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WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Character Trait Entry: Charismatic

August 6, 2011 by BECCA PUGLISI

Definition: having a special magnetic charm or appeal; having the ability to arouse loyalty or enthusiasm through charm or influence

Characters in Literature and History: Aragorn (Lord of the Rings), John F. Kennedy, Adolf Hitler

Common Portrayals: politicians, prom queens, quarterbacks, visionaries, con-men, villains

Clichés to Avoid: grasping politicians with an agenda, the reluctant leader

Twists on the Traditional Charismatic Character: 

▪ Charismatic characters are usually portrayed as 1) egomaniacs seeking to further their selfish goals, or 2) bleeding-heart philanthropists who live to make things better for the less fortunate. How about something in between, like a girl using her influence to raise awareness about the disease that is killing her boyfriend.

▪ Instead of someone who is reluctant or narcissistic, try an eager leader who is completely ignorant of the flaws that work against his charisma (fear of public speaking, bad breath, no fashion sense, spits when he talks).

Build a worthy protagonist with a mix of unique strengths that will help him overcome obstacles and achieve meaningful goals.

This sample, along with the rest of the character trait entries, has been expanded into book form. Together, the bestselling NEGATIVE TRAIT THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER FLAWS and POSITIVE TRAIT THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES contain over 200 traits for you to choose from when creating memorable, compelling characters. Each entry contains possible causes for the trait, as well as positive and negative aspects, traits in supporting characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. For more information on this bestselling book and where it can be found, please visit our bookstore.

Love working online and having your favorite description resources in one place? We’ve got you covered. The entries from the Positive Trait Thesaurus book have been integrated into our online library at One Stop For Writers. Now you can search and cross-reference between all our thesaurus collections quickly and easily. Interested in viewing a free sample? Register at One Stop and see all that this intuitive library for writers has to offer.

Thesaurus Pair

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.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lauren F. Boyd says

    August 12, 2011 at 8:12 pm

    Hey, Angela! It’s great to meet you – especially as a fellow writer! Thanks so much for commenting on my blog and becoming a Follower! Your blog is great, and I look forward to coming back soon!

    Thanks again!

  2. Raquel Byrnes says

    August 9, 2011 at 1:46 pm

    Once I was able to stop drooling over your picture…I really learned a lot from your post. Great insight. 🙂
    Edge of Your Seat Romance

  3. Matthew MacNish says

    August 8, 2011 at 7:01 am

    That is a most excellent photo selection.

  4. Kristen says

    August 7, 2011 at 11:17 pm

    Just catching up on reading blogs–charisma is such an interesting trait, and I find hard to get just right. But if you do it right, your character is bound to hook readers, right?
    Always worth trying! And I am. 🙂

  5. Jeff King says

    August 7, 2011 at 7:55 pm

    I love these character types!

    Nice post.

  6. Angela Ackerman says

    August 7, 2011 at 12:12 pm

    NOM NOM.

    That is all.

    *drools*

    Angela

  7. Sharon Jones says

    August 7, 2011 at 12:32 am

    Great post, as usual…
    and, I agree with all of the above comments…you know, the ones drooling over Aragorn.
    OH YEAH!

    Sharon:)

  8. alaw says

    August 6, 2011 at 8:51 pm

    ARAGORN! YES! MY KING!!!

  9. Becca Puglisi says

    August 6, 2011 at 8:09 pm

    Thanks so much, Deirdra! *flexes muscles* 😉

  10. Deirdra Eden-Coppel says

    August 6, 2011 at 7:09 pm

    You have a fabulous blog! I want to award you with one of my homemade awards: Powerful Woman Writer Award for all the hard work you do!

    Go to http://astorybookworld.blogspot.com/p/awards.html and pick up your award.
    ~Deirdra

  11. Martha Ramirez says

    August 6, 2011 at 4:47 pm

    Very nice!

  12. Deb Marshall says

    August 6, 2011 at 4:39 pm

    Nice. Love the conflicting characteristics….make for a very interesting hero IMO!

  13. The Golden Eagle says

    August 6, 2011 at 3:23 pm

    Great post!

    Interesting point about people who are charismatic–but who also have other characteristics that aren’t so appealing.

  14. Becca Puglisi says

    August 6, 2011 at 2:16 pm

    Mmmmm. Aragorn….

  15. Carrie Butler says

    August 6, 2011 at 2:13 pm

    Great post, Becca! 🙂

  16. Karen Lange says

    August 6, 2011 at 2:04 pm

    Thank you! This will come in handy. 🙂

  17. Michael Offutt says

    August 6, 2011 at 1:31 pm

    A great analysis of charisma. I may shamelessly steal some of your ideas on how to break out of this box.

  18. Heather says

    August 6, 2011 at 11:14 am

    Ah Aragorn, a fine example indeed. 🙂 You made me really think about both sides of charismatic with this one!

  19. Tiffany Garner says

    August 6, 2011 at 10:43 am

    Some great thoughts here! It really is such a ‘bipolar’ characteristic, for lack of a better word. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

  20. Deb Salisbury says

    August 6, 2011 at 10:31 am

    Great portrait! Definitely bookmarked. Thanks!

  21. Jen says

    August 6, 2011 at 9:25 am

    I’m sorry, Becca. Did you say something?
    Must. Look. Away. From. Aragorn.

    Great post! 🙂

  22. tracikenworth says

    August 6, 2011 at 9:08 am

    LOVE the chosen picture. Such an inviting character trait to work with. Excellent post.

  23. genelempp says

    August 6, 2011 at 7:17 am

    Nicely done, Becca! Great suggestions in the “Twists” segment.

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