As writers, we want to make our characters as unique and interesting as possible. One way to do this is to give your character a special skill or talent that sets him apart from other people. This might be something small, like having a green thumb or being good with animals, to a larger and more competitive talent like stock car racing or being an award-winning film producer.
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.
READING PEOPLE
Description: “Reading people” is the ability to size others up quickly and accurately. People with this skill are able to see through misdirection and outright deceit to correctly identify a person’s character or motives in many different situations.
Beneficial Strengths or Abilities: being a good listener, being able to think clearly and in an organized fashion
Character Traits Suited for this Skill or Talent: observant, perceptive, extroverted (other-focused), discerning, objective…
Required Resources and Training: While some people are inherently good at reading others, there are some things that can be done to improve one’s discernment in this area.
There’s a kind of science to lying, with certain tells that reveal deceit. Paul Ekman studied…
Associated Stereotypes and Perceptions: Con-artists, detectives, gamblers, psychics, and empaths are often portrayed as being able to read others well. While it’s a positive skill to have, it often has a negative connotation, being used by people to manipulate and take…
Scenarios Where this Skill Might be Useful:
- when someone with power or influence is not who they appear to be
- when a dangerous person is about to do something deadly
- when someone is suicidal and is hiding their desperation…
Resources for Further Information:
18 Tips and Tricks about Reading People
Talents and skills not only make our characters stand out, they often help them attain their goals. So choosing them strategically can greatly enhance both the character and the story.
If this is something you’d like to learn more about, you can find the 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!
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.
Thank you for the attribution beneath the photos. This lets me know that even though I often use Pixabay for CCO photos in my blog, I should still give credit. I have been wondering about that and you made it clear.
Great resources and another great post. Thanks!
I’m using this right now for a character who reads people but is herself deceptive. I figure who better to be a manipulator than one who recognizes the same in others?
Great point, Traci! It’s often deceptive people who are most able to deceive others.
Anyone who can read people quickly and accurately is totally gifted! It’s something that, when it comes to friends, I’ve sorely lacked. I think it’s because I want to believe people are better than most of them actually are : / Unfortunately, you often don’t find out a person’s true character until tragedy strikes! Again—great for fiction! 😀
Ugh. I suck at this, too. I think it’s because I don’t pay close enough attention.
Great entry, ladies. When I first started writing nonfiction for kids magazines, I wrote an article about body language. Fascinating stuff.