Creating Characters (9 page)
Takes his responsibilities seriously.
You'll give up on yourself before he will.
While everyone else abandons you, he'll stand by you—until he finds out that his faith has been misplaced.
Insists on honoring allegiances or promises until it is no longer honorable to do so.
Related Traits:
Disloyal, erratic, fair-weathered, faithless, fickle, inconstant, irresponsible, shaky, traitorous, treasonous, undependable, unfaithful, unreliable, unstable, wavering.
As Seen by Others:
Can't depend on him.
Always late.
Don't expect him to stand by you when you need him the most.
His moral commitment is as erratic as fish in a pond.
Tends to shirk his responsibilities if something better comes along.
He may believe what he says today, but don't expect that to be the same come tomorrow.
Likes allegiances or friendships when they're to his advantage.
Related Traits:
Anguished, apologetic, ashamed, chagrined, compunctious, conscience-stricken, contrite, embarrassed, guilt-ridden, guilty, heavy-hearted, humiliated, mortified, penitent, regretful, repentant, rueful, self-reproachful, shamefaced, sheepish, sorry, tormented, woebegone, woeful.
As Seen by Others:
He once did (said) something that he has since always wished he hadn't.
His actions are the sacrifices that beg for atonement.
Moves through his days as if he were pulling a train.
It's hard for him to believe that he could be so hurtful.
Tries to return to someone's good graces.
Shame has hung from his heart for a very long time.
Once, he failed to do something and he wants that moment back.
Related Traits: Callous, hardened, impenitent, shameless, unapologetic, unashamed, unembarrassed, unregretful, unrepentant, untroubled.
As Seen by Others:
Everyone else believes he's done (said) something disgraceful, but he doesn't.
He's a person without a conscience.
He's at the point where nothing he does bothers him anymore.
Doesn't know the meaning of sorry.
His attitude is, what's done is done and there's no sense worrying about it.
He's so hard that he's forgotten how to care.
Related Traits:
Bustling, busy, energetic, enterprising, fast-moving, frenzied, frisky, hard-working, industrious, lively, peppy, perky, productive, prolific, quickmoving, spirited, vigorous, zippy.
As Seen by Others:
He's always on the go, doing something.
Loves to work.
He does nothing slowly.
He won't postpone anything that can be handled today.
Prone to rush ahead, do things in a flash, get a hard start.
For him, sleep is an interruption.
Won't quit until the job's done.
Got more energy than two people put together.
He's always exceeded the results expected of him.
Seems to have a reservoir of energy that never runs dry.
Able to produce a great quantity of work.
Not averse to working through his lunch hour.
Related Traits:
Comatose, dawdling, dilatory, drowsy, fatigued, feckless, flagging, idle, indolent, inert, languid, languorous, lazy, lethargic, lifeless, listless, loafing, malingering, ne'er-do-well, procrastinating, quiescent, remiss, shiftless, slack, slothful, slow, slow-moving, sluggish, somnolent, soporific, torpid, unenergetic, unproductive, vegetative.
As Seen by Others:
He sort of just pokes along through life, killing time.
Prefers to take things easy rather than do things seriously.
Does as little as possible for as long as possible.
Seems to be in a chronic state of weariness.
Sometimes it's as if he can barely put one foot in front of the other.
More likely to be found asleep than applying himself.
Tends to put things off, half-believing he'll do them later.
He avoids action by pretending to be sick or incapacitated.
His slow approach to everything inconveniences others.
Produces almost nothing useful.
Some people call him a good-for-nothing.
If his mind ever gets as inactive as his body, he'll be dead.
Related Traits:
Acrobatic, adroit, athletic, deft, dexterous, elastic, facile, flexible, graceful, light-footed, limber, lissome, lithe, lithesome, loose, loose-jointed, nimble, sprightly, spry, supple, sure-footed, willowy.
As Seen by Others:
Has the dexterity and lightness of a dancer.
He wields tools effortlessly, as if they were extensions of his arms.
He's poetry in motion.
His limbs appear to be almost rubbery.
His muscular coordination is well above average.
Everything he does seems to be all of one fluid motion.
Related Traits:
Blundering, bumbling, bungling, clumsy, fumbling, graceless, heavy-footed, heavy-handed, inept, inflexible, klutzy, left-handed, lumbering, maladroit, plodding, rigid, stiff, unathletic, ungainly, unhandy.
As Seen by Others:
When he walks, his arms, legs, and torso seem to contradict one another.
Everything about him is out of sync.
Accident-prone.
Liable to fall over his own feet.
Movements lack elasticity, almost as if someone had shellacked his clothes.
Tends to bobble and drop things.
Prone to bump into things that are stationary.
Uses tools as if each weighed fifty pounds and lacked grip handles.
If something is heard crashing, he comes quickly to mind.
Related Traits:
Assiduous, constant, dedicated, determined, dogged, doughty, fixated, fixed, focused, indefatigable, persistent, purposeful, relentless, resolute, sedulous, steady, strong-willed, tenacious, tireless, unchanging, undeviating, unfailing, unfaltering, unflagging, unremitting, unshakable, unswerving, untiring, unwavering, unyielding.
As Seen by Others:
If he sets his sight on a specific goal, he'll keep at it until he gets there.
He's never demoralized by failure.
Danger will probably make him cautious, but it probably won't stop him.
At the core of his persistence springs an innate obstinacy.
He'll be there long after everyone else has given up.
He just keeps hammering away at you.
Tends to forget what his dedication might be doing to others around him because he is so focused.
Never allows his determination to be rechanneled in another direction.
Related Traits:
Aimless, capricious, changeable, desultory, erratic, faint-hearted, faltering, fickle, flexible, fluctuating, frivolous, hesitant, irresolute, irresponsible, mercurial, purposeless, uncertain, undecided, undirected, unfixed, unstable, wavering.
As Seen by Others:
He might start out with an objective, but he'll wander from the path more than once.
He is consistently plagued by doubt and gnawed by fear.
Tends to takes advice from everyone and to believe everyone is right.
His commitment swings to and fro like a pendulum on a clock.
Making him stay the course is like trying to nail fog to a wall.
He'll suddenly come up with a new plan, then abandon it.
If he was an arrow he would have two heads and be bent in the middle.
With all his hesitation, back-stepping, side-stepping, and flip-flopping, in his wake he leaves the footsteps of a staggering drunk.
Related Traits:
Adventurous, audacious, bold, brash, brave, brazen, careless, chance-taking, chivalrous, courageous, dauntless, devil-may-care, fearless, foolhardy, gritty, gutsy, hardy, hasty, heedless, heroic, impatient, impetuous, improvident, imprudent, impulsive, injudicious, intrepid, lionhearted, neglectful, plucky, quixotic, rash, reckless, risk-taking, speculative, spunky, stalwart, stouthearted, undaunted, undismayed, unflinching, unhesitant, unthinking, valiant, valorous, venturesome, venturous.
As Seen by Others:
Tends to do things that leave people gasping.
Acts on the spur of the moment when the challenge is inviting.
He'd rather jump headlong into the unknown than cozy up to the status quo.
Purposely pursues danger, as if it were a narcotic.
Inexplicably, he will endanger himself to protect others.
Will never heed the warnings of others.
Likes using money dangerously.
Inclined to act hastily and not take into consideration what he will need in the future.
Takes the path least traveled—and it does indeed make all the difference to him, and sometimes to others as well.
In the presence of trouble, quickly makes up his mind about what to do and then does it.
Prone to ride after that unreachable star.
Dislikes talking endlessly about alternate options.
Becomes impatient with those who are patient.
Related Traits:
Afraid, alert, apprehensive, cagey, cautious, chicken-hearted, circumspect, conscientious, conservative, cowardly, craven, deliberate, diligent, discreet, distrustful, faint-hearted, fearful, gritless, guarded, heedful, hesitant, judicious, leery, lily-livered, meticulous, mindful, nonspeculative, painstaking, patient, politic, poltroonish, precise, provident, prudent, pusillanimous, recreant, scared, scrupulous, skittish, spineless, thorough, timid, timorous, unadventurous, unheroic, unhurried, vigilant, wary, watchful, weak, weak-hearted, weak-kneed, yellow.
As Seen by Others:
Not likely to do anything until he has weighed all the pros and cons.
The threat of danger is uppermost in his mind, and it consistently gives him pause.
Plays it safe, stays on his guard, watches his step, proceeds on tiptoe.
Almost any advice, ominous sign, or absence of certainty will cause him to stall, followed by a rethinking of his position and objective.
Prefers the safety of his immediate environment and is suspicious of anything that lies beyond.
Always afraid of being deceived.
Avoids risks, at all costs.
To prevent being taken by surprise, keenly attentive to everything that is going on around him.
To prevent making a mistake, tends to deliberate for a very long time.
Fearing someone's displeasure, takes great pains to do a job right.
Shows excessive regard for the petty details that pull at the coattails of action.
Shows a lack of confidence when presented with a "sure thing."
Perforated by doubt.
Always looks for evidence of sound reasoning before proceeding, but he is still inclined to hesitate before acting.
Avoids any gamble, no matter how slight.
If trouble seems imminent, he is likely to bailout.
Related Traits:
Advising, curious, examining, inquiring, inquisitive, inquisitorial, interfering, interrogative, meddlesome, meddling, nosy, obtrusive, officious, overcurious, prying, scrutinizing, snoopy.
As Seen by Others:
Wants to know what people have done, are doing, or may do, under cover of polite conversation, of course.
His ear latches on to any rumor and his curiosity makes him follow its scent.
His "innocent" questions peel away what is none of his business.
Quick to give advice, often inserting his opinion when it is not wanted.
Shows up at people's homes unexpectedly.
Butts into other people's conversations.
Insists on doing things for people, though they prefer he wouldn't and despite the fact that they tell him so.
Related Traits: Aloof, blasé, detached, incurious, indifferent, unconcerned, uninquisitive, uninterested, unquestioning.
As Seen by Others:
Does not feel it is proper to snoop into other people's affairs.
Won't go to anyone's home unless invited, and still feels uncomfortable.
Would never barge into someone's office without an appointment or without being asked.
Minds his own business rather than someone else's.
Rumors fall dead at his feet, for he sees them as invasions of privacy.
Waits until someone is finished talking before saying anything.
Keeps his opinions to himself, lest he offend anyone.
Dares not ask the question that is searing his brain.
Takes the view that what someone has done, or is planning to do, should be of no interest to him, even though he's dying to know.
Related Traits:
Affected, artificial, blustering, boastful, bombastic, conceited, condescending, coy, dandified, dramatic, egotistical, exaggerative, extravagant, fastidious, flamboyant, flashy, florid, gallant, garish, grandiloquent, grandiose, hammy, haughty, high-flown, high-hatted, high-sounding, highfalutin, histrionic, hoity-toity, holier-than-thou, inflated, magisterial, mannered, melodramatic, moralistic, narcissistic, ostentatious, over-modest, overbearing, overconfident, overweening, patronizing, pedantic, phony, pietistic, polished, pompous, prancing, pretentious, priggish, prim, prudish, punctilious, puritanical, sanctimonious, self-important, showy, snobbish, snooty, snotty, stagy, starchy, stilted, strait-laced, stuck-up, supercilious, swaggering, swollen, theatrical, top-lofty, uppish, uppity, vainglorious, vaunting, Victorian.
As Seen by Others:
Inclined to show off in some way.
He can act like a swelled head, put on airs, talk big.
Advertises his "qualities" to others, possibly to gain more respect than perhaps he deserves.
Feigns an affection for one or more things, but for which he truly has no affection.
Flashes his knowledge in front of someone as if that person could not begin to understand what he was talking about.
Displays little or no modesty.
Talks as though he were speaking to people from a stage or elevated platform.
He talks tough, but isn't.
Inclined to brag about his bravery.
