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. 

ORGANIZATION

Description: The ability to discern what is needed for a particular project or event, and then to prepare and collect any people, resources or information into a state of readiness so that everything moves forward efficiently.

Beneficial Strengths or Abilities: A good organizer can look at what must be done and immediately formulate a plan of action that is effective and insightful, taking into consideration any factors that might create challenges so that they can be prevented or minimized. Having foresight of what the path ahead may look like, being educated and…

Character Traits Suited for this Skill or Talent: efficient, orderly, articulate, friendly, inspiring, tenacious, analytical…

Required Resources and Training: A strong organizer usually has checklists and time management tools to keep both herself and others on task, ensuring all pieces of the project are in place each step of the way. Experience can also be gained by volunteering under the leadership of a mentor will expose them to the many different factors that goes into organizing a project or event. Understanding a particular subject, industry or set of…

Scenarios Where this Skill Might be Useful:

• Tactical organization, when one must plan a single attack, prepare for war or defend one’s home and resources
• Planning an escape, when success depends on minimizing as much danger as possible
• Preparing one’s resources for survival (understanding how many pounds of meat is needed to survive the winter, or being prepared to take advantage of opportunities such as collecting rainfall, harvesting grain or vegetables at an optimal time) and then storing it effectively…

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!

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