more often than not, she was just a little bit strange. She was able to control it somewhat during her day job, because she worked from home, but this only made her feel more pent-up with humor to release later on unsuspecting friends and acquaintances. What made this constant comedy such a part of her life? 

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Done with Character Writing Prompts about the Talkers? Go back to Creative Writing Prompts. 

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    Written by Bryan Cohen

    Bryan Cohen is the author of more than 30 books, many of which focus on creative writing and blasting through that pesky writer's block. His books have sold more than 20,000 copies. You can find him on and Facebook.
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