Creating Characters
Page 9
Quick to start an argument.
Displays an ongoing antagonism toward things in general.
He can get worked up over the most trivial of matters.
Seems to thrive on stirring up controversy.
He's a one-man army when it comes to getting his way.
His violence and cruelty comes in spurts.
Discussing things with him is like bringing a lighted match near gasoline.
Perpetually on the attack; never on the defensive.
Likes being at the center of a disturbance.
He'd rather die than compromise.
He'll fight you to the point of exhaustion.
During a disagreement, he's not afraid of hurting your feelings or wounding your pride.
In the end, winning is more important to him than simply who is right; and if right is on his side, so much the better.
FLEXIBLE
Related Traits:
Adaptable, compliant, compromising, dissuadable, malleable, open, open-minded, permissive, persuadable, practical, realistic, reasonable, receptive, responsive, unbiased, willing.
As Seen by Others:
He's not too proud to change his mind.
If you've got a better idea, he'll go that way.
He'll give you some of what you want if you'll also grant him some concessions.
Does not insist that he is right and everyone else is wrong.
Dares to entertain the idea that he might learn something by listening instead of talking.
After hearing all sides of an argument, he is willing to adjust his thinking if necessary.
Never enters a discussion with his mind already made up.
Can easily be talked out of doing something.
INFLEXIBLE
Related Traits:
Adamant, closed-minded, convinced, dogmatic, fixed, hardheaded, headstrong, implacable, incompliant, inflexible, intractable, intransigent, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, perverse, resolute, rigid, set, stubborn, unbending, uncompromising, unpersuadable, unreasonable, unyielding.
As Seen by Others:
Holds opinions that cannot be dislodged.
Turns a deaf ear to any suggestion that a change should be made.
He finds it impossible to entertain the possibility that two people could have different viewpoints and still have truth on their side.
Only resorts to logic when it provides him with great support.
When it comes to holding fast to worn-out convictions, he is the last fence post to fall.
Tends to hold his ground even when it is no longer practical.
Getting him to entertain another notion is like trying to yank a wharf away from its moorings.
To him, compromise is a curse word.
His convictions are so strong that he doesn't feel a need to provide an explanation for them.
Spurns all appeals to his sympathies.
It is unlikely for him to see another person's point of view.
SUBMISSIVE
Related Traits:
Acquiescent, amenable, bootlicking, browbeaten, conformable, complaisant, compliant, cooperative, courteous, cowering, cringing, deferential, docile, dominated, fawning, gentle, groveling, henpecked, kowtowing, law-abiding, meek, nonresistant, obedient, obliging, obsequious, passive, pliable, pliant, pusillanimous, servile, subjugated, subservient, sycophantic, timid, tractable, truckling, unassertive, unresisting, weak-kneed, yielding.
As Seen by Others:
Waits upon others as if it were his delegated mission in life.
Submits quickly to those who seem to have more authority, never questioning their wisdom.
If he fears someone's power, he'll try to ingratiate himself by using flattery and doing whatever he can to make that person's life easier.
Does not take action, but rather he is acted upon.
He leaves himself open to the whims of others.
His attention to the needs of others can be embarrassing to watch.
Acts like he doesn't have a mind of his own.
He is intimidated by, and will always give way to, those who have titles more impressive than his.
Attempts to worm himself into the confidence of others by agreeing with everything they say, even if it is contrary to what he believes.
He indulges the accesses of others far beyond what most people would tolerate.
Lacks backbone; a doormat.
He does whatever a certain individual tells him to do.
His submission is so extreme that he might as well prostrate himself.
Provides a service, yet gains nothing in return.
UNSUBMISSIVE
Related Traits:
Audacious, brazen, cheeky, churlish, contumacious, defiant, derisive, disdainful, disobedient, disrespectful, dissident, dissonant, impertinent, impudent, insolent, insubordinate, insurgent, irreverent, lawless, noncompliant, rebellious, recalcitrant, saucy, seditious, transgressive, unconsenting, ungovernable, unmanageable, unruly.
As Seen by Others:
He will resist anyone's effort to control him.
Won't do anything that he doesn't want to do.
His distrust of authority, as well as a defiance of it, is second nature to him.
If you tell him what to do, he's likely to do the opposite.
Never demand anything from him, but rather request it.
To disobey seems inherently important to him.
Refuses to do what his government tells him he must do.
Positions of authority do not impress him.
Looks at rules, customs, policies, and procedures as things to be broken.
Like the horse that twitches below someone who would try to ride him, he has a tendency to buck at the first opportunity.
METHODICAL
Related Traits:
Careful, conscientious, detail-minded, diligent, disciplined, efficient, exacting, fussy, meticulous, neat, nit-picking, organized, orderly, overprecise, painstaking, particular, procedural, scrupulous, sedulous, selective, systematic, thorough, tidy.
As Seen by Others:
Inclined to keep things in order.
Has a penchant for developing systems and methods of classification.
He has a place for everything and keeps everything in its place.
Does not allow the smallest thing or the most insignificant matter to escape categorization.
Displays an inordinate concern for what he thinks should be the proper arrangement of either physical or nonphysical things.
The misplacement of things irritates him.
Doesn't like lint on clothing, dishes in the sink, haphazardly hung towels, things out of alignment, and so on.
In the name of efficiency, habitually does the same things in the same order.
While he could make the trains run on time, he wouldn't have the slightest idea how to attract passengers.
Makes lists of things he must do.
His striving for exactness drives everyone else crazy.
Takes a line-by-line, step-by-step approach to things.
UNMETHODICAL
Related Traits:
Careless, chaotic, disorderly, disorganized, inaccurate, inconsistent, inefficient, messy, negligent, perfunctory, remiss, slack, slapdash, slatternly, sloppy, slovenly, undisciplined, unmethodical, untidy.
As Seen by Others:
Inclined to be quite careless where he puts things.
Tends to create clutter and confusion wherever he goes.
Functions in a haphazard manner and allows things to pile up.
He can easily create disorder out of order, similar to pouring dried beans onto a clear tabletop.
Tends not to place things in any particular order.
Unable to find things when he wants them.
Appears to be awash in untidiness.
He is reckless in the way he performs a series of duties.
He is the avowed enemy of ritual.
Never makes a list of things he must do, depends upon
his memory instead.
Prone to do things in a nonsequential order, which later causes him problems.
Always at the center of quiet chaos.
Has a habit of filing, stacking, and closeting things in no particular rational manner, thus driving the organized person crazy.
Avoids details as if they were infectious germs.
SELF-DENYING
Related Traits:
Abstemious, abstinent, ascetic, austere, conservative, continent, economical, fasting, nonextravagant, nonindulgent, penny-pinching, prudent, saving, scrimping, self-abnegating, self-controlled, self-depriving, self-disciplined, self-neglecting, self-restraining, self-restricting, self-sacrificing, sparing, teetotaling, temperate, thrifty.
As Seen by Others:
Able to refrain from those pleasures that he would like to have and which are available to him.
He can go without and not complain about it.
Once he swears off something, he has the fortitude to stay away from it.
Will not give in to temptation.
He will deprive himself of something and, instead, give it to someone else.
He sometimes jeopardizes his well-being by neglecting what he needs.
His takes economizing to extremes.
Refrains from indulging himself with second helpings.
SELF-INDULGENT
Related Traits:
Bon vivant, dissipating, Epicurean, gluttonous, hedonistic, high-living, immoderate, improvident, intemperate, lascivious, lewd, licentious, lustful, pleasure-seeking, profligate, sybaritic, uncontrolled, undisciplined, unrestrained.
As Seen by Others:
Freely pursues his whims and desires to extract as much pleasure as he can.
Always seeking ways to gratify or amuse himself.
He does nothing in moderation.
Does not hesitate to spend money on himself, or on others, in a seemingly boundless manner.
Drinks more than he should.
Eats more than he should.
Refuses to give up what he likes, even if it is not good for him.
His weakness for something is one of his major driving forces.
Rapidly devours food to keep others from having any.
It is his opinion that pleasure, regardless of its nature, is not only good but worthy of being pursued for its own sake.
His pursuit of sensual pleasures is wildly excessive and nearly uncontrollable.
His drive for gratification makes him concentrate on his immediate wants rather than his future needs.
PROTECTIVE
Related Traits: Conservative, guarding, guiding, illiberal, maternal, mothering, paternal, safeguarding, sheltering.
As Seen by Others:
He carefully guards those intangible things that are important to him.
(Perhaps his faith, his reputation, a way of life, a method of doing things, an existing political order, an idea, a secret, etc.)
Politically, he is fearful that change can threaten treasured institutions and he prefers keeping things as they are.
Uses his influence or knowledge to help someone not make a mistake and to reach the goal they desire.
Always trying to ensure the safety of those he cherishes.
UNPROTECTIVE
Related Traits: Liberal, nonmaternal, nonpaternal, progressive.
As Seen by Others:
Doesn't worry about keeping his reputation intact.
Not interested in maintaining the status quo.
Willing to share his ideas with anyone.
Has no desire to maintain political institutions beyond their normal life span.
Refrains from excessive protection of someone, because he is of the opinion that it deprives one of the opportunity to learn the valuable lessons that life affords.
Will not try to stop someone from receiving the punishment he or she deserves.
GENEROUS
Related Traits:
Altruistic, beneficent, benevolent, big-hearted, bounteous, bountiful, charitable, extravagant, giving, intemperate, large-hearted, lavish, liberal, magnanimous, munificent, open-handed, philanthropic, prodigal, publicspirited, thriftless, spendthrift, squandering, unselfish, unstinting.
As Seen by Others:
To help others, he donates his time.
To help others, he contributes a portion of his resources.
It is his expressed opinion that when people need assistance, the necessary steps should be taken to see that they get it.
Part of the money he donates is given to eliminate a social ill in the country.
He has given two or three times more than has been needed.
He is, as they say, an "easy touch."
UNGENEROUS
Related Traits: Accumulative, acquisitive, avaricious, cheap, close-fisted, covetous, frugal, grabby, grasping, greedy, grudging, hard-fisted, hoarding, hoggish, mean, mercenary, miserly, moneygrubbing, monopolistic, niggardly, parsimonious, penny-pinching, penurious, petty, piggish, plunderous, predatory, rapacious, selfish, sparing, stingy, stinting, tight, tightfisted, uncharitable, wolfish.
As Seen by Others:
Doesn't like to share anything with anyone.
Always "cutting corners," thus depriving others of what they either need or deserve.
His penchant for saving is taken to the extreme.
He is not moved by pleas to show some compassion.
Scoffs at the virtue of giving.
He wants not only a sizeable percentage of something but the overwhelming majority of it, if not all.
Once he latches onto something, it is extremely difficult to wrest it away from him.
Addicted to ownership.
Hides things and pretends he doesn't have them.
If two pieces of pie were on a table, he would begrudge each bite the other person took.
He wastes nothing.
WELL-BEHAVED
Related Traits:
Cultivated, cultured, formal, genteel, gentlemanly, highbred, ladylike, nonplayful, polished, prissy, refined, restrained, stilted, unspontaneous, well-mannered.
As Seen by Others:
He acts like he came from an aristocratic family.
Seems well-educated.
Has all the mannerisms that come with good breeding.
His movements are cloaked in politeness.
Everything about him is well-orchestrated and reflective of decency.
The only thing spontaneous about him is when he sneezes.
MISCHIEVOUS
Related Traits:
Devilish, elfish, free-wheeling, frolicsome, fun-loving, impish, mischief-loving, naughty, playful, prankish, puckish, rascally, reckless, roguish, spontaneous, uninhibited, unladylike, unrefined, unrestrained, waggish.
As Seen by Others:
He loves to play harmless pranks.
One never knows what he is going to do next.
Precariously walks the line between a tease and bad taste.
Behind his smile lies plots yet unhatched.
Tweaks the nose of formality whenever he gets a chance.
Pomposity is one of his premier targets for attack.
IMAGINATIVE
Related Traits:
Artistic, bold, clever, creative, daring, dreamy, enterprising, extemporaneous, fanciful, gifted, improvisational, ingenious, innovative, inventive, mystical, nonconforming, original, resourceful, talented, unconventional, unorthodox, visionary, whimsical.
As Seen by Others:
He pulls possibilities out of the jaws of impossibility.
Because he has a strong dislike of conformity, he tends to butt heads with tradition.
He can make the most commonplace of things seem not at all common.
He" develops things that make people wonder why they didn't think of that.
He's always looking for something different, a fresh way to put a new face on something quite old.
He hates beaten paths and is lured by the road not yet taken.
&n
bsp; He strives for the fascinating, the unique.
Cannot be depended upon to walk the same rut, climb the same hill, sit on the same rock.
Finds rationality in the irrational.
Has the ability to give substance to what never was and will never be.
He is a discoverer of countries in the hemisphere of the fantastic.
UNIMAGINATIVE
Related Traits:
Barren, commonplace, conforming, conventional, down-to-earth, emulative, imitative, machinelike, mechanical, mundane, ordinary, parrotlike, pedestrian, programmatic, prosaic, run-of-the-mill, uncreative, undaring, unenterprising, unexceptional, unimaginative, uninspired, uninventive, unoriginal, unresourceful.
As Seen by Others:
Does not question conventional wisdom, but follows it.
He repeats what has become ordinary.
Does almost all the things that practically everyone else does and which he is expected to do.
He is a follower of rules, a practitioner of routine, an indefinable part of the crowd.
He is a copycat, a modifier of accepted ideas.
His work is predictable and there is nothing about it that is surprising.
There is little hope that he will ever be daring, that he will venture outside the boundaries of triteness.
Does not march to the sound of a distant drummer.
3. What Does the Character Want, Not Want, or Need?
The great American playwright Neil Simon once said that every fictional character should want something. Without analyzing this observation to the vanishing point, and assuming that he was not referring to the no-names who pass through the plot like a summer breeze, we can nevertheless conclude that in a great many cases Simon is quite right.
However, while it may certainly be advantageous to determine what the character wants, it might be almost as important to determine what he or she does not want, and what he or she needs.
Mind you, it is not written in stone somewhere that this triumvirate of possibilities should always be pondered before any character is created. However, if knowing the answers to just one of the questions would help the author define the character more sharply during the planning stage, then all three questions are worth considering.