Creating Characters (4 page)
Has the capacity to carry a thirst for retaliation over an exceptionally long period of time. Ponders how he might inflict more injury than what he suffered at the outset. Once wounded, tends to reject all attempts at reconciliation.
Related Traits:
Altruistic, beneficent, big-hearted, bountiful, caring, charitable, clement, considerate, extravagant, generous, good-natured, gracious, helpful, kind, kind-hearted, large-hearted, liberal, magnanimous, mindful, munificent, open-handed, selfless, unselfish, unstinting.
Character Possibilities: Consistently devoted to the interests of others and wants what is best for them. Regards someone highly and, to prevent that person from suffering any misfortune, acts as a kind of sentry.
Spirit has no sharp corners, and he reaches out to others softly.
Holds affection in his heart toward almost everyone.
More interested in providing others with what they do not have than simply acquiring more of what he has already enjoyed. Would, as they say, "give the shirt off his back." More likely to say, "What do you need and how can I help?" rather than simply "Good luck."
Related Traits:
Bloodthirsty, bloody-minded, cold-blooded, cold-hearted, cruel, devilish, diabolical, evil, fiendish, fierce, harsh, heartless, hostile, insidious, ill-natured, ill-disposed, ill-intentioned, inhuman, inhumane, invidious, maligning, mean-spirited, misanthropic, murderous, nasty, pernicious, ruthless, savage, stern, truculent, unbenevolent, uncharitable, unfeeling, unkind, unmerciful, vicious, vile, virulent, wicked.
Character Possibilities:
His attitude toward others is principally evil in nature, in that he takes pleasure in contemplating how he might deliberately inflict harm on one or more person(s).
Without the prodding of revenge, has an unquenchable need to see the blood of someone else flow.
His mind toys with the possibilities of how he could imperceptibly harm another.
His propensity to injure others is so malignant that only the death of those he opposes could temporarily provide satisfaction.
His hatred of the human race consumes him.
His heart is so poisonous that it would run shivers through vultures.
Ponders the ways he may render destruction, and takes pleasure in the contemplation. His attitude toward others is so loathsome that he would even endanger his own life to do harm to them.
Has an addiction to evil that is astonishingly creative.
Spurns compassion as a needless plaything.
Would pluck a live chicken of all its feathers.
Related Traits:
Audacious, bold, bold-spirited, daring, devil-may-care, enterprising, exploratory, fearless, game, gutsy, hardy, indomitable, madcap, mettlesome, questing, rash, reckless, speculative, thrill-seeking, unafraid, unfrightened, spirited, venturesome, zestful.
Character Possibilities:
Irresistibly attracted to the unknown and wants to experience it, even though it may threaten his life, reputation, or livelihood. Wears courage like a top hat. Has a natural defiance toward any restraint. Tends to ignore the obvious dangers that await him. Does not become disheartened by obstacles. Has an insatiable curiosity about what lies just around the bend, over the hill, within the woods, and on the other side.
Has the soul of a gambler, the stamina of a soldier.
Finds it almost impossible to say, "I give up."
His primary objective is to push his emotions to their limit by engaging in daring exploits. He is likely to not only become seduced by the potential excitement of the unknown but to meet it head on with great enthusiasm.
Related Traits:
Alert, awed, careful, circumspect, discreet, guarded, hesitant, intimidated, judicious, leery, politic, prudent, reluctant, reticent, suspicious, uneasy, unsure, vigilant, wary.
Character Possibilities: Habitually self-protective in that he is more concerned about saving his neck than risking it.
Carefully previews each step in his life before actually taking it, always making sure to place his foot on something solid in order to not imperil himself.
Sees danger lurking behind every corner and eyes everything with suspicion.
Intensely watchful, a creator of routines.
Never sets out to have fun; if that occurs, he feels it must be a by-product of a well-executed plan. Risk intimidates him, for the unknown is filled with goblins. More concerned about dying than he is about living.
Related Traits:
Brave, dauntless, doughty, gallant, great-hearted, gritty, heroic, intrepid, lionhearted, plucky, spunky, stalwart, stout-hearted, undaunted, unflinching, valiant, valorous.
Character Possibilities:
In spite of what either looms before him or he is forced to endure, possesses the strength of mind that consistently allows him to continue onward, fearful or not.
When in the presence of danger, usually believes he will prevail.
Upon encountering great trouble, his nerves become inextricably calm.
Accepts and performs the commonplace dregs of duty that others need accomplished, but which they do not want to do themselves.
Can move among those feeling pain and misery, and, with a breaking heart, push back a wall of tears and replace it with a smile.
Able to find, in the depths of his soul, that iridescent quality that helps to light his way.
Related Traits:
Afraid, apprehensive, chicken-hearted, dastardly, gritless, cowardly, craven, faint-hearted, fearful, jittery, lily-livered, nervous, qualmish, scared, shrinking, spunkless, timid, timorous, tremulous, uncourageous, undaring, unheroic, wavering, weak-kneed, white-livered, yellow.
Character Possibilities:
Trembles at the thought of trouble.
So lacking in self-confidence that he keeps his opinions to himself.
Regarding practically everything he does, or is expected to do, he fears the unknown repercussions.
A cataloguer of exits.
A collector of misgivings.
The keeper of humankind's fears.
When challenged, searches for ways that he might agree with the challenger. Lacks strength of purpose. Beset with doubt each time he prepares to choose one course of action over another.
Unable to buck the status quo.
Dreads or distrusts what is yet to happen and may not even occur.
Imagines how he might blame others for the weakness that is only his.
Related Traits:
Acquisitive, aspiring, competitive, contentious, desirous, determined, focused, emulative, goal-oriented, motivated, purposeful, single-minded, tenacious, upward-looking, wishful.
Character Possibilities:
Desires to attain something that will lead to his acquiring wealth, power, fame, or something else that he does not now have, and thus sets his attention toward achieving it.
Primary aim is to achieve overall excellence rather than reach a specific social plateau. Motivated by a desire to equal or surpass what someone else has already attained.
Has a gnawing need to be recognized for his abilities and knowledge.
Sees the barriers and ponders how he might surmount them.
Never has enough of whatever he has.
Related Traits:
Adrift, apathetic, causeless, content, desultory, goal-deficient, lethargic, purposeless, satisfied, unambitious, uncompetitive, unconcerned, unfocused, unmotivated.
Character Possibilities: Floats across the months and years without either a compass or sail unfurled. His attention swings abruptly from one thing to the next, like a monkey going nowhere in particular.
Does not have a climbing instinct.
His capacity to care about his future has been deadened.
The goal he has is so broad and poorly defined that it might as well not even exist at all. Resents the prodding of others. Accepts what he has and what he is, and is the flip side of the dreamer.
Related Traits:
Assiduous, constant, decided, determined, diligent, dogged, enduring, fixed, indefatigable, iron-willed, obstinate, persevering, persistent, pertinacious, purposeful, resolved, sedulous, steadfast, strong-minded, strong-willed, tenacious, tireless, uncompromising, unfaltering, unrelenting, unswerving, unwavering, unyielding.
Character Possibilities:
Once it becomes clear to him what must be done, he will not entertain any detours that will compromise his objective.
In his mind, maps out the route he will take.
The inability of others to stay the course perplexes and saddens him.
Has an extraordinary capacity to accept defeat and yet think he is getting closer to victory.
Unable to recognize the folly of his purpose.
An unbreakable marriage occurs between his mind and the thing to be achieved.
In terms of pursuit, he is tireless.
Related Traits: Changeable, doubtful, fluctuating, half-hearted, hesitant, indecisive, purposeless, uncertain, undecided, undetermined, unsettled, vacillating, weak-willed.
Character Possibilities: Lacks the necessary conviction that initiates action, even when it may be obvious to others that he should do so.
Pestered incessantly by uncertainty.
Approaches decision-making as if it were a two-headed monster.
Always waiting for that last shred of proof, so that he might be certain.
Today he is positive; tomorrow he will not be.
His ear is forever scanning the air to hear some key words of reassurance.
"What to do" and ("what not to do" play Ping-Pong in his head.
Lacks the will that gives conviction its wind.
Related Traits:
Avaricious, covetous, envious, grasping,. gluttonous, greedy, grudging, hoggish, mean, miserly, piggish, rapacious, self-absorbed, self-centered, self-interested, self-seeking, stingy, tight, uncharitable, wolfish.
Character Possibilities:
Principally concerned about those things that either bring him pleasure or provide him with comfort, whether it is to the detriment of someone else or not.
Resents the fact that someone has what he believes he alone deserves.
Would, if he could, keep all the good things for himself.
His motto: Get it from others before they have a chance to get it from you. Has an appetite for self-satisfaction that is boundless. Charity baffles him. He is the altar upon which others should bestow their sacrifices.
Related Traits: Altruistic, big-hearted, charitable, generous, giving, liberal-minded, munificent, selfless, self-denying, self-sacrificing.
Character Possibilities:
Willing to share with others.
Thinks it is better to deprive himself of something than to have someone else go without. Views greed as being detrimental to the soul. More concerned about the welfare of others than he is with his own comfort.
When choices are to be made between one thing or another, always intends to give the other person the biggest portion, the softest place, the better view, the nicest compliment, etc.
Related Traits:
Constrained, diffident, humble, self-conscious, self-depreciative, unpretentious.
Character Possibilities:
Thinks it is unbecoming to advertise his virtues to others.
Abhors glowing recognition.
Locks out all thoughts of superiority, even though he may even excel in a specific area.
Distrusts his own abilities and puts almost no stock in the praises that fill up the plate before him. Convinced that others have more to offer than he. Consistently underestimates his own worth.
Related Traits:
Arrogant, conceited, disdainful, egocentric, egotistic, imperious, lordly, narcissistic, prideful, proud, secure, self-esteeming, self-important, shameless, vain, vainglorious.
Character Possibilities:
He is the center of his own universe.
When comparing himself to others, he is often disdainful of them and proud of himself. His capacity for contempt goes undiminished. The word "we" is often a stranger to him, for he is much more comfortable with "1."
Fully expects others to not only recognize his superiority and to compliment him but also to comply with his wishes. Has an ongoing love affair with himself. Having accomplished something, raises it to a level far beyond what it truly deserves. His vanity is either groundless or completely out of proportion to that on which it is based.
Related Traits: Forbearing, imperturbable, indulgent, lenient, long-suffering, passive, tolerant, understanding.
Character Possibilities:
Calmly endures all the annoying adversities, delays, and setbacks that naturally occur. Tends to spurn retaliation. Sits on his temper, though it squiggles for expression. Stifles the urge to complain. Able to endure distress over long periods. Believes that things will get better tomorrow. Accepts small and great disappointments with resignation. Knows that things rarely happen the way he would like and that people only occasionally behave as he would prefer.
Related Traits:
Agitated, antsy, anxious, disquieted, edgy, fidgety, fretful, high-strung, intolerant, jittery, jumpy, nervous, restive, restless, skittish, strained, taut, tense, uneasy, nonindulgent, uptight, worried.
Character Possibilities:
Delay picks at the sores of his composure.
His nerves are the strings strummed by Anticipation.
Being under the control of someone or something is suffocating to his peace of mind. More afraid that something won't happen. Finds no comfort in the saying, "All things come to those who wait."
Related Traits: Adoring, admiring, awe-struck, deferential, esteeming, idolatrous, obeisant, regardful, reverential, worshipful.
Character Possibilities:
Sees a characteristic in another person that he admires and which he may wish he had, whether his estimation is misplaced or not.