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Character Trait Entry: Sentimental

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Definition: being overly influenced by feelings

Characters in Literature: Anne Shirley, Mrs. Weasley, Cecily (Wither)

Common Portrayals: women, teenage girls, children

Clichés to Avoid: the nostalgic mother crying over her child’s latest milestone; those in declining years constantly reminiscing about the good old days; the hugely pregnant, hormone driven mother-to-be

Twists on the Traditional Sentimental Character:  

  • Again, in literature, this trait is largely represented by the female gender. What about a sentimental man who’s driven more by emotion than logic?
  • Sentimentality and practicality don’t usually go together. Try throwing a sentimental character into a traditionally practical career field: the sentimental accountant, mathematician, IT professional, mechanic  

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.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Elise Shedd says

    Sentimental characters can be have more dimensions to their personality that make the more real to the reader.In my book I recently published, the guy lives and dwells in the past with a negative and cruel streak to him when people try to get too close especially women.

  2. Elise Shedd says

    Sentimental characters can be have more dimensions to their personality that make the more real to the reader.In my book I recently published, the guy lives and dwells in the past with a negative and cruel streak to him when people try to get too close especially women.

  5. Rachna Chhabria says

    I have never created an overtly sentimental character (I think the mother of my MC can be called sentimental, she cries when he he gets good grades). But, I think its natural for a mother to feel a little emotional.