This is one of the best ways to make your fictional characters stand out, in my opinion. Whenever I read a story that introduces many characters at once, I find myself forgetting who’s whom. One of the best measures to counteract this is giving your character a unique trait. Character traits are not limited to only the protagonist. All characters should have one, whether it be subtle or obvious. This trait can be physical, but it does not have to be. It can also be a habit, a belief, an idea, a way of speech, clothing, a personality and more. It could be something as simple as Kindness. I encourage you all to look at some of your favorite books and decide what kind of traits the characters possess. Below I will compose a list of random traits a character could have. Feel free to use them as you please.
Someone who has an obsession with something they are allergic to.
Someone with a different colored part, such as a tuft of green hair or one red eye and one blue eye.
Someone who is left-handed or ambidextrous.
Someone who thinks they can talk to animals.
Someone who CAN talk to animals.
Someone who always carries a certain object with them, no matter what. (e.g. A sword, sunglasses, a hat, a harmonica, a picture)
Someone with a scar, tattoo or birthmark.
Someone who gets nightmares every night.
Someone with an accent, dialect or slur.
Someone with a knack for XXXXX (e.g. Mechanics, Fighting, Hair Styling, Learning, Dancing, Piloting)
Someone who is extremely sarcastic (This is one of my favorite traits to implement.)
Someone who lives somewhere remote, distant or unknown.
Someone with a smile that could blind you.
Someone who has Multiple Personality Disorder.
Someone who talks constantly.
Someone who can read minds.
Someone with an uncanny intuition.
Someone who is a prodigy in a certain field. (e.g. Music, Math, Mystic Arts, Assassination, anything really.)
Someone who breaks the fourth wall.
Someone who always wonders off spontaneously.
Someone who finishes other peoples sentences incorrectly.
Someone who is unbearably shy.
Someone who can’t go an hour without eating.
Someone who never talks.
Someone that always wears a distinguishable clothing item that essentially makes them stand out. (e.g. A trench coat, A kilt, Pajamas, A top hat, Nothing…(Kidding), Glasses, Socks with Sandals.)
Someone who LOVES candy.
Someone who thinks they’re evil, but is mostly just a minor inconvenience.
Someone who works at a high profile company.
Someone who always looks at the bright side.
and one last special one. If you make a point to over dramatize every character’s trait, a character WITHOUT a trait can be a trait in and of itself. The one normal guy amongst a group of superheros is actually going to be the one standing out!
Post some of your own ideas for traits in the comment section. 🙂
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