Definition: having a thoughtful or subdued manner

Causes: being more inclined to internal thought than external expression; an underdeveloped sense of humor; a strong sense of duty to others; being forced to grow up too early and become responsible at an early age; the belief that any kind of fun is vanity; a compulsion to strictly adhere to the rules; the need to always be on one’s guard

Characters in Literature: Mr. Darcy, Peter Hatcher (Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing), Michael Corleone (The Godfather), Katniss Everdeen

Common Portrayals: cyborgs, robots, and other non-humans; CEOs; mathematicians and scientists; religious characters

Clichés to Avoid:  the teenager/young adult forced to care for younger siblings and put his own life on hold; the cruel, hyper-religious person who condemns others for their frivolous choices; the serious character who’s incapable of getting the simplest joke

Twists on the Traditional Serious Character:  

▪ Serious characters are so often BORING. Give them additional traits to make them interesting or empathetic (see below)

▪ The archetypal sidekick is almost always comedian to the main character’s straight man. Switch it up and create a serious sidekick and see what humor can come from that situation.

▪ Give your serious character a new reason for being that way. Maybe it’s her way of rebelling against society or expressing individuality. Whatever the reason, make sure it makes sense and you lay the foundation so it’s believable to the reader.

GOOD NEWS!

This sample, along with the rest of the character trait entries, has been expanded into book form! Together, THE NEGATIVE TRAIT THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER FLAWS and THE POSITIVE TRAIT THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES contain over 200 traits for you to choose from when creating unique, memorable 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.

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