Character Trait Generator

Why a trait needs a scene

Telling a reader that a character is patient does very little. Showing the character wait is better, and showing the character wait when waiting costs them something is best of all. That is why each result here pairs a trait with a situation that tests it, and often with a cost, a contrasting trait or a way to prove it. A trait that never meets a test is a label, and a trait that is tested in a scene is a character.

Strengths, flaws and quirks do different jobs. A strength gives the reader a reason to admire the character and the writer a tool to solve problems. A flaw is the obstacle inside the character, and it is what makes a plot personal. A quirk is a detail that makes the character memorable, and a quirk with a reason behind it is worth far more than one that is only decoration.

Using a trait on the page

Start by choosing one situation from the result and writing a scene in which the trait shapes the decision. Keep the narration quiet: let the reader draw the conclusion from what the character does. If you find yourself explaining the trait, the scene probably needs a sharper choice.

Then pair it. The most interesting characters hold two traits that pull against each other, such as a generous person with a need to win, or a patient person with an old grudge. When you see "paired with" in a result, take it literally: write the scene in which the two traits collide, and decide which one wins.

Finally, let the trait cost something and change by the end of the story, even slightly. A character whose strengths and flaws never change has no arc. A flaw that becomes a little less harmful, or a strength that finally costs too much, gives the reader a sense that the story mattered.

Traits that stay alive

A trait stays alive when it can surprise the reader. Look at what the trait would do in a situation that seems to call for the opposite: a generous character who refuses to lend a book, a brave character who is afraid of the telephone. These small contradictions show that the trait comes from a person and not from a list. Avoid piling on several traits that point the same way. Three kinds of generosity make a saint, while one generosity and one jealousy make a human being, and human beings are what readers follow through a long book.

Ten example character traits

• Strength Quietly brave: show it when a stranger asks for help, then make it cost them a night's sleep. Let another character name the trait before the narrator does.
• Strength Resourceful, paired with a fear of the dark. Show the clash when they are left alone in a house that is not theirs. Let the trait change by the end, even slightly.
• Strength Honest to the point of rudeness. Readers will believe it once they see the character give a straight answer to a hard question. Test it when they are thanked in front of a crowd. Give it one scene where it helps and one where it ruins the day.
• Flaw Proud: show it when they lose an argument they should have won, then make it cost them a friend. Let the character be unaware of it.
• Flaw Easily flattered, paired with a strong sense of duty. Show the clash when someone offers them an easy way out. Test it twice, once in private and once in public.
• Flaw Unable to say sorry. Readers will believe it once they see the character wait without complaining for an apology that never comes. Test it when a promise comes due. Show where it came from, but only in one line.
• Quirk Talks to houseplants: show it when a child asks them why, then make it cost them a little of their dignity. Make a minor character admire it for the wrong reason.
• Quirk Counts everything, paired with a longing for home. Show the clash when they are made to wait for news. Use a physical habit to show it without a word.
• Quirk Bakes when worried. Readers will believe it once they see the character make a joke to ease a bad moment. Test it when their routine is broken. Let it be funny once and painful once.
• Quirk Keeps a notebook of overheard sentences: show it when a friend lies to them, then make it cost them the trust of a child. Let it get in the way of what the character wants most.