By Jill Williamson
In case you haven’t noticed… I like lists. But I promise these will be my last lists for a while. *grin*
As with my post on hobbies and skills, I also like to think about my characters’ traits, both positive and negative. In fact, each item on my list of character traits could be thought of as a positive or negative attribute. Take “annoyed,” for example. It sounds like a flaw, but maybe your character is annoyed with people who are unfair, which spurs him into action. Or a “loyal” person might be loyal to the wrong cause, so his good trait isn’t so good after all.
The traits can also be used for good or evil. For example, I’m an observant and sneaky person. Always have been. And when I was a kid, I used to steal stuff. I almost never got caught, either. Along my life journey, however, I’ve learned things that removed the habit of stealing from my life. But I’m still observant and sneaky. And I use those traits in many positive ways.
It can also be interesting to think of what truly frightens your characters. Now, most of us might be afraid of spiders but not to the point of needing professional help. I’m not suggesting that you give any of your characters a real, debilitating phobia, though it might be fun to do every once in a while.
It’s good for your character to grow through your story, for you to find something about them that is a flaw, fear, or unknown and teach them how to conquer that along their journey. But you don’t want to completely remove all their character traits. Because those make them who they are.
Click here to read, download, and/or print the file: Character Traits Brainstorming List.
And click here to read, download, and/or print the file: Character Phobias Brainstorming List.
What merits, flaws, or fears are a part of your main character?
Also, I’m hosting a contest over on my blog. I’m giving away a Kindle and lots of books (including Replication, the entire Blood of Kings trilogy, and Stephanie’s Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt trilogy)! So if you haven’t entered yet, go and enter. It’s free!
Click here to see the contest.
