Creating Unique Personalities for Your Characters Part 2: Interests, Traits, Flaws, and Motives

In part 1 we covered the why of your characters’ personalities, now it’s time to cover the what. 

When determining and defining what your character’s personality will be, it may be helpful to already know some things about them to build off of, such as:

• Their origins, environment, and predispositions/temperament (covered in part 1)
• Their role in the story, and what traits and personality would best fit that role (the comic relief, side kick, hero, villain, inspiration, guide,..)
• The character arc or emotional growth journey you want your character to have and how you want them to evolve throughout the course of the story (which traits, internal conflicts, motives, and flaws undergo change from beginning to end)

LIKES AND DISLIKES

This is one of the easier aspects of determining your character’s personality: deciding what their interests and disinterests/deterrents are. 

Instead of simply jotting down some ideas — although this isn’t a bad thing to do in the early stages of brainstorming — consider why these things are important to your character, or how they came to be important:

• A character loves farming because they look up to their father, a farmer. 
• A character hates farming because their father, a farmer, pushed farming onto them and treated them more like a farmhand and less like a son/daughter. 
• A character loves art because they are emotional, eccentric, and value creativity and beauty. 
• A character hates art because they see it as a waste of time and it does not contribute to society.

In these two contrasting examples, one character’s like for farming is dependent on their family origins, and the other character’s like for art is dependent on the rest of their personality and their values. 

Some ideas for fantasy character likes and dislikes include:

• Tournaments, participating in them (they consider them honorable and want to make their family proud), watching them (they love good entertainment), or disliking them (they consider them overrated and as gruesome displays of false importance)

Their reasoning for participating, watching, or disliking tournaments can relate to their view of the upper class.

• Horseback riding, either liking it (they feel free and enjoy the solitude, and/or are in awe of nature), or hating it (they would rather ride in a carriage than burn the insides of their thighs sitting on a horse while the cold wind whips against their face, making their eardrums hurt)

In this scenario, their reasoning for liking or disliking horseback riding can pertain to how important comfortability is to them and how they were raised.

• Royal balls, either loving to attend them (they love socializing, elegance, dressing up, and the romantic air of it all), or they avoid them at all costs (they believe dressing up is uncomfortable and would rather stab themselves with a dagger than participate in small talk with a bunch of pompous people who eat five course meals while there’s people starving in the city outside)

This scenario can relate to a character’s perspective of royalty, their social preferences (if they are more introverted or extroverted), and on the value they place on beauty, romance, and indulgence.

As you can see, the likes and dislikes of a character ties in with their overall personality.

Furthermore, a person’s interests often correlate with their skillset, as humans tend to become rather good at what they put effort into, and we put effort into what we enjoy and have a proclivity for. 
Choosing your character’s likes and dislikes can either help shape their inclinations or be based off of the talents and abilities you already have in mind for them to have. 

For example, someone who enjoys math will likely be good at it, and someone who is good at math will probably like math. 
On the contrary, someone who hates singing is probably bad at it, and someone who is horrible at singing will probably hate and avoid it. 

There will, however, always be outliers to this rule: 
Those who are fascinated by mathematics despite being horrific at it, and people who can’t stop singing despite not being able to hit most — or any — of the notes. 
Such people might value intelligence, have a keen sense of curiosity, or simply not care what others think and care more about their own fun (more power to them).

For the most part, if a character is passionate about art, sword fighting, mining, magical arts, history, politics, sewing, animals, or cooking, it is likely that they are also good at these things and want to pursue them.

TRAITS

These are the characteristics your character possesses, and was also covered under “Predispositions” in part 1. Each character should have a mix of both positive and negative traits. They can have some self-contradictory qualities— as most humans exhibit this — but most of them should be in alignment and make sense. Ideally, your protagonist will have a more positive-leaning balance of traits, and your antagonist will have a more negative-leaning balance. It is important to include both in each, however, as your hero will need to grow and overcome obstacles, and your villain’s motives should be understood by the reader.

• Examples of “positive” traits/strengths: Intelligent, Caring, Respectful, Ambitious, Curious, Funny, Determined, Brave, Imaginative, Confident, Inventive, Humble, Adventurous, Dreamy, Optimistic, Motivated, Encouraging, Honest, Pure of Heart, Kind, Gentle, Loyal
• Examples of “neutral” traits: Introverted, Extroverted, Shy, Independent, Serious
• Examples of “negative” traits that could be considered major character flaws: Arrogant, Cruel, Selfish, Narcissistic, Conceited, Manipulative, Unkind, Egotistical, Masochistic, Vengeful, Prejudiced, Greedy, Obsessive, Addictive, Power-Hungry, Reckless/Impulsive
• Examples of “negative” traits that could be considered minor character flaws: Gullible, Pessimistic, Untidy, Lazy, Paranoid, Perfectionistic, Socially Awkward, Naïve, Dense, Sarcastic, Careless, Disobedient, Idealistic, Rude, Demanding, Entitled, Dependent, Insecure, Jealous, Stubborn

The above list is inconclusive: Many traditionally-viewed positive, negative, and neutral traits can manifest as either good or bad depending on the extent of it (an excess of anything can be hindering and problematic) and how it is applied, creating countless variables:

• Both a villain and a hero can be intelligent (a traditionally positive trait), yet use this ability opposingly (the villain uses intelligence to destroy the world/selfishly, and the hero uses their gift to save the world selflessly). In this example, we can see clearly how both motive and one’s overarching character define whether a skillful trait is used for good or evil.
• Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling was highly manipulative (a traditionally negative trait), yet still is viewed as a hero of sorts. He used his manipulative abilities for his idea of the “greater good,” which was in alignment with the hero’s journey. Voldemort was also manipulative, yet he’s seen as a villain, and his manipulation was more antagonistic and selfish. 
• More traditionally neutral traits, such as being introverted and shy, do not affect the morality of character, but can be problematic in excess. If a character wants to go on an adventure or save their friends, but struggles to leave their house or socialize, then this neutral trait of introversion is a hurdle for them: it conflicts with their goals, mission, or desires.

*To increase character likability despite their negative traits, you can give your character a good reason why they behave like that (which the reader can then empathize with), and/or allow them to grow from it. 

FLAWS

To build off of the previous category, character flaws often correlate with their negative traits (or negatively applied positive/neutral traits).
Dynamic protagonists often need to overcome their flaws and internal conflicts in order to succeed, whereas antagonists ultimately lose because they cannot overcome their flaws, making growth an important distinction between protagonists and antagonists.

There are three main types of flaws a character can have:

• Major character flaw: This is a flaw that poses a huge risk to your character and nearly stops them from succeeding, or they cannot succeed until they overcome this flaw. These flaws are usually borne from trauma or immense struggle, and can be a defense mechanism to protect them from experiencing the same thing again. 
• Minor character flaw: This is a lesser, often innate flaw that does not create a huge hurdle for a character and it may never be overcome or even need to be overcome. These flaws are necessary even after transformation, as perfection is an unattainable goal (unless it fits into your plot/theme), and they can even be used to make your character more likable and relatable.
• Fatal character flaw: This unsolved major flaw will ultimately lead to a character’s death or defeat, often the antagonists. For whatever reason, they cannot or will not overcome this weakness.

*Assuming you want your protagonist to succeed and your protagonist to fail, it can be helpful to flesh out their major and fatal flaws early on so it doesn’t seem like you are tacking on an excuse for them to grow or be defeated later on.

For some examples of flaws, we can look at Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling: 

Regarding the main protagonist, Harry needed to accept help from his friends to defeat Voldemort and could not do it alone, even though he often tried to be completely independent and heroic to a fault. This hyper-independence possibly originated with him needing to be independent to make it through his traumatic first decade of life with the Dursleys. Over time, he learned to lean on his friends more and his major character flaw was overcome, allowing him to defeat Voldemort.

Voldemort’s fatal flaws were not understanding love, causing him to mark Harry as his equal and underestimate Snape’s “love” for Lily, and his fear of death. This fear drove him to do horrendous things to others to avoid such a fate — his large ego allowing him to believe that he was more important than those he harmed — thus making himself many enemies and turning him into The Dark Lord. 
J.K. Rowling even used this fatal flaw to create his name, which she formed from the French words “Vol” (Flight) “De” (Of/From) “Mort” (Death).

Secondary and side characters can also have flaws holding them back from their full potential, too:

Neville Longbottom’s major character flaw was his timidity, which held him back from reaching his full magical potential and ironically put him in harm’s way frequently. Such lack of confidence possibly stemmed from his auror parents being tortured to the point of insanity, thus making him fearful of magic as a whole, not to mention trying to cope with the loss of his parents as he knew them. As Neville grew older and could better process his trauma, he also grew more confident and bold, thus becoming a much stronger and braver wizard (so daring, in fact, that he even stood up to Lord Voldemort himself).

Ron Weasley had insecurities about being less important, talented, and praiseworthy than those close to him. He felt like he was constantly living in the shadows of others, first of his older brothers, and then of his best friend, the famous Harry Potter. We see in the first book that Ron’s deepest desire is recognition, in the fourth book his jealousy for Harry’s fame puts a wedge in their friendship, and in the final book Ron believes that Hermione will choose Harry over him. When Ron defeated the horcrux in The Deathly Hallows he symbolically overcame this life-long insecurity — or at least gave it less power over him — which led to him finally getting “the girl.”

An example of a minor character flaw that goes unchanged is Luna Lovegood’s detachment from reality. Although this makes her more susceptible to being misled and the punch line of people’s ridicule, this trait also gives her a lot of personality and quirkiness and is one of the reasons why she is so loveable, making it unnecessary for her to “grow” from it.

MOTIVES

What drives your character forward?

If a character cares about no one or nothing, it makes no sense for them to put effort into saving the world, to go on a journey, to help someone, or strive to achieve something. For this reason, it is crucial for your characters to have motives that drive them and the plot forward. These motives should create enough incentive to keep a character going in the face of danger, opposition, and conflict, and to justify their decisions and actions.

Here are some of the most common and powerful motives a person can have:

• Love and Lust: People in love are often willing to die for that love, making it one of the most potent humans “emotions.” Love and lust are so influential that they could push someone to face their deepest fears or act contrary to their morals.

Example: Severus Snape from Harry Potter by J.K Rowling swore loyalty to Dumbledore — his master’s opposition — in exchange to protect Lily Evans, who he “loved.”
Example: Lily Evans sacrificed herself to save her son Harry.

• Revenge: A common motive for antagonists; revenge creates a strong incentive, especially when it stems from something even more powerful, such as the loss of a loved one. This motive is a tempting one that protagonists may even feel drawn to themselves, but ultimately not act on.

Example: Harry Potter wanted — for a moment — to kill Bellatrix Lestrange, after she killed the only family he had left in the world: Sirius Black.

• Regret: Someone may want to right their wrongs and resolve a mistake they made in the past, perhaps to clear their heavily-weighing conscience.
• Duty and Honor: We all have duties in life, which some hold in higher regard than others by seeing them as most honorable to fulfill. These duties may be religious in nature, or related to work, morality, or family. 

Example: In Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, The High Sparrow was heavily driven by his religious beliefs and sense of duty within that religious system, which — to him — gave his life purpose.
Example: Ned Stark believed it was his duty to report incest to his friend the king, and ultimately died for it. He could have ignored it and walked away freely, but was a man of honor (which many called stupidity).

• Fear: Humans tend to avoid what they fear at all costs, making this a powerful motivator. If they fear being homeless, they will work a job they hate. If they fear losing a battle and dying, they will surrender. If they fear being captured, they will run and hide. If they fear losing someone they love, they will do anything in their power to protect them. Occasionally, we have no choice but to face a lesser fear to avoid a larger fear.
• Hope: Hope can give someone the strength to hold on in the face of ruin, or fight for a dying cause because they believe good will ultimately win in the end. One may have faith in a cause based on their morals or experiences, or in a person based on their emotions. It is usually a motive or feeling ascribed to the “good” side of a war, or a protagonist. 

Example: In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Cinna had hope in both the revolution and in Katniss Everdeen as the mockingjay. He also has hope that she would win the games.. which she had a very slim chance of. Ultimately, he died for the revolution, which was worth it to him.
Example: President Snow referred to hope (in The Hunger Games film) as:

“.. The only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous. A spark is fine, as long as it’s contained.”

• Knowledge and Truth: Some seek knowledge for the sole sake of knowing, and others seek it for the purpose of power, manipulation, or to achieve a goal.
• Power: The motive of power often applies to antagonists — who would do anything to achieve it — and reluctantly accepting power is often associated with protagonists. 

Example: Harry Potter destroyed the Elder Wand shortly after he acquired it to end the cycle of violence.
Example: In Game of Thrones, there were multiple characters who were dead-set on sitting on the Iron Throne to rule the Seven Kingdoms themselves, which created a lot of havoc.

• Wealth: The desire/motivation to live a life of luxury and financial freedom (which can easily turn into excessive greed).
• Preservation: Fighting someone, running away from something, and stealing, can all be forms of self-preservation, or done for the preservation of a loved one. Money is often associated with greed and seen as a less righteous motivator, but it can also be the reason someone labors tirelessly: to provide for family or self. Of course, the motive in this case is not the money itself, but on survival.

Example: In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen risked her life to get Peeta Mellark medicine for his wound. She also killed people — something that is not in her nature to do — for her own survival.. and for the sake of her family back home. In the end, self-preservation overpowered her sense of morality.

The possibilities when shaping your character’s unique personality are abundant, as there are endless interests, traits, flaws, and motivations to play around with.

To learn about character creation, see Creating Unique Personalities For Your Characters: Origins, Environment, and Predispositions.

In part 3, we will be discussing creating unique looks and voices for your characters!