Creating Characters (10 page)
If his nose was any higher, it would be on top of his head.
Shows off by using big words and complex phrasing, when neither are necessary.
Makes a great show of his learning and tends to debate the most trivial matters of scholarship.
Pretends like he doesn't want attention, yet at the same time you know he wants it.
Often wears clothes that are excessive for the occasion.
Clearly has a far higher regard for himself than he does for anyone else.
Leans toward overstatement; as they say, he lays it on thick, stretches a caboose into a train.
Acts as if he's shocked or disgusted regarding some infraction of taste.
His actions are so artificial that they almost seem vaudevillian.
Flaunts his new social class, by flashing the proper symbols (country club membership, a home in the "right" neighborhood, a sudden inexplicable taste for antiques, a fancy car).
Self-glorification is stately, almost ceremonial.
Makes no secret of the fact that he believes his relatives and former friends are now inferior to himself.
Related Traits:
Artless, bashful, deferential, down-to-earth, humble, inartificial, inconspicuous, informal, modest, natural, plain, plain-spoken, retiring, self-conscious, self-deprecating, self-effacing, shrinking, shy, simple, simple-hearted, timid, unaffected, unassuming, unostentatious, unpolished, unpretending.
As Seen by Others:
He never acts like he's someone special.
Shuns the spotlight and makes no effort to draw attention to himself.
Always seems to be uncomfortable when he's asked to talk about himself.
The last thing he'd do is promote himself.
There's nothing phony about him.
What you see is pretty much what you get.
Has a down-to-earth way of talking and never uses big words.
To look at him and where he lives, you'd never know he was rich.
He wears sincerity like pair of comfortable old shoes.
More likely to dress down than dress up.
Hates country clubs, power lunches, pin-striped suits, and all the badges of exclusivity.
Related Traits:
Arbitrary, austere, authoritative, autocratic, bossy, demanding, despotic, dictatorial, domineering, Draconian, drastic, exacting, firm, forbidding, hard, harsh, high-handed, imperious, inflexible, intransigent, lordly, no-nonsense, obdurate, overbearing, pitiless, punitive, repressive, severe, stern, stringent, totalitarian, tough, tyrannical, unalterable, uncompromising, unsparing, unyielding.
As Seen by Others:
Insists that the rules of behavior be obeyed, whether they are formal or informal, his or someone else's.
Prone to keep a tight rein on things that are under his control.
Will not permit any deviation.
Insists that the letter of the law be followed.
Not only imposes harsh conduct upon others but upon himself as well.
Possesses a stern morality that he thinks should be imposed upon others, too.
Makes demands on others that seem unreasonable.
His punishment for an infraction is often particularly severe.
Insists that others do what he says, and he will not tolerate any noncompliance.
Refuses to grant even the smallest concession to others.
Will not bend his rules for someone else's convenience.
Under him, far more things are forbidden than allowed.
Appears to others as a self-anointed lord.
Frequently taxes the endurance of those under his control.
Related Traits: Compromising, easygoing, flexible, forbearing, forgiving, indulgent, lax, permissive, pliant, tolerant, uncritical.
As Seen by Others:
Tends to allow the rules to be bent. Inclined to indulge the "mistakes" of others.
Does not get upset when things don't go his way.
Places more emphasis on the ends rather than the means; therefore, he usually provides others with a wide latitude, as long as it winds up achieving the desired results.
Would rather get along with others than keep them under his thumb.
Does not usually interfere with the way others discharge their duties.
Sees rules as guidelines instead of commandments.
Withholds punishment for as long as possible, and when forced to inflict it, usually tempers it considerably—sometimes to the disappointment of some onlookers.
Related Traits:
Amusing, blithe, bright, buoyant, carefree, cheery, chipper, convivial, debonair, droll, effervescent, exuberant, felicitous, gay, gladsome, gleeful, glowing, happy, happy-go-lucky, hearty, high-spirited, humorous, insouciant, jaunty, jocular, jolly, jovial, joyful, joyous, lighthearted, lightsome, merry, mirthful, pleased, radiant, sparkling, sprightly, sunny, unconcerned, untroubled, unworried, vivacious, waggish, winsome.
As Seen by Others:
Almost always in good spirits.
Seemingly does not have anything on his mind that bothers him.
Conveys the image that he is rather satisfied with the way things are going in his life.
Inclined to wish someone a "good morning"—and mean it.
A joke is forever poised to leap forward from his tongue.
His presence can be a tonic to those who need relief from their gloom.
Gives off a light that is felt rather than seen.
Seems to be only a step away from a song and a dance.
He has a smile for everyone.
Always trying to cheer up other people.
Given to teasing others in a lighthearted way, which is one way he has of showing affection.
Related Traits:
Anxious, apathetic, blue, careworn, cheerless, dejected, depressed, despairing, despondent, disconsolate, discouraged, distressed, doleful, dour, downcast, dreary, gloomy, glum, grave, grim, heavy-hearted, joyless, lackluster, leaden, low-spirited, melancholic, mirthless, miserable, moody, morose, mournful, pensive, sad, sedate, serious, sober, sober-faced, solemn, somber, sorrowful, spiritless, staid, sulky, troubled, unhappy, woebegone, worried.
As Seen by Others:
Always seems to be wrestling with thoughts that strip him of every smile.
Adept at finding gloom in the brightest of circumstances, in the warmest of moments.
Talks about the world in irreverent terms.
Silence surrounds him like a death shroud.
He is winter's messenger.
He's been defeated by misfortune and he's never gotten over it.
He seems to expect disappointment at every turn.
Always walks on the dreary side of life.
Sees peril lurking within the insignificant.
He is a piccolo played by Grief.
It doesn't do any good to try to raise his spirits.
Grumbles, grumbles, grumbles.
His mind is a way station for all things grim.
Related Traits: Attuned, compatible, complacent, contented, fulfilled, reconciled, serene, united, well-adjusted, well-balanced.
As Seen by Others:
Like lock and key, seems to be in good harmony with things around him.
"Fits right in."
Never complains about the way things are going.
Seems to have come to terms with the way things are.
Appears to be at peace with himself.
Likes his life just the way it is.
He's become "one of the boys."
Related Traits:
Alienated, aloof, detached, disaffected, discontented, disengaged, disgruntled, displeased, dissatisfied, dissident, disunited, estranged, fretful, frustrated, ill-adjusted, incompatible, malcontent, out-of-step, remote, troubled, uneasy, unfulfilled, ungratified, unhappy, unsatisfied, withdrawn.
As Seen by Others:
He's not well-suited to his job.
He doesn't fit in well with people.
Never been the same since he got divorced (married).
With him, confusion has the upper hand.
He looks and acts like a fifth wheel.
He sometimes acts as if he is in a foreign country and is perplexed by its customs.
Wants to be part of the group, but doesn't know how.
Talks about leaving and getting a new start somewhere.
He's like a dog in a cat's den.
Never has found his center.
Acts as if he has parachuted into enemy territory.
Tries to fit in, but it's like he's trying to squeeze into a crowded closet.
Has never figured out how to march in unison.
Has lost all sense of affinity.
Related Traits:
Anxious, apprehensive, ardent, avid, disquieted, eager, earnest, ebullient, edgy, enthusiastic, exuberant, fervent, fidgety, fitful, frisky, high-spirited, high-strung, impassioned, intense, jittery, jumpy, nervous, restive, restless, skittish, temperamental, tense, turbulent, twitchy, uncomposed, unrelaxed, uptight.
As Seen by Others:
It's easy to get him worked up.
Say the wrong thing and he'll fly off the handle.
He's a bunch of loose nerve ends.
Can't sit still for two minutes.
If you could throw a bridle over his anxiety, you could go on a wild ride.
The more intense he becomes, the more his judgment becomes impaired.
Sometimes he has a tendency to act mindlessly.
He's a pacer, much like a caged tiger.
Needs only the slightest reason to make him leap into action.
Quick to become alarmed.
Has no ability to take things easily.
Working with him is like being around nitroglycerin.
Related Traits: Apathetic, calm, collected, composed, cool, dispassionate, easy-going, half-hearted, imperturbable, indifferent, nonchalant, peaceful, phlegmatic, placid, relaxed, sedate, self-controlled, self-possessed, serene, smooth, stoical, tranquil, unburdened, unconcerned, undisturbed, unflappable, unmoved, unruffled, unworried.
As Seen by Others:
No matter what, he always maintains his composure.
When he's enthused about something, you never know it.
Hard to get him upset.
Rarely, if ever, does he show any anger.
He's able to enter an unfamiliar social situation without experiencing any nervousness.
Seems infected with chronic indifference.
Takes a superior attitude toward any trouble that may occur.
Unexpected disturbances do not fluster him.
Not punctuated with a passion.
His demeanor is like an ice-covered lake.
His emotions have a difficult time of bubbling to the surface.
He is a rock that cannot be reduced to pebbles.
Related Traits:
Appeasing, calm, conciliatory, easygoing, even-tempered, gentle, good-humored, good-natured, good-tempered, imperturbable, mild, moderate, mollifying, noncombative, nonviolent, pacific, placating, placid, quiet, thickskinned, unaggressive, unbelligerent, uncontentious, undisturbed, unwarlike, well-disposed.
As Seen by Others:
Tries to get others not to rock the boat.
Not inclined to take offense at what is being said, but rolls with the punches.
Maintains an unthreatening disposition.
His temperament is not subject to any extremes.
Easy to get along with.
He'll take steps to overcome or reduce someone's hostility rather than just ignore it.
Always tries to avoid an argument, because he dislikes confrontation.
He'll bend, but he won't break.
He'll keep his opinions to himself if he thinks they'll conflict with someone else's.
Never gets upset if you tease him; in fact, he often joins in the laughter.
Has a humor that is sweetened with kindness.
Violent outbursts appall him.
Says or does nothing to make waves.
Tries to remain in the good graces of others.
He'll try to do something, or give up something, that will mollify an antagonist.
Related Traits:
Adversarial, aggressive, antagonistic, argumentative, bad-tempered, barbarous, bellicose, belligerent, bilious, brash, cantankerous, choleric, contentious, contrary, crabby, cranky, cross, crotchety, curmudgeonly, curt, disagreeable, disputatious, explosive, feisty, fierce, fiery, ferocious, grouchy, grumbling, hot-tempered, hypersensitive, ill-tempered, impudent, inimical, irascible, irritable, mercurial, militant, militaristic, peevish, petulant, polemic, pugnacious, quarrelsome, quick-tempered, rowdy, rude, scrappy, sharp, short-tempered, snappish, surly, testy, tempestuous, thin-skinned, touchy, truculent, turbulent, unpleasant, stormy, unstable, violent, volatile, warlike, waspish.
As Seen by Others:
Seems to purposely look for ways that he may pick a fight.
On nearly every subject, if he can, he'll take a view that contradicts that held by another just for the sake of contrariness.
Easily provoked, thus one has to be careful what is said around him.
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.
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.