Creating Characters

by Lauther, Howard

  May also be called: seeker of justice, witch-hunter.

  Adjectives: accusing, denunciatory, destructive, discriminatory, exaggerative, imaginative, incriminatory, misinformed, mistaken, recriminatory, retaliatory.

  THE ADDICT

  Must have something and is convinced that he cannot do without it. (One who has become hooked on drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol would know the feeling well.) The compulsion sits enthroned in his mind consistently, and all of his other actions dance around it and pay homage; it is his personal predetermination. Deprived of what he has come to depend upon, an alarm goes off in his bones and every joint becomes a battle station. He is a slave of his own blood, a prisoner in his own mind. He is chained to a desire that he would rather not have. His treadmill has no "off" button.

  Adjectives: compulsive.

  THE ADVENTURER

  (See also the Braveheart) Takes risks. Willing to hazard his well-being, wealth, or reputation to either prove something to himself or to others. His proverb: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Lets the breaks fall where they may. Attracted to possibilities rather than probabilities. Always seeing how far he can stretch his luck. Never plays it safe, but rather purposely seeks out danger. Bucks the odds. Looks at the unknown and bets that he can beat it. The first to thrust his nose into dark places, cross uncharted waters, to walk the tightrope without a net. Bored by the status quo. Responds quickly to dares, for it is bait that goads him into action.

  May also be called: daredevil, fire-eater, gambler, madcap, risk-taker, speculator, trailblazer.

  Adjectives: adventurous, audacious, bold, brave, daring, dauntless, fearless, heroic, impetuous, impulsive, intrepid, mettlesome, plucky, spunky, stouthearted, unafraid, undaunted, unfrightened, unshrinking, untimid, valiant, valorous, or venturesome.

  THE ADVERSARY

  With or without good reason, an unalterable foe of at least one other character, and rare would be the writer who would not know that most stories will have one. Indeed, many of the character types listed in this section have the ability to become an Adversary. An Adversary's antagonism toward another may be instinctive, occur as a result of what another character did or did not do, or it may happen as a result of one of several other reasons. The adversary, whether human or not, and as every writer knows, helps to establish the conflict in the story.

  May also be called: antagonist, enemy, foe. Adjectives: acrimonious, antagonistic, grudgeful, hostile, inimical, malicious' rancorous, resentful, spiteful, threatening, unfriendly.

  THE AMATEUR

  Has very little, if any, experience. Still wet behind the ears. Can't yet be trusted with the important stuff. Doesn't know what's up or what's what. Got a lot of learning to do. Green as grass. Tends to put the cart before the horse and can't see an inch beyond his nose. Left alone, he's likely to gum up the works, make a mess of things, put the saddle on the wrong horse. Couldn't maneuver a fish downstream. Desperately needs some on-the-job training. Must be carefully supervised.

  May also be called: greenhorn, rookie, rube, yokel.

  Adjectives: book-learned, inept, inexperienced, maladroit, raw, unacquainted, unprepared, unqualified, unskillful, untried.

  THE AUTHORITARIAN

  (See also the Intimidator; the Warrior) Principally engaged in the exercise of power; comfortable in the use of it and knows what he wants to accomplish with it. May control one person or many. Able to keep others in line. Here is the domineering spouse, the gang leader, the field commander, the labor boss, the chairman of the board, the dictator, or anyone in fact whose word is law. For the authoritarian, instilling fear is not an objective but simply one of several by-products resulting from the position he holds. Has veto power.

  To get things done his way, must always have the upper hand. Knows how to exert influence and pull the necessary strings. His word carries weight, and «no" is his favorite. Able to eject, expel, discharge, banish, exile, outlaw, exterminate, or purge. Permits little or no wiggle room. Inflicts punishment. Likes to keep others under his heel, beneath his thumb. Takes pleasure in leading people by the nose or wrapping them around his finger. Prone to seize control, and what he says goes.

  If he sets himself up as an expert, he browbeats others with the knowledge he believes is at his command. Professes insight. Wields credentials. Displays documentation. Resents challenges.

  May also be called: autocrat, boss, dictator, headmaster, oppressor, puppet master, slave driver, taskmaster, tyrant.

  Adjectives: arbitrary, bossy, commanding, demanding, despotic, dictatorial, domineering, exacting, forbidding, forceful, imperious, inflexible, insistent, kinglike, magisterial, monarchial, omnipotent, oppressive, overbearing, powerful, prohibitive, royalistic, ruling, stern, strict, stringent, tough, tyrannical, unpermissive.

  THE AVENGER

  Seeks revenge for a wrong he believes he, or someone he knows, has suffered at the hands of another. Attempts to repay the perpetrator in a tit-for-tat manner, or he wants the punishment to be even more severe than the original injustice he, or someone close to him, experienced. Plans his retaliation carefully, or he attacks mindlessly. Dedicated to giving someone his comeuppance, his just deserts, or exactly what's coming to him. Has an overwhelming desire to get back at, to settle an old score. For him, the wound never heals. Able to carry a grudge for a long time without it ever losing its intensity. On a far lesser level, may try to punish someone by pouting and giving him or her the silent treatment.

  May also be called: vindicator.

  Adjectives: embittered, grudgeful, plotting, punitive, rancorous, retaliatory, retributive, revengeful, vengeful, vindictive.

  THE AVOIDER

  There is something that he always tries to avoid, something that he wishes to keep his distance.

  May be skilled at looking for loopholes, sidestepping, beating retreats, and dodging the so-called bullet. If so, he will show considerable on-the-spot creativity as he deftly circumvents a particular situation while acting as if he is not. He will offer alternatives that allow him to squeak past, and he will have excuses that drip with plausibility. Will know all the avenues of escape and will regularly develop new ones. An expert when it comes to backing out and seeking sanctuary.

  Or his avoidance may be characterized as having the strength of mind not to indulge himself in something that unquestionably has a lure, such as alcohol, sweets, rich food, drugs, gambling, etc. Does not give into temptation. May attempt to instill guilt in those who have less self-control.

  Adjectives: abstemious, abstinent, ascetic, celibate, elusive, evasive, fasting, puritanical, self-controlled, self-denying, slippery, temperate.

  THE BEGRUDGER

  Eaten alive with envy. In the words of Onasander, he is afflicted with the of mind that successful men cause their neighbors." Sucks the thumb of resentment. Gnashes his teeth at the sight of a competitor's prosperity or achievement. Speaks disparagingly of that person who has what he wishes he had.

  Adjectives: begrudging, covetous, envious, resentful.

  THE BELIEVER

  A captive of conviction. Does not permit contradictions. Attaches great weight to someone's utterances or to a particular source of information. Sees mountains of probabilities within a pinhead of evidence. Keeps the faith. Without reservations, accepts something as being true. Self-inflicted with blind enthusiasm. Has "seen the light." For him, it's an open-and-shut case. Feels no need to verify, to question, to double check. Has found the answer for which he has always been looking. Convinced that his country is the best and that it is always right.

  May also be called: eat's paw, convert, devotee, disciple, dogmatist, dupe, fanatic, follower, fool, patriot, trusting soul, zealot.

  Adjectives: ardent, chauvinistic, cocksure, confident, convinced, devoted, devout, dogmatic, fanatical, nationalistic, overconfident, patriotic, pontificating' positive, reverent, superstitious, sure, trustful, undiscriminating, undoubting' unquestioning, worshipful, zealous.

  THE BOOTLICKER

/>   (See also the Accommodator) Spends his life administering to the needs and wants of others. Another's wish is his command. His motto: At your service, sir. Deprives himself so that he will not disappoint others. Tied to another's apron strings. Remains at someone's beck and call. Does what he is told. A doormat, for all intents and purposes. The puppet at the end of the string. Psychologically, he is persistently kow-towing. His freedom can only take place in those precious moments away from his responsibilities, and even then it is suspect. Persistently attempts to ingratiate himself. Utters false compliments and tends to overpraise. Receives his financial support from the very person whom he flatters.

  May also be called: apple-polisher, back-scratcher, backslapper, bondman, cajoler, deadbeat, fair-weather flatterer, fawner, flunky, footman, freeloader, gofer, hanger-on, lackey, leech, parasite, serf, servant, slave, softsoaper, sponger, sycophant, truckler, vassal.

  Adjectives: acquiescent, capitulative, compliant, deferential, docile, enslaved, fawning, flattering, groveling, ingratiating, mealy-mouthed, meek, ministering, obedient, obeisant, obsequious, passive, pliant, servile, serving, slavish, subdued, subjugated, submissive, subservient, sweet-tongued, sycophantic, toadying, truckling, unctuous.

  THE BORE

  Says nothing whatsoever of interest. All vestiges of amusement and drama are missing from his verbal reflections and opinions. Those "listeners" who have no way out of their predicament are glued to their chairs by a politeness they wish they had the courage to expunge. He comes close to having the power to render others comatose. Repeats himself. Speaks in a monotone. He approaches tedium's dead center. Turns one minute into ten. In a social gathering he is the proverbial dripping faucet that no one can turn off. It is said that he can bore one stiff or bore one to tears.

  Adjectives: boring, dreary, dry, dull, flat, insipid, irksome, monotonous, prosaic, stodgy, stuffy, tedious, tiresome, unentertaining, uninteresting, wearisome.

  THE BRAVEHEART

  (See also the Adventurer) Unlike the Adventurer, he does not purposely court danger, yet he will not try to avoid it if it should block his path. He will throw down the so-called gauntlet if challenged; he will draw the proverbial sword and rush forward to do battle, if that's what it takes to win the day. His stance is one of defense, not aggression. Responds fiercely to such adversity as threats, accusations, indifference, narrow-mindedness, neglect, deception, malevolence, and selfishness. He does "without witness everything that one is capable of doing before all the world" (La Rochefoucauld). Pushes aside fear of retaliation and does what he thinks is right. Listens to only one voice: that small one that guides his soul. Faced with trouble, he performs in that manner which others secretly wish they could have.

  May also be called: gallant, hero, heroine, stalwart.

  Adjectives: audacious, brash, brave, brazen, courageous, daring, dauntless, doughty, foolhardy, game, gritty, heroic, incautious, intrepid, knightly, lionhearted, mettlesome, nerveless, plucky, rash, resolute, spunky, stouthearted, undaunted, unfearful, unflinching, untimid, valiant, valorous.

  THE BUNGLER

  A symphony of uncoordination. Has two left hands. All thumbs. Seemingly trips over his own two feet. Should never be put in charge of anything where he has to move something from here to there. Tends to make a mess of things, turn steak into hash, bring the house down upon his ears. Could screw up a glass of water. Things break when he's around. Glue could slip through his fingers.

  May also be called: clodhopper. Adjectives: accident-prone, awkward, butterfingered, clumsy, heavy-handed, left-handed, oafish, ungainly, ungraceful, unhandy.

  THE BUSYBODY

  Desires to know who did what, where, and when it was done, and also why. A merchant of gossip who trades what others are doing and saying, or have supposed to have done or said. Feeds off private lives. All eyes and ears. Loves dishing the dirt, rolling out a scandal that will create a cascade ofwhispers. Not interested in the good, only the bad. Does not ask for proof, but something juicy. A human megaphone that advertises the dalliances and miscues of others.

  May also be called: gossip, rumormonger, scandalmonger, talebearer, tattletale. Adjectives: curious, inquisitive, interrogative, nosy, snoopy.

  THE CHATTERBOX

  Words pour from his mouth as if they were rain and he was a gutter downspout. Talks endlessly about nothing in particular. Jumps from subject to subject like a surfer in rough water, even interrupting himself with new thoughts that, to him, demand expression. Doesn't listen very well, if he does at all. Only by mistake does he utter something truly important. Seemingly does not pause to think. Everything apparently comes flying off the top of his head, or from a deep well of memories. Roller-skates through his mind and ticker-tapes what he finds there.

  May also be called: babbler, chatterer, gabber, gasbag, gossip, jaw-box, magpie, prattler, talker, windbag. Adjectives: chatty, gabby, garrulous, gassy, glib, loquacious, talkative, windy.

  THE CONCEALER

  A keeper of secrets that are of his own making. A self-designated trustee of information or experiences that mayor may not have importance. Does not wish to share what he knows about someone or something, and he will, as they say, take it to his grave. Doesn't breathe a word. Plays dumb when asked about something that he wants to remain covered up and relishes the perpetration of mystery. Guards the skeletons in the closet and the sights that were not supposed to be seen. Does not trade his inside information. Places a lid on something he knows and is never tempted to reveal it, possibly because of the harm it might do and possibly because he believes it is no one's business. Fearful that others will misconstrue the facts.

  Adjectives: close-mouthed, concealing, evasive, secretive, unrevealing.

  THE CONFORMIST

  Walks the same path worn smooth by the great majority. Follows the rules. Keeps in step with the prevailing fashion, dutifully maintaining the cadence laid down. Unable to improvise. A chorus member rather than a soloist. Inclined to wear the same kind of clothes, live where he is expected to live, speak the words he believes to be acceptable, pursue the same dreams that all the others chase, and have his values verified by them. Leads a rather commonplace life. A slave to monotony; inclined to endure, without complaint, the trite and tedious. Very little is expected of him, and he obliges by not doing anything unusual that will set him apart from the great mass of people. Spends most of his time trying to make ends meet and attempts to suck some moments of pleasure from the years that rush by. Dreams of having a pension and living comfortably in old age. He will love, but not greatly; and when he dies, the record of his existence will trail off into oblivion as family members continue to recall less, photographs yellow and disappear, and visits to his grave are discontinued.

  May also be called: humdrummer, second-rater, traditionalist.

  Adjectives: conventional, dreary, imitative, ordinary, orthodox, unexciting, unimaginative, unoriginal.

  THE CRITIC

  (See also the Grouch) Would find fault with the tilt of an angel's wing. Persistently dissatisfied with the performance of others. Invariably sees such things as incompetence, laziness, and waste wherever he looks. Never at a loss in his attempt to find something of which he can disapprove. Nothing ever quite pleases him. Knows where all the «soft spots" are in other people. Giving compliments is foreign to his nature. Talks disparagingly about people behind their back. Casts aspersions as if he were fishing with a large net. Maliciously circulates criticisms that have no basis in fact. Even when things go well, he can still find something to bitch about. Sets himself up as the judge of everyone else. Leaps to conclusions. Places a high value on those things that are truly trivial. Has a vocabulary filled with poison darts.

  May also be called: backbiter, disparager, faultfinder, henpecker, muckraker, mudslinger, nag, slanderer.

  Adjectives: backbiting, belittling, caustic, censorious, critical, defamatory, denunciatory, disapprobatory, hypercritical, insulting, maligning, nagging, obnoxious, offensive, quarrelso
me, recriminatory, reproachful, sarcastic, scolding, slandering, uncomplimentary.

  THE DAWDLER

  Takes him forever to get something done. Plods along, dillydallies, and does not pull his fair share of the load. Shirks his responsibilities for as long as he can, preferring to do things at his own convenience. Takes long breaks and has plenty of time to gab with co-workers. Frequently late.

  May also be called: foot-dragger, goldbricker, goof off, laggard, malingerer, nap-taker, slowpoke, sluggard.

  Adjectives: dawdling, fatigued, lazybones, lethargic, lingering, listless, loitering, lumpish, slow-footed, slow-moving, slow-paced, somnambulant, turtlelike, unproductive, weary-footed.

  THE DECEIVER

  (See also the Hypocrite; the Pretender) He is not what he appears. Psychologically, he is a sleight-of-hand artist, a Venus flytrap, a pirate who flies a false flag. Adept at obscuring the truth, framing bold lies, setting traps, identifying dupes, being something other than what he is. His skill at «pulling the wool over someone's eyes" is only surpassed by his sheer enjoyment of it. Purposely deceives another to gain something monetarily. Has no compunction about creating elaborate ruses to gain the confidence of others and, in the end, get something from them. Has more tricks than a caterpillar has legs. Adept at plotting and maneuvering. Lives by his wits.