Creating Characters (24 page)

May also be called: blowhard, boaster, braggart, dandy, egocentric, exhibitionist, fop, grandstander, know-it-all, peacock, prig, snob, swaggerer, swellhead, show-off.

Adjectives: affected, boastful, bombastic, cocky, conceited, dandified, flashy, grandiose, haughty, high and mighty, high-hatted, high-nosed, high-toned, hoity-toity, inflated, insolent, ostentatious, pompous, pretentious, prideful, puffed up, self-applauding, self-centered, self-congratulatory, self-devoted, self-esteeming, self-inflated, self-praising, self-satisfied, showy, snooty, strutful, stuck-up, swaggering, swell-headed, theatrical, top-lofty, uppish, vain, vainglorious.

Seeks knowledge. Beset with an innate curiosity. Always probing, investigating. Must get to the bottom of something. Pokes about. Tracks things down. Wishes to deepen his understanding through the avenue of books. Pursues discovery through trial and error. Intrigued by other places, customs, cultures. Travels down well-worn paths hewed out by old arguments and looks for detours, dead-ends, and escape routes. Chases the finer points of truth through labyrinths. Has more questions than answers.

May also be called: analyzer, eavesdropper, examiner, inspector, investigator, researcher, scholar, seeker, student, traveler.

Adjectives: cross-examining, exploratory, inquiring, inquisitive, interrogative, intrusive, meddlesome, nosy, officious, probing, prying, questioning, snoopy.

At ease among others and seeks their company. Likes rubbing elbows with the crowd. Quickly adapts to almost any social situation. A creator of superficial friendships, a cultivator of countless acquaintances. Uses words like "buddy" and "honey." A smile merchant whose welcome mat is always out. Finds pleasure in idle conversation and parties; indeed, he is the bee who buzzes from group to group at any festive occasion. If you are new, he is among the first to welcome you. Drops in unexpectedly, just to say "hi" and pass the time of day. Inhospitality perplexes and disturbs him. Likes to embrace and touch others, and to talk about old times. A better talker than he is a listener.

May also be called: backslapper, belle of the ball, gadfly, mixer, socializer.

Adjectives: affable, agreeable, amiable, amicable, approachable, chummy, communicative, companionable, congenial, convivial, cordial, entertaining, fraternizing, friendly, gregarious, harmonious, hospitable, jolly, neighborly, sociable, unreserved, vivacious.

Skilled at using an inherent charm to attract the opposite sex. But on the part of those not taken by that charm and who see it as a sham, the flirt may be accused of casting goo-goo eyes, whispering sweet nothings, or laying siege to someone's affections. Plays cat-and-mouse games that are sexual in nature. Toys with those who become captivated; seduces through tender endearments, soft embraces, or even copulation. Always seems to have a come-hither look. Consistently engaged in the act of courtship, without wanting to be burdened with the obligations that come with it. Likes to conquer the affections of another, but does not want to nurture them. A butterfly that flits from flower to flower. Loves being chased while, at the same time, it seems to the casual onlooker that he is the one doing the chasing. Knows how to snuggle at just the right moment, how to seem helpless and in need of protection, how to turn a head when needed. May also be called: coquette, gold digger, ladies' man, masher, philanderer, skirt chaser, vamp. Adjectives: coquettish, flirtatious.

Unselfishly generous. Will sacrifice at least a portion of what he owns, or will donate his time, to help someone else. Has a need to share with others. Tries to make others take what they do not want, with advice often being one of them. A patient listener. His acts of giving frequently go unnoticed, for they are done without the knowledge of the recipient. Provides someone with what that person needs before the latter even asks for it. Takes great pains to make others comfortable. Can hardly pass a beggar on the street without giving something. At his most generous level, may be heard to say, "What's mine is yours"—and mean it. Can be counted on to chip in, supply, aid, or subsidize. Gives freely and cheerfully. Spares no expense. Willing to forgive for past wrongs suffered.

May also be called: almsgiver, befriender, benefactor, contributor, donor, Good Samaritan, helper, lender, philanthropist, subsidizer.

Adjectives: benevolent, big-hearted, charitable, considerate, forgiving, generous, gracious, kindhearted, liberal, magnanimous, munificent, openhanded, philanthropic, sacrificial, unselfish, well-intentioned, well meaning.

Trademark is ambition. Wants to gain something,
e.g.,
fame, wealth, justice, honor, popularity, respect, a higher social status, etc. Without being greedy, believes he can attain more than he has. Does nothing halfhearted. Has targets in his mind, however vague. If there is a "pecking order," he knows its structure and how to use it to his advantage. Burns the so-called midnight oil. If he takes a fancy to something, he makes plans on how to get it.

May also be called: aspirant, dynamo, eager beaver, hustler, workaholic.

Adjectives: aggressive, ambitious, aspiring, assiduous, desirous, determined, diligent, eager, energetic, enterprising, enthusiastic, high-reaching, industrious, inspired, motivated, purposeful, up-and-coming, upward-looking, yearnful, or wishful.

Yearns for the presence of someone,
e.g.,
a spouse, child, parent, family member, or friend, who has died. Remembers the good times they had together or the special bond that had been built between them. The absence is so painful that he can no longer visit the places where they used to go together. Something always happens every day that makes him think lovingly of that person. Memories bring smiles and tears. Visits the gravesite.

May also be called: lamenter, mourner. Adjectives: funereal, grieving, lamenting, mournful, plaintive, regretful, sad, sorrowful, tearful.

(See
also
the Critic)

A thorn in the side of everyone else. Paint his attitude black, his reasons gray. A stranger to courtesy. A sour face that beckons no smile. A volcano that never erupts but constantly rumbles. A chronic complainer who is never happy with anything. Differs significantly from the Critic in that his faultfinding is usually not comprised of lightning bolts directed at specific targets; instead, he can be heard mumbling to himself like distant thunder. A huffer and puffer who, on the surface, seems to like no one and for no particular reason. Griping about things seems as natural to him as breathing. Crusty on the outside, soft on the inside.

May also be called: bellyacher, crab, grouser, grumbler, sourpuss.

Adjectives: cantankerous, complaining, crabby, cranky, curt, grouchy, gruff, grumbling, grumpy, ill-humored, ill-natured, inhospitable, insufferable, irritating, misanthropic, obnoxious, offensive, scowling, sour-tempered, testy, thin-skinned, touchy, unfriendly, ungracious, unsociable, vexatious.

After deciding that something is true or not true, holds his ground and won't yield an inch. Weathers the storm. Convictions are deeply rooted and not movable. Compromise is out of the question. Remains firmly committed long after everyone else has gone to the other side. Will not listen to any reasoning that introduces the possibility that he may be wrong.

May also be called: bulldog, die-hard, pighead.

Adjectives: bullheaded, determined, entrenched, firm, fixed, headstrong, immovable, indefatigable, indocile, indomitable, inflexible, intractable, obstinate, pigheaded, recalcitrant, resistant, resolute, rigid, stiff, strong-minded, strong-willed, stubborn, tenacious, tough, unbending, unbreakable, unchangeable, uncompromising, unpliable, unrelenting, unsubmissive, unyielding.

Loses his temper easily. May hurl invectives, throw things, or threaten bodily harm—if in fact he does not come to blows with someone. Something that is seemingly inconsequential can set him off, make him go on a tear, send him into an orbit offumes, flares, and beet-red flushes. A walking powder keg. Others are careful what they say around him. Can't take a joke, if it's at his own expense. Patience is virtually nonexistent within him. "Sudden and quick in quarrel" (Shakespeare).

May also be called: fire-eater, holy terror, spitfire.

Adjectives: contentious, excitable, explosive, hot-tempered, impatient, irascible, quarrelsome, quick-tempered, scrappy, short-tempered, rampageous, turbulent, volcanic.

Committed to the chase. Whatever it is that he seeks, leaves no stone unturned in his effort to find it. Keeps at it, despite setbacks. Takes a never-say-die attitude. Hates to admit defeat. Stays after something from the beginning to what may become the bitter end. No obstacle is too high; no clue is too small; no journey is too long. Does not hesitate. His purpose may be so fixed that it may become a detriment to other parts of his life.

Adjectives: assiduous, constant, diligent, dogged, indefatigable, persevering, plodding, resolute, tenacious, tireless, unhesitating, unrelenting, unremitting, unswerving, untiring.

Full of energy and a hard worker, though not necessarily ambitious. Tries hard and makes a special effort to do something right. Always in a hurry, on the move. Goes all out. Darts ahead. Takes the attitude that he must be doing something most of the time. Once committed to something, devotes a great deal of time toward it. Does nothing halfway. Walks fast. He is the one who makes things hum, who keeps the pot boiling, and who doesn't let the grass grow under his feet. Will practically break his neck to get something somewhere and on time. May be heard to say, "Let's get a move on!" or «Shake a leg!" Likely to skip lunch to get a job done. Doesn't know how to relax. Can go longer than most without sleep and will burn the midnight oil. Pitches in without being asked.

May also be called: dynamo, eager beaver, go-getter, hard worker, hustler, man of action, workaholic.

Adjectives: aggressive, assiduous, bustling, diligent, energetic, enterprising, hurried, industrious, peppy, productive, speedy, spirited, vivacious, workaholic.

Consistently depressed about the state of his health and tends to imagine he has every disease he reads or hears about. Manufactures symptoms where none exist. Feels he is not far from death's door. Takes his blood pressure too often, makes too much out of a sneeze, and takes medicine and vitamins as if they were candy. The common cold can nearly kill him, psychologically. His name appears often on the doctor's calendar. Wears his family and friends out with his anxiety. Always on the prowl for remedies. A perfect dupe for the quack.

May also be called: complainer, imaginary invalid, neurotic.

Adjectives: anxious, apprehensive, fretful, tormented.

(See also
the Deceiver)

Engages in deception, for he secretly takes part in the very behavior he openly condemns. Convinces others that his actions are decent, when in fact they are indecent. Quick to accuse, but self-excuses. Embraces pretense. A contradiction. A wolf in sheep's clothing. An angel with badly tarnished wings.

May also be called: charlatan, fake, four-flusher, impostor, phony, quack.

Adjectives: affected, artificial, counterfeit, deceitful, double-dealing, goody-goody, hypocritical, insincere, mealy-mouthed, oily, overnice, over-refined, sanctimonious, smooth-tongued, superficial, two-faced.

Believes the impossible can happen—given the right opportunity and if others are shown what is within their grasp. Convinced that people—if educated, or given options, or appealed to in the right way—will in turn act for the good of the general welfare. Has a higher regard for mankind's mentality than the latter has proven is deserving. Breathless in his passion for the way things could be, rather than the way they are and have always been. Embraces obscure principles as if they were commandments from Heaven itself. The prince of all panaceas.

May also be called: castle-builder, dreamer.

Adjectives: dreamy-eyed, impractical, romantic, starry-eyed, unpractical, unrealistic.

No interest in improving his spiritual nature, but is instead lured toward those things that appeal to his base instincts. Bereft of conscience, he takes delight in corrupting the morals of others. Shows no misgivings for having done something that somehow harms someone, as he has attempted to please himself. Sees nothing wrong with deception if it gets him what he wants. Spurns those actions that lift the soul above the snarls, and then sighs for more. Unable to understand what possible difference it could make to strive for even the lowest level of goodness. Attaches little or no importance to loyalty or reputation. Shocks others by engaging in behavior that is considered scandalous by the majority. Shuns those principles requiring the sacrifice of a deeply embedded carnal desire. His need to be instantly gratified is overpowering. Sometimes he unintentionally allows his desire for self-satisfaction to slip into an act of cruelty. Has an ongoing love affair with injustice, in all its forms. Scoffs at the notion that one should be considerate of others, that having a sense of duty provides one with a passport to respect.

May also be called: black sheep, crook, desperado, hoodlum, lost soul, profligate, reprobate, sinner, skunk.

Adjectives: adulterous, amoral, base, contemptible, corrupt, debauched, decadent, degenerate, despicable, dishonest, disreputable, double-dealing, ignoble, immoral, iniquitous, loose, lost, obscene, perfidious, scandalous, self-indulgent, sinful, treacherous, unchaste, unclean, unconscientious, underhanded, unprincipled, unscrupulous, unvirtuous, vile, wanton, wayward, wicked, wretched.