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, wakeboarding, 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.
Lying
Description: being able to convince others that one is trustworthy and knowledgeable even when one does not have facts, evidence or intimate details of the situation is a well-honed skill. Like having a silver tongue, being able to articulate…
Beneficial Strengths or Abilities: having control over one’s emotions, being very aware of body language and what it conveys, always thinking before acting, having an innocent or trustworthy expression, being able to mask…
Character Traits Suited for this Skill or Talent: Manipulative, Observant, Evasive, Charming, Controlled, Confident, Rational, Courteous…
Required Resources and Training: To become an adept liar, a person must learn how to exude confidence, keep a calm demeanor, and speak in a way that appeals to the target’s emotional sensitivities. Observing others to understand body language and how to read their emotions is necessary as most communication is non-verbal. Through watchfulness and asking careful questions, a liar…
Associated Stereotypes and Perceptions:
- That all politicians are liars
- Criminals will lie to anyone about anything
- Telling a white lie to save someone from hurt is acceptable…
Scenarios Where this Skill Might be Useful:
- Talking one’s way out of a tight spot (feigning ignorance or lying to diffuse a volatile situation)
- To win a much-needed reprieve (being able to hand in an assignment late)
- To gain an advantage (to have more time to prepare, to study, or to gather facts)…
Resources for Further Information: Spotlight on Subtext: When Characters Are Liars
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.
Excellent post—duh, of course! lol
Lying, in my opinion, can be one of the most hurtful, devastating, damaging trait a person can possess, so this is a biggie for me as far as the power it can wield in storytelling. Of course, when it’s done for good reason (like a spy or something), then it’s more like acting. Very powerful!
I can see where this type of character would come in handy.
You come up with the best stuff! Thanks. I will definitely be using this.
Ooh, this would make such a great character! Totally unreliable narrator because readers wouldn’t know what was truth or fiction. Great summary!
Helpful post, Thanks!
Good article. Thanks for this.