• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • About WHW
    • Press Kit
    • Resident Writing Coaches
    • Contact Us
    • Podcasts & Interviews
    • Master Storytelling Newsletter
    • Guest Post Guidelines
    • Privacy Policy
    • Charities & Support
  • Bookstore
    • Bookstore
    • Foreign Editions
    • Book Reviews
    • Free Thesaurus Sampler
  • Blog
  • Software
  • Workshops
  • Resources
    • List of Resources
    • Recommended Writing Books
    • WHW Descriptive Thesaurus Collection
    • Free Tools & Worksheets
    • Grab A Free Show-Dont-Tell Pro Pack
  • WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Introducing…the Character Traits Thesaurus

May 17, 2011 by BECCA PUGLISI

Quick, name your favorite character.

Now list a trait or two that defines him/her.

Chances are, you were able to come up with a defining trait fairly quickly. That’s because likable characters are memorable. They exhibit qualities that we admire or can relate to. Creating memorable characters is key to creating memorable stories. To test this theory, ask yourself if your character’s story is on your list of favorite books.

Like any important job, character creation isn’t easy. You have to consider what traits to give your hero to make it possible (or seemingly impossible) for her to achieve her goals. She’ll also need characteristics that readers will relate to or empathize with. Having a flaw to overcome is always nice, too. And you don’t want to recreate any existing characters, so you’ll need to combine her qualities in a way that has never been done before.

It’s a tough job, but we all have to do it. Here’s hoping that our new CHARACTER TRAITS THESAURUS will help.

The goal of this resource is to examine many existing character traits through the lens of character creation. What might have caused this trait to surface in my character? What are the positives and negatives of this quality? How might I pair it with other characteristics to create someone truly original and interesting?

Our hope is that these entries will shed new light on existing traits, enabling you to create some new favorite characters. You can find all entries for this thesaurus here.

BECCA PUGLISI
BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Characters

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jackie says

    September 20, 2013 at 8:33 pm

    Congrats! I’m so excited for you, and excited for us.

  2. Annette says

    November 5, 2012 at 11:50 pm

    I just bought the Emotion Thesaurus and look forward to adding the Character Traits to my writers toolbox. Thanks

  3. Melody Jackson says

    May 20, 2011 at 4:44 pm

    This is perfect! I’ve been looking for a good resource for character traits! 🙂 Thanks so much for this wonderful tool!

  4. Morgan Lee says

    May 20, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    Can’t wait! You guys so rock! Your blog is any writers dream.

  5. Mum of Monsters says

    May 19, 2011 at 3:03 am

    I love this blog.

    also

    I just wanted to let you know I’ve given you the Versatile Blogger Award! Check it out here:

    http://monsterroundup.blogspot.com/2011/05/versatile-blogger-award.html

  6. Jeigh says

    May 18, 2011 at 11:19 pm

    You guys are so awesome! Can’t wait to see this new thesaurus!

  7. Anonymous says

    May 18, 2011 at 8:38 pm

    This has gotta be the best thesuarus yet. I’m always up all night trying to spice up the characters.

  8. Bailor says

    May 18, 2011 at 6:35 pm

    OH, I am so excited to see what you guys come up with. C: your blog is so helpful.

  9. Owllady says

    May 18, 2011 at 4:07 pm

    This is such a great idea, I’ve added your button to my blog. 😀

  10. Christina Lee says

    May 18, 2011 at 1:09 pm

    OH you are GOOD! Fantastic idea!

  11. Lydia K says

    May 18, 2011 at 11:21 am

    What a great idea! Your Thesauruses (thesauri?) are awesome.

    Thanks for your supportive comment on my post. The best pro-conference therapy ever!

  12. Cynthia Chapman Willis says

    May 18, 2011 at 10:44 am

    Yea! This sounds amazing! Can’t wait to read more! Many thanks, as always.

  13. Susanne Drazic says

    May 18, 2011 at 10:05 am

    AWESOME!

  14. Kelly Hashway says

    May 18, 2011 at 6:42 am

    Sounds great!

  15. Deb Marshall says

    May 17, 2011 at 11:50 pm

    Oh my wow and SUweeet! That is all:)

  16. Clarissa Draper says

    May 17, 2011 at 10:30 pm

    Can’t wait until it comes out!

  17. Sharon K. Mayhew says

    May 17, 2011 at 9:40 pm

    This will be another great addition to your sidebar…

  18. beck nicholas says

    May 17, 2011 at 8:31 pm

    ANOTHER reason to love this blog. Thank you!!

  19. Sharon Jones says

    May 17, 2011 at 8:18 pm

    If you ladies stop by my blog, you can pick up your *Award*

    Thanks for a great blog!

    Sharon 🙂

  20. alaw says

    May 17, 2011 at 8:03 pm

    Can’t wait to see it! By the way, this is a great blog…I know it’s going to help me with my writing a LOT!

  21. alaw says

    May 17, 2011 at 8:03 pm

    Can’t wait to see it! By the way, this is a great blog…I know it’s going to help me with my writing a LOT!

  22. Angela Ackerman says

    May 17, 2011 at 6:42 pm

    Thanks everyone. We are totally jazzed about this new thesaurus and hope it really helps you think about traits in a new way!

    @EEV I love Pippin. And Merry. They are both such awesome characters, so they inspire us to create new versions of them!

    @Valley, yes there is a positive and negative aspect–you’ll have to have a look and tell us what you think of it.

    @SP, at some point, I could see us creating a list in a single post, but of course these tags should always be used in moderation anyway. If you’re looking for something close to beat tags that is also emotional showing, look up our emotion thesaurus entries in the sidebar.

    Angela

  23. Holly Ruggiero says

    May 17, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    Awesome new thesaurus!

  24. SP Sipal says

    May 17, 2011 at 4:49 pm

    This will be a great resource! I can think of another thesaurus like this that I’d love to have, but might require more than one or two words — action tags. I way overuse some, like “he shrugged,” “she grinned,” etc, and am constantly struggling to come up with a new way of phrasing things but also keeping it simple.

  25. Caledonia Lass says

    May 17, 2011 at 4:48 pm

    Oi, I listed a dozen characters in my writing and their traits in the space of a few seconds…. I love all my characters and LOVE creating them. XD
    This sounds like an awesome thesaurus to have on hand and I am glad I am following you now. 😀

  26. Piper Bayard says

    May 17, 2011 at 4:47 pm

    Ooo. I love it! Can’t wait to see what you come up with.

  27. Nancy Kelley says

    May 17, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    You are my hero. Character creation is really the bane of my existence. Once they’re formed in my mind, I can easily put them in the story… it’s just getting to that point that takes some time. Thanks for this new thesaurus!

  28. Teralyn Rose Pilgrim says

    May 17, 2011 at 2:55 pm

    I’m so excited! All your thesaurus’ are helpful, and I’m excited about this one!

  29. Girl Friday says

    May 17, 2011 at 2:43 pm

    Fantastic idea! This site just gets more and more helpful 🙂

  30. The Golden Eagle says

    May 17, 2011 at 2:01 pm

    It sounds like a great new thesaurus! 🙂

  31. Paul Greci says

    May 17, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    Sounds like a neat tool to help w/getting to know your characters. Thanks!

  32. Manon Eileen says

    May 17, 2011 at 12:49 pm

    Wow, that’s great! And a true challenge I bet. Good luck!

  33. Michelle Gregory says

    May 17, 2011 at 11:52 am

    another great reason to stop by.

  34. valleyofthemuse says

    May 17, 2011 at 11:27 am

    This sounds like it’s going to be a fantastic resource! Really looking forward to it.

    Are you going to delve into the positive and negative aspects of a particular trait? E.g. someone who is unorganized is also likely to be spontaneous?

  35. Kayeleen Hamblin says

    May 17, 2011 at 10:50 am

    Awesome! I’m excited for this new thesaurus!

  36. Lisa Gail Green says

    May 17, 2011 at 10:42 am

    Woohoo! That’s my kind of thesaurus. ;D

  37. Videkov says

    May 17, 2011 at 10:24 am

    Thanks so much for the new addition you planned. It sounds fabulous. Your blog is my very favorite and I read/use it daily.

  38. Bluestocking says

    May 17, 2011 at 10:14 am

    Nothing to add but more excitement. Can’t wait!

  39. Karen Lange says

    May 17, 2011 at 10:03 am

    Sounds great! Can’t wait! 🙂

  40. Marisa Hopkins says

    May 17, 2011 at 8:38 am

    Is it possible to love you guys more than I already do? Before today, I would have said no… today: YES! <3<3<3

    Yay, so exited for this!

  41. Matthew MacNish says

    May 17, 2011 at 8:16 am

    Can’t wait! Thanks Becca.

  42. EEV says

    May 17, 2011 at 8:12 am

    Loved the idea!

    P.S. Can someone explain me why I’m so obsessed with Pipin from LOTR? When someone asks me to think about a character, he pops up automatically. I love the little guy. 🙂 LOL
    – EEV

  43. Elouise82 says

    May 17, 2011 at 7:37 am

    This looks so exciting! Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

  44. tracikenworth says

    May 17, 2011 at 7:13 am

    OMG, so excited about this!! I love learning tools to add to my toolbox.

  45. Laura Pauling says

    May 17, 2011 at 7:10 am

    Sounds awesome! Can’t wait. 🙂

  46. Andrea Mack says

    May 17, 2011 at 7:09 am

    This sounds like a really useful resource! I’m looking forward to your posts.

  47. Jessica Subject says

    May 17, 2011 at 6:42 am

    I look forward to this new thesaurus!

Trackbacks

  1. The Positive and Negative Trait Thesaurus COVER REVEAL! | WRITERS HELPING WRITERSWRITERS HELPING WRITERS says:
    November 25, 2013 at 11:07 pm

    […] to get right, so we knew we wanted to tackle that one at some point.  Then we started writing the Character Traits Thesaurus entries on our blog. We knew we’d stumbled onto something good when so many of you started telling us […]

  2. Character Traits Thesaurus Collection | Writers Helping Writers says:
    October 11, 2013 at 4:33 pm

    […] What is a Character Traits Thesaurus? […]

Primary Sidebar


Welcome!

Writing is hard. Angela & Becca make it easier. Get ready to level up your fiction with game-changing tools, resources, and advice.

Follow Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe to the Blog

Check your inbox to confirm! If gremlins tried to eat it, you might have to check your spam folder.

Read by Category

Grab Our Button

Writers Helping Writers

Software that Will Change the Writing Game

One Stop for Writers

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS® · Copyright © 2023 · WEBSITE DESIGN BY LAUGH EAT LEARN

Cookies are delicious and ours help make your experience here better. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with our cookie use. Cookie settingsGOT IT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. More on our Privacy Policy here.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...