The Positive Trait Thesaurus helps writers understand the strengths that define a character—and how those strengths shape their behavior, choices, and morality.
Part brainstorming tool, part writing guide, this book helps writers choose personality strengths for their characters and then write them with authority, showing readers who someone is by how they think, act, and behave.
What This Guide Helps Writers Do:
Create Distinct, Memorable Characters
When characters have similar personalities, they can start to blur together. This guide helps you select specific positive traits that shape who they are and how they see and interact with the world. Each character you create will feel distinct and human.
Show Strengths Through Choices and Behavior
Calling a character brave, loyal, or compassionate doesn’t mean much unless readers see it in action. This thesaurus breaks each trait down into observable behaviors, attitudes, and thought patterns, making it easy for you to describe your character’s strengths.
Write Characters Whose Decisions Make Sense
A character’s strengths affect how they solve problems, respond to conflict, and pursue their goals. Utilize the traits in this book to write consistent decision-making so actions feel intentional, not contrived to fit a trope or plot point.
Use Strengths to Create Friction and Growth
Good qualities don’t always lead to easy outcomes. Loyalty can cause hesitation, honesty can hurt relationships, and compassion can invite exploitation. This guide helps you use strengths to generate tension, challenge values, and push characters toward meaningful change.
What’s Inside The Positive Trait Thesaurus?
In addition to a masterclass of teachings on how strengths shape character identity and story dynamics, each entry offers descriptive ideas for:
- Behaviors and responses for a trait, making it easy to show, not tell
- Attitudes and outlooks that are common in people with this trait
- Internal thoughts, justifications, and self-talk
- Positive aspects of a strength and how it helps a character navigate life
- Negative aspects of a strength when taken too far
- Examples of well-known characters in fiction and film who have this trait
- A list of ideas on how a character’s strengths will help them overcome challenges and lead to happiness and fulfillment
With 100 positive traits to choose from, the combination for fresh characters is endless. Give your characters the layers they deserve–protagonists and villains alike–and create people so real they could have walked out of the real world.
Format and Availability
The Positive Trait Thesaurus is available in print, ebook, and PDF, making it easy to reference wherever you like to write. To explore how flaws can challenge and counterbalance a character’s strengths, you may wish to pair this guide with The Negative Trait Thesaurus.
