Choosing a talent or skill that fits with your character’s personality, lifestyle, and values can go a long way to helping them break free of the common stereotypes seen so often in fiction. This thesaurus will help you find the perfect quality or two that will show readers your character’s uniqueness while also acting as an asset when it comes to goal achievement.
When choosing a talent or skill, think about the personality of your character, his range of experiences and who his role models might have been. Some talents might be genetically imparted while others are created through exposure (such as a character talented at fixing watches from growing up in his father’s watch shop) or grow out of interest (archery, wake-boarding, or magic). Don’t be afraid to be creative and make sure the skill or talent is something that works with the scope of the story.
Sewing
Description: detailed tailoring of clothing or assimilation of cloth using a sewing machine or needle. Sewing is one of the oldest textile arts, with needles being fashioned by ivory, antler and bone in early times, using thread made from veins and sinew. Sewing is a hobby to some, a skill for mending and re-purposing one’s family’s clothing to others, as…
Beneficial Strengths or Abilities: Strong eyesight, good hand-eye coordination, steady hands, strong attention to detail, calloused fingers
Character Traits Suited for this Skill or Talent: Focused, meticulousness, creative, calm, efficient, thrifty, patient
Required Resources and Training: Depending on the type of sewing, training and tools of the trade will differ. At bare minimum, a character requires a needle, thread and cloth to bind, but pins, a dressmaker’s measuring tape, scissors, a sewing machine, access…
Associated Stereotypes and Perceptions:
- That people who sew are women & homemakers
- Those who sew have patience and are quiet and thoughtful
- Sewers are unskilled or unsuited for more athletic or educational pursuits pursuits…
Scenarios Where this Skill Might be Useful:
- In an isolated environment when someone is hurt and hospital care is not readily available
- When a fashion disaster hits and time is short
- If one makes one’s own clothing, either by choice our out of financial necessity…
TIP: Choose a talent or skill that makes your character memorable and helps them achieve their goals.
If this is something you’d like to learn more about, you might find these resources helpful. You can also see the full collection of talent and skill entries in their entirety at One Stop For Writers, where all our thesauruses are cross-referenced and linked for easy navigation. If you’re interested in seeing a free sampling of the Talent and Skill Thesaurus and our other descriptive collections, head on over and register at One Stop!
Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.
My mother is a sewer. But, actually, it’s wrong word, cause she’s more like designer, who can sew all creations by her own. She waas working at home and I could see and study by myself. Well, I’m not that pro, how my mom is, but still, I can sew a dress or a shirt. I think it’s very useful skill.
How about a male theif being good at sewing but is a tailor. Would that be sterotyped?
Thank you! I’m working on a book series with a strong, female lead who really breaks character by being an excellent seamstress.
Good list. My mom always said sewing required no talent just patience. I proved her wrong on that! 🙂