The Difference Between a Trait and a Personality
This was one of those lessons I only learned by doing it wrong first. Early on, I confused traits for personality constantly. I’d write “she’s sarcastic” or “he’s stubborn” and think the character work was done… But it wasn’t. Those are traits, just decorations. They tell you almost nothing about why the character exists the way they do.
Personality is the function underneath the trait. Sarcasm isn’t a personality… Sarcasm as a way of keeping people at a safe distance, because closeness has cost this character something before (such as Claire lost Dave). That’s personality! Stubbornness isn’t a personality… Stubbornness as the only form of control a character has ever been allowed to hold onto: that’s personality (like Amo).
The test I use now: if I can swap the trait for a different one, and the character still functions identically in every scene, then it was never doing real work. A trait should exist because the wound or the want demanded it, not because it sounded interesting on its own!
Why Contradiction Makes Characters Feel Human
Real people are not consistent, and yet a lot of many famous authors’ early character work chases consistency like it’s the goal. But I think that idea is a common misconception that most authors may believe at some point! Contradiction is what makes a character feel like a person, instead of a concept. These are where the true tests lie: when a character is confronted by a situation that directly opposes their personal foundations.
For instance, take the example of a character that can be generous with strangers and cruel to the people closest to them. Or one who is terrified of change, while actively sabotaging every stable thing in their life. These aren’t plot holes: they’re the actual texture of being human (and it makes for an excellent story-driving device, haha!). We contain things that don’t resolve neatly, and the characters who stick with readers are usually the ones who are allowed to as well. The key is that the contradiction has to make emotional sense, even when it doesn’t make logical sense. A reader doesn’t need a character’s contradictions explained outright… They need to sense that if they looked closely enough, the contradiction would trace back to the same wound or want to drive everything else. That’s the difference between a character who feels broken by the writer, and one who feels broken by their own life.
Putting It Together
When I’m building someone now, I try to hold all three pieces loosely at once: what happened to them, what they think will fix it, and where they contradict themselves trying to get there. I don’t always know the answers before I start writing since I’m more of a plantser creative than an organized type of creative, but that can be just as fun! Sometimes the contradictions only reveal themselves a few chapters in, and I go back and thread them earlier once I understand what I’m actually writing toward.
That’s the part nobody tells you starting out: character creation isn’t a worksheet you fill in before the real writing begins. It’s ongoing. The character you meet in chapter one is rarely finished being discovered by the time you reach the end… and even through the dozens of revision drafts that follow, in my case!
If I could go back and tell my earlier self one thing, it would be this: stop decorating characters and start excavating them. The traits will follow on their own once the person underneath is real.
Hey, You! – A Note to the Newbie/Aspiring Writers
And to the newbie or aspiring writer reading this who feels so overwhelmed at just the mere thought of writing a book, from one creative to another: it’s okay to not know where to start. But the important part is starting somewhere! That’s why I’m building an online resource bank in my other blog article (which, ironically enough, does involve a few character creation worksheets— I’m not sponsored, I swear, I just don’t believe in gatekeeping resources that could help even just one person 😅🤣!)
What My Process Taught Me About Trusting Myself
It’s a work in progress that’s still growing, and you can suggest your own additions, links, and lessons in the comments!