More in-depth character creation tips from tumblr:

Astrology tidbits:

A Note on Flaws:

Writing_References_Yah on tumblr (now deactivated) wrote:

I think the best piece of character design advice I ever received was actually from a band leadership camp I attended in june of 2017. 

the speaker there gave lots of advice for leaders—obviously, it was a leadership camp—but his saying about personality flaws struck me as useful for writers too. 

he said to us all “your curses are your blessings and your blessings are your curses” and went on to explain how because he was such a great speaker, it made him a terrible listener. he could give speeches for hours on end and inspire thousands of people, but as soon as someone wanted to talk to him one on one or vent to him, he struggled with it. 

he had us write down our greatest weakness and relate it to our biggest strength (mine being that I am far too emotional, but I’m gentle with others because I can understand their emotions), and the whole time people are sharing theirs, my mind was running wild with all my characters and their flaws.

previously, I had added flaws as an after thought, as in “this character seems too perfect. how can I make them not-like-that?” but that’s not how people or personalities work. for every human alive, their flaws and their strengths are directly related to each other. you can’t have one without the other.

is your character strong-willed? that can easily turn into stubbornness. is your character compassionate? maybe they give too many chances. are they loyal? then they’ll destroy the world for the people they love.

it works the other way around too: maybe your villain only hates the protagonist’s people because they love their own and just have a twisted sense of how to protect them. maybe your antagonist is arrogant, but they’ll be confident in everything they do.

tl;dr “your curses are your blessings, and your blessings are your curses” there is no such thing as a character flaw, just a strength that has been stretched too far.

That70srpc on tumblr wrote:

I find that, when writing bios, it’s really helpful to look at a list or a chart like the one above. Picking two or three traits from each chart and building a character based around them will give you a really interesting bio, because they will serve as a reminder that characters need depth and dimension.

Independent and clever.
VS.
Independent, clever, pretentious, and stubborn.

The first combination doesn’t come with any flaws, whereas the second will provide a more dynamic character.

krisnoel-lionhead on tumblr wrote:

n order to create a relatable character, you must think about them as having several layers. Knowing and choosing character traits is important because you don’t want them to be one dimensional. It’s all not as simple as saying “this person is mean” or “this person is kind”.  Think about the people you know in real life. They all have some sort of defining trait that makes them different from everyone else. You usually know more than just one thing about them and they most likely have many interests. Your characters must be just as diverse.

I’ve listed some examples of character types:

Adventurer:  high levels of energy, bold, dominant, competitive, fickle, leader. Can be aggressive or have poor judgment.

Bossy:  confident, competitive, stubborn, close minded, serious, lacks shame or guilt, wants a high status.

Creator:  artistic, observant, persistent, sensitive, introverted, becomes easily absorbed, enthusiastic, likes his or her own company.

Extrovert: outgoing, talkative, not easily intimidated, expressive, enjoys being with others, seeks social situations.

Fearful:  driven by fears of rejection, unhappy, withdrawn, avoids stress, uncomfortable in social situations, problems being assertive.

Loner: might be directionless, little attachment to anyone, likes to be alone and avoids social situations, rarely expresses anger.

Passive-Aggressive: reserved, sulky or resentful, jealous, always assumes the worst, doesn’t know how to express their feelings, behaves in indirect ways.

Resilient: happy, productive, is able to overcome adversity, has a good sense of humor, high standards, able to go through life with minimal stress.

Victim: feels weak, pessimistic about life, acts like a burden, no deep emotions, feels helpless when left alone.

I also wanted to discuss some psychological disorders in case you’d like to include them in your manuscripts:

Anxiety:  tense, shy, depressed, feels worthless, afraid of social situations, lacks confidence, worried, cries frequently.

Autism: can show delay or lack of language in severe cases, might be bossy, dislikes social rules, fights, blows up easily, can lack self-control, uninterested in others.

Depression:  feelings of rejection, low self-esteem, negative self-image, intense sadness, can feel worthless.

Hypochondriac:  pessimistic, self-centered, complains about aches that can’t be explained by a medical condition, worries, low energy.

If you’re thinking of a specific disorder, you should do the proper research and remember that a disorder can affect everyone differently. Not everyone will have the same traits.

Here are some lists for finding the right vocabulary and coming up with diverse character traits by combining them:

List of POSITIVE character traits: adaptable, alert, ambitious, aware, brave, calm, capable, certain, committed, compassionate, considerate, consistent, curious, dedicated, determined, efficient, expressive, faithful, happy, honest, independent, intelligent, loyal, nurturing, patient, playful, polite, productive, punctual, responsible, strong, trusting, warm, wise.

List of NEGATIVE character traits: angry, aggressive, arrogant, bossy, cruel, careless, cold, conceited, conniving, dishonest, dangerous, egocentric, evil, foolish, flaky, gloomy, grumpy, hateful, harsh, inconsiderate, immature, indulgent, ignorant, insensitive, jealous, lazy, malicious, miserly, mean, mistrusting, pessimistic, pompous, rude, scornful, thoughtless, timid.

Remember that most people have both good and bad traits, so combining them should help you form a well-rounded character.

-Kris Noel

123 Character Flaws wrote:

Character Flaws
From Dark World RPG via The Character Therapist

1. Absent-minded – Preoccupied to the extent of being unaware of one’s immediate surroundings. Abstracted, daydreaming, inattentive, oblivious, forgetful.
   
   
2. Abusive – Characterized by improper infliction of physical or psychological maltreatment towards another.
   
   
3. Addict – One who is addicted to a compulsive activity. Examples: gambling, drugs, sex.
   
   
4. Aimless – Devoid of direction or purpose.
   
   
5. Alcoholic – A person who drinks alcoholic substances habitually and to excess.
   
   
6. Anxious – Full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous.
   
   
7. Arrogant – Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance. Inclined to social exclusiveness and who rebuff the advances of people considered inferior. Snobbish.
   
   
8. Audacious – Recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like; insolent; braze, disobedient.
   
   
9. Bad Habit – A revolting personal habit. Examples: picks nose, spits tobacco, drools, bad body odour.
   
   
10. Bigmouth – A loud-mouthed or gossipy person.
    
    
11. Bigot – One who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.
    
    
12. Blunt – Characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion. Frank, callous, insensitive, brusque.
    
    
13. Bold – In a bad sense, too forward; taking undue liberties; over assuming or confident; lacking proper modesty or restraint; rude; impudent. Abrupt, brazen, cheeky, brassy, audacious.
    
    
14. Callous – They are hardened to emotions, rarely showing any form of it in expression. Unfeeling. Cold.
    
    
15. Childish – Marked by or indicating a lack of maturity; puerile.
    
    
16. Complex – An exaggerated or obsessive concern or fear. (List specific complex.)
    
    
17. Cruel – Mean to anyone or anything, without care or regard to consequences and feelings.
    
    
18. Cursed – A person who has befallen a prayer for evil or misfortune, placed under a spell, or borne into an evil circumstance, and suffers for it. Damned.
    
    
19. Dependent – Unable to exist, sustain oneself, or act appropriately or normally without the assistance or direction of another.
    
    
20. Deranged – Mentally decayed. Insane. Crazy. Mad. Psychotic.
    
    
21. Dishonest – Given to or using fraud, cheating; deceitful, deceptive, crooked, underhanded.
    
    
22. Disloyal – Lacking loyalty. Unfaithful, perfidious, traitorous, treasonable
    
    
23. Disorder – An ailment that affects the function of mind or body. (List the disorders name if they have one.) See the Mental Disorder List.
    
    
24. Disturbed – Showing some or a few signs or symptoms of mental or emotional illness. Confused, disordered, neurotic, troubled.
    
    
25. Dubious – Fraught with uncertainty or doubt. Undecided, doubtful, unsure.
    
    
26. Dyslexic – Affected by dyslexia, a learning disorder marked by impairment of the ability to recognize and comprehend written words.
    
    
27. Egotistical – Characteristic of those having an inflated idea of their own importance. Boastful, pompous.
    
    
28. Envious – Showing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another’s advantages; covetous, jealous.
    
    
29. Erratic – Deviating from the customary course in conduct or opinion; eccentric: erratic behaviour. Eccentric, bizarre, outlandish, strange.
    
    
30. Fanatical – Fanatic outlook or behaviour especially as exhibited by excessive enthusiasm, unreasoning zeal, or wild and extravagant notions on some subject.
    
    
31. Fickle – Erratic, changeable, unstable – especially with regard to affections or attachments; capricious.
    
    
32. Fierce – Marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid.
    
    
33. Finicky – Excessively particular or fastidious; difficult to please; fussy. Too much concerned with detail. Meticulous, fastidious, choosy, critical, picky, prissy, pernickety.
    
    
34. Fixated – In psychoanalytic theory, a strong attachment to a person or thing, especially such an attachment formed in childhood or infancy and manifested in immature or neurotic behaviour that persists throughout life. Fetish, quirk, obsession, infatuation.
    
    
35. Flirt -To make playfully romantic or sexual overtures; behaviour intended to arouse sexual interest. Minx. Tease.
    
    
36. Gluttonous – Given to excess in consumption of especially food or drink. Voracious, ravenous, wolfish, piggish, insatiable.
    
    
37. Gruff – Brusque or stern in manner or appearance. Crusty, rough, surly.
    
    
38. Gullible – Will believe any information given, regardless of how valid or truthful it is, easily deceived or duped.
    
    
39. Hard – A person who is difficult to deal with, manage, control, overcome, or understand. Hard emotions, hard hearted.
    
    
40. Hedonistic – Pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses.
    
    
41. Hoity-toity- Given to flights of fancy; capricious; frivolous. Prone to giddy behaviour, flighty.
    
    
42. Humourless – The inability to find humour in things, and most certainly in themselves.
    
    
43. Hypocritical – One who is always contradicting their own beliefs, actions or sayings. A person who professes beliefs and opinions for others that he does not hold. Being a hypocrite.
    
    
44. Idealist – One whose conduct is influenced by ideals that often conflict with practical considerations. One who is unrealistic and impractical, guided more by ideals than by practical considerations.
    
    
45. Idiotic – Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless.
    
    
46. Ignorant – Lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact. Showing or arising from a lack of education or knowledge.
    
    
47. Illiterate – Unable to read and write.
    
    
48. Immature – Emotionally undeveloped; juvenile; childish.
    
    
49. Impatient – Unable to wait patiently or tolerate delay; restless. Unable to endure irritation or opposition; intolerant.
    
    
50. Impious – Lacking piety and reverence for a god/gods and their followers.
    
    
51. Impish – Naughtily or annoyingly playful.
    
    
52. Incompetent – Unable to execute tasks, no matter how the size or difficulty.
    
    
53. Indecisive – Characterized by lack of decision and firmness, especially under pressure.
    
    
54. Indifferent – The trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generally, remaining calm and seeming not to care; a casual lack of concern. Having or showing little or no interest in anything; languid; spiritless.
    
    
55. Infamy – Having an extremely bad reputation, public reproach, or strong condemnation as the result of a shameful, criminal, or outrageous act that affects how others view them.
    
    
56. Intolerant – Unwilling to tolerate difference of opinion and narrow-minded about cherished opinions.
    
    
57. Judgemental – Inclined to make and form judgements, especially moral or personal ones, based on one’s own opinions or impressions towards others/practices/groups/religions based on appearance, reputation, occupation, etc.
    
    
58. Klutz – Clumsy. Blunderer.
    
    
59. Lazy – Resistant to work or exertion; disposed to idleness.
    
    
60. Lewd – Inclined to, characterized by, or inciting to lust or lechery; lascivious. Obscene or indecent, as language or songs; salacious.
    
    
61. Liar – Compulsively and purposefully tells false truths more often than not. A person who has lied or who lies repeatedly.
    
    
62. Lustful – Driven by lust; preoccupied with or exhibiting lustful desires.
    
    
63. Masochist – The deriving of sexual gratification, or the tendency to derive sexual gratification, from being physically or emotionally abused. A willingness or tendency to subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences.
    
    
64. Meddlesome – Intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner, given to meddling; interfering.
    
    
65. Meek – Evidencing little spirit or courage; overly submissive or compliant; humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness.
    
    
66. Megalomaniac – A psycho pathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence.
    
    
67. Naïve – Lacking worldly experience and understanding, simple and guileless; showing or characterized by a lack of sophistication and critical judgement.
    
    
68. Nervous – Easily agitated or distressed; high-strung or jumpy.
    
    
69. Non-violent – Abstaining from the use of violence.
    
    
70. Nosey – Given to prying into the affairs of others; snoopy. Offensively curious or inquisitive.
    
    
71. Obsessive – An unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone.
    
    
72. Oppressor – A person of authority who subjects others to undue pressures, to keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority.
    
    
73. Overambitious – Having a strong excessive desire for success or achievement.
    
    
74. Overconfident – Excessively confident; presumptuous.
    
    
75. Overemotional – Excessively or abnormally emotional. Sensitive about themselves and others, more so than the average person.
    
    
76. Overprotective – To protect too much; coddle.
    
    
77. Overzealous – Marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea.
    
    
78. Pacifist – Opposition to war or violence as a means of resolving disputes. (Can double as a merit in certain cases)
    
    
79. Paranoid – Exhibiting or characterized by extreme and irrational fear or distrust of others.
    
    
80. Peevish – Expressing fretfulness and discontent, or unjustifiable dissatisfaction. Cantankerous, cross, ill-tempered, testy, captious, discontented, crotchety, cranky, ornery.
    
    
81. Perfectionist – A propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards.
    
    
82. Pessimist – A tendency to stress the negative or unfavourable or to take the gloomiest possible view.
    
    
83. Pest – One that pesters or annoys, with or without realizing it. Nuisance. Annoying. Nag.
    
    
84. Phobic – They have a severe form of fear when it comes to this one thing. Examples: Dark, Spiders, Cats
    
    
85. Practical – Level-headed, efficient, and unspeculative. No-nonsense.
    
    
86. Predictable – Easily seen through and assessable, where almost anyone can predict reactions and actions of said person by having met or known them even for a short time.
    
    
87. Proud – Filled with or showing excessive self-esteem and will often shirk help from others for the sake of pride.
    
    
88. Rebellious – Defying or resisting some established authority, government, or tradition; insubordinate; inclined to rebel.
    
    
89. Reckless – Heedless. Headstrong. Foolhardy. Unthinking boldness, wild carelessness and disregard for consequences.
    
    
90. Remorseless – Without remorse; merciless; pitiless; relentless.
    
    
91. Rigorous – Rigidly accurate; allowing no deviation from a standard; demanding strict attention to rules and procedures.
    
    
92. Sadist – The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. Deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty.
    
    
93. Sadomasochist – Both sadist and masochist combined.
    
    
94. Sarcastic – A subtle form of mockery in which an intended meaning is conveyed obliquely.
    
    
95. Skeptic – One who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions.
    
    
96. Seducer – To lead others astray, as from duty, rectitude, or the like; corrupt. To attempt to lead or draw someone away, as from principles, faith, or allegiance.
    
    
97. Selfish – Concerned chiefly or only with oneself.
    
    
98. Self-Martyr – One who purposely makes a great show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy from others, as a form of manipulation, and always for a selfish cause or reason.
    
    
99. Self-righteous – Piously sure of one’s own righteousness; moralistic. Exhibiting pious self-assurance. Holier-than-thou, sanctimonious.
    
    
100. Senile – Showing a decline or deterioration of physical strength or mental functioning, esp. short-term memory and alertness, as a result of old age or disease.
     
     
101. Shallow – Lacking depth of intellect or knowledge; concerned only with what is obvious.
     
     
102. Smart Ass – Thinks they know it all, and in some ways they may, but they can be greatly annoying and difficult to deal with at times, especially in arguments.
     
     
103. Soft-hearted – Having softness or tenderness of heart that can lead them into trouble; susceptible of pity or other kindly affection. They cannot resist helping someone they see in trouble, suffering or in need, and often don’t think of the repercussions or situation before doing so.
     
     
104. Solemn – Deeply earnest, serious, and sober.
     
     
105. Spineless – Lacking courage. Cowardly, wimp, lily-livered, gutless.
     
     
106. Spiteful – Showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite; vindictive person who will look for occasions for resentment. Vengeful.
     
     
107. Spoiled – Treated with excessive indulgence and pampering from earliest childhood, and has no notion of hard work, self-care or money management; coddled, pampered. Having the character or disposition harmed by pampering or over-solicitous attention.
     
     
108. Squeamish – Excessively fastidious and easily disgusted.
     
     
109. Stubborn – Unreasonably, often perversely unyielding; bull-headed. Firmly resolved or determined; resolute.
     
     
110. Superstitious – An irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear from an irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.
     
     
111. Tactless – Lacking or showing a lack of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with others.
     
     
112. Temperamental – Moody, irritable, or sensitive. Excitable, volatile, emotional.
     
     
113. Theatrical – Having a flair for over dramatizing situations, doing things in a ‘big way’ and love to be ‘centre stage’.
     
     
114. Timid -Tends to be shy and/or quiet, shrinking away from offering opinions or from strangers and newcomers, fearing confrontations and violence.
     
     
115. Tongue-tied – Speechless or confused in expression, as from shyness, embarrassment, or astonishment.
     
     
116. Troublemaker – Someone who deliberately stirs up trouble, intentionally or unintentionally.
     
     
117. Unlucky – Marked by or causing misfortune; ill-fated. Destined for misfortune; doomed.
     
     
118. Unpredictable – Difficult to foretell or foresee, their actions are so chaotic it’s impossible to know what they are going to do next.
     
     
119. Untrustworthy – Not worthy of trust or belief. Backstabber.
     
     
120. Vain – Holding or characterized by an unduly high opinion of their physical appearance. Lovers of themselves. Conceited, egotistic, narcissistic.
     
     
121. Weak-willed – Lacking willpower, strength of will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes, or plans. Easily swayed.
     
     
122. Withdrawn – Not friendly or Sociable. Aloof.
     
     
123. Zealous – A fanatic.
     
     

Example Personality Creation Process:

\"Writing_References_Yah on tumblr (now deactivated) wrote:

I think the best piece of character design advice I ever received was actually from a band leadership camp I attended in june of 2017. 

the speaker there gave lots of advice for leaders—obviously, it was a leadership camp—but his saying about personality flaws struck me as useful for writers too. 

he said to us all “your curses are your blessings and your blessings are your curses” and went on to explain how because he was such a great speaker, it made him a terrible listener. he could give speeches for hours on end and inspire thousands of people, but as soon as someone wanted to talk to him one on one or vent to him, he struggled with it. 

he had us write down our greatest weakness and relate it to our biggest strength (mine being that I am far too emotional, but I’m gentle with others because I can understand their emotions), and the whole time people are sharing theirs, my mind was running wild with all my characters and their flaws.

previously, I had added flaws as an after thought, as in “this character seems too perfect. how can I make them not-like-that?” but that’s not how people or personalities work. for every human alive, their flaws and their strengths are directly related to each other. you can’t have one without the other.

is your character strong-willed? that can easily turn into stubbornness. is your character compassionate? maybe they give too many chances. are they loyal? then they’ll destroy the world for the people they love.

it works the other way around too: maybe your villain only hates the protagonist’s people because they love their own and just have a twisted sense of how to protect them. maybe your antagonist is arrogant, but they’ll be confident in everything they do.

tl;dr “your curses are your blessings, and your blessings are your curses” there is no such thing as a character flaw, just a strength that has been stretched too far.