Creating Characters (27 page)

May also be called: astrologist, diviner, forecaster, fortune-teller, oracle, palmist, predictor, prophesier, prophet, psychic, seer, soothsayer.

Adjectives: divinatory, farsighted, foreknowing, foreseeing, intuitive, messenger, precognizant, predictive, presageful, prognostic, prophetic, second-sighted.

Always engaged in the practice of selling himself to others. But since almost everyone becomes a promoter at one time or another—for example, a job interview is a promotion and so is a simple argument between two people who try to "sell" their conflicting viewpoints to each other—what separates the actual Promoter from those who do their promotions sporadically is that his desire to is the cornerstone of his nature, if not essential to his survival. In the latter instance, his reputation, his livelihood—indeed, his very life—may well hinge on his ability to persuade someone to do or not do something. His powers of persuasion and dissuasion are above average. His ability to encourage, tantalize, and seduce are essential tools in his arsenal. Makes offers, overtures, and requests. Haggles, drives a hard bargain, negotiates, sweetens the pot. Pursues the close of the deal. Forcefully presents his case.

May also be called: booster, hawker, huckster, lawyer, peddler, petitioner, pitchman, preacher, salesman, solicitor, stump speaker, wheeler-dealer.

Adjectives: dissuasive, enticing, persuasive, promotive, provocative, seductive, self-promoting.

Chooses to be protective of someone or something,
e.g.,
the watchful parent, the best friend, etc. Has a need to ensure someone's safety, or from being taken advantage of, or being humiliated in any way. But the guardianship may be directed toward keeping someone's memory alive in the minds of others that is, making sure that they honor what the deceased represented. As a protector of something that is nonhuman—for example, an environmentalist who wants to protect nature's gifts or the person who wants to preserve some government institutions—he may be filled with civic pride.

May also be called: defender, guardian, safekeeper.

Adjectives: sheltering, shielding.

Has an inability to reason effectively. Hallucinates frequently. When he broods or displays elation it is usually excessive. Exhibits two or more distinct personalities. Has delusions of grandeur or persecution. His fears and his passions are always in the extreme,
e.g.,
may consistently worry about his health while also being terrified of medicine. In the grip of a compulsion, such as stealing, telling lies, or having sex. Avoids realities by imagining nothing but pleasantries. Lives in a fantasy world. Has a need to burn things or set off explosives.

Adjectives: demented, deranged, insane, unbalanced.

Often seems to speak with two tongues in that he is inclined to leave his listeners confused about what he means to say on a particular subject. A creator of double meanings. Presents two possible interpretations within the same breath. A riddle-maker. A generator of doubt. A masker of full-blown truths. A creator of the obscure. Mixes his pros and cons in such a way that someone else is unable to determine if he is for or against something. Never seems to come to the point. At all costs, avoids making a declarative statement.

Adjectives: ambiguous, enigmatic, evasive, hair-splitting, indefinite, indistinct, perplexing.

Attracted to mischief, though without intent to harm anyone. Enjoys a harmless prank, something to give everyone a big laugh. In school, he is forever the class cutup. Addicted to practical jokes. Lacks verbal wit, so his teasing is rather trite. Always looking to see what kind of innocuous trouble he can find to amuse himself. May also be called: caution, cutup, imp, knave, mischief-maker, prankster, rogue, scalawag, scamp, tease. Adjectives: mischievous, naughty, playful, rascally.

Riveted to the here and now, to what's practical rather than what's remotely possible. Wedded to the physical world around him. Unimaginative in that he does not produce quaint pictures in his mind nor chase shooting stars of his own creation into the far-flung blackness of thought. Only interested in what he can see, hear, or touch. Judges the merit of things based upon their immediate usefulness to society. Capable of making the dreamer's ideas usable. Not interested in the romance of the thing, but whether or not it will work and if someone can use it. Remembers things as they really were and refuses to attach any more importance or significance than is deserving.

May also be called: pragmatist. Adjectives: down-to-earth, matter-of-fact, practical-minded, unimaginative, unromantic, unsentimental.

Naturally inclined to oppose, to run counter to, to contradict, to resist.

Has the nerve to say "no" to those who expect an unqualified "yes sir." Displays a penchant for protests, confrontation, and mutiny. Warms quickly to the thought of dissent, disagreement, and protest.

May also be called: insurrectionist, insurgent, mutineer.

Adjectives: anarchical, antagonistic, belligerent, contentious, contrary, discordant, disobedient, disregardful, hostile, incompliant, insubordinate, insurrectionary, pugnacious, rebellious, recalcitrant, revolutionary, seditionary, undutiful, unsubmissive.

Wants to transform, reshape, amend, convert, rehabilitate, or overthrow what already exists. Desires to do what is right rather than expedient. Subordinates himself to a principle,
e.g.,
democracy or gun control. Believes that truth is on his side and appeals to the conscience of others. Intolerant of injustice or exceptions to the rule. A world-improver.

May also be called: moral leader, perfectionist, preacher, radical, rebel.

Adjectives: crusading, ethical, high-minded, high-principled, insurrectionary, judgmental, obsessed, revolutionary, self-disciplined, self-righteous.

Has either said something about someone or has done something that has adversely affected that person, and it now weighs heavily on his conscience. Feels a need to somehow compensate for his infraction, to do something to offset the pain of his guilt. Ponders how he might counterbalance his own insensitivity. Agonizes over how he might salve the wounds he caused while not losing face in the process. Has a desire to make amends, to somehow square accounts. Needs to feel atonement, no matter what the personal cost maybe.

Adjectives: apologetic, conscience-stricken, contrite, grieved, guilty, heart-stricken, heavy-hearted, miserable, penitent, plagued, regretful, repentant, rueful, self-accusing, self-condemning, self-reproachful, sorrow-laden, tormented, uncomfortable, wretched.

Principally interested in entertaining himself. His motto: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die. Loves a good game, parties, a night on the town, and clowning around. Relishes going places where he can have some fun, kick up his heels, and raise a little hell. Addicted to music, the louder the better. For him, life is a banquet and he wants his seat at the table. He will dance and sing long into the night, even if he can do neither very well. Lives for the weekends. Has a storehouse of jokes and amusing experiences that he can use to enliven a situation, to jump-start a gathering. Enjoys making love and all the advantages that come with engaging in romance, but doesn't want his good times spoiled with talk about commitment.

Adjectives: amorous, carousing, comical, frolicsome, party-goer, playful, rompish, sportive, waggish.

Has no understanding of the fine arts, though to impress others a dishonest claim of appreciation is certainly possible on his part. Lacking such an appreciation, however, does not preclude his ability to be quite intelligent. At the same time, the perception may well be that he is vulgar and without the sensibilities to associate with those of a more sophisticated nature. A victim of the environment to which he is born rather than the one he has chosen. Sees the highbrow as a phony or a stuffed-shirt. Vocabulary is imbedded with a certain coarseness. His manners are noticeably rough. Gazes in astonishment at things he has never seen before, but which may nevertheless be commonplace. Overall knowledge is at best superficial. Out of his so-called element, he appears hopelessly awkward and ill at ease. A member of the middle or lower class. A haystack on a city street.

May also be called: boor, bumpkin, clodhopper, hayseed, hick, know-nothing, provincial, ruffian, rustic, vulgarian, yokel.

Adjectives: coarse, common, crass, crude, hickish, illiterate, ill-mannered, indecent, loutish, lowbrow, rough, uncivilized, uncouth, uncultured, ungenteel, unkempt, unlearned, unpolished, unrefined.

Establishes a wide array of routines, each of which is performed almost daily, in virtually the same order, and at times that do not vary greatly from the same routines that were performed years before. Dislikes interruptions and surprises. Any deviation from his habits, for whatever reason, will more than likely frustrate him. His daily actions are almost wholly predictable. Seen by others as "set in his ways" or as a "creature of habit." Does not take kindly to suggestions that there is a better way of getting something done. Most of his actions are characterized by a high degree of certainty.

Adjectives: Habitual, methodical, predictable, systematic.

Thinks and acts cautiously. Takes great pains not to do something he will later regret. Looks before he leaps. Doesn't like surprises. Always on his guard. Like a well-armed sentry, ensures that no one will slip past and take advantage of him. Chooses his steps carefully, lest he make a wrong move. Before doing anything of importance, observes the way the wind blows, notices how the land lies, checks his getaway possibilities, and triple-checks the route to be taken. Tries to determine if there is anything hiding behind the rocks or just over the hill. His motto: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Always ready to sound the alarm.

Adjectives: apprehensive, cagey, careful, cautious, chary, circumspect, discreet, judicious, leery, politic, preventive, prudent, pussyfooting, suspicious, unadventurous, unenterprising, wary.

The Immoralist at his worst. Not only wants what someone else has but will use every underhanded method available to get it. Finds death and destruction enormously satisfying, especially when it comes from his own hands. Amuses himself with thoughts on how to bring the most harm with the least effort. Measures his success in terms of how much trouble he can bring to others. Does the exact opposite of everything that the Ten Commandments says one should do and not do. Feels no allegiance toward anyone at any time.

May also be called: blackguard, destroyer, evildoer, reptile, scum of the earth, skunk.

Adjectives: abominable, awful, baneful, base, contemptible, corrupted, deplorable, despicable, detestable, disgraceful, disreputable, evil, ignoble, infamous, inglorious, injurious, mistrusted, poisonous, scandalous, shameful, vile, unregretful, unrepentant.

Romances the past instead of the future. Glorifies a stretch of time, a romantic rendezvous, a place that has become idealized in the mind. Talks about the "good days." Reminisces about someone or a pet that died. Collects mementos that reinforce his romantic memory of someone or something; guilty of trying to keep a memory alive. Thumbs through old photographs, yellowed letters, childhood diaries in a drawer. Suspicious of change and thinks that something good may have been lost because of it.

May also be called: antiquarian. Adjectives: emotional, maudlin, mushy, nostalgic, old fashioned, reminiscent, romantic.

Looks at practically everything with distrust, sometimes even questioning what he sees with his own eyes. Demands proof, then looks at the evidence with suspicion. Verification is his by-word. Difficult to persuade. Sniffs for implausibilities. Finds enjoyment in discrediting the irrefutable. Takes things with a grain of salt. Attracted to contradictions. Raises the question that believers don't want asked. Likes shooting holes through dogma, knocking the bottom out of iron-clad opinions.

May also be called: atheist, doubting Thomas, heretic, infidel. Adjectives: atheistic, disbelieving, dubious, incredulous, irreligious, mistrustful, suspecting, unconvinced, ungullible, world-weary.

Clutter follows him wherever he goes. Lacks a sense of order in all things he does or wears, finding no more annoyance in the heaps and scatterings of mounting odds and ends than he would in an untied shoestring. Burrows through a mess as if he were born to it. No appreciation of symmetry, harmony, or a straight line. A maestro of chaos. Always hunting for something and, when all else fails, accuses others of not bringing something back. Widely accepted procedures (administrative, etc.) make no impression. Efforts to bring some sense of order to his life are only met with wide-eyed incomprehension. His puts things out of sight, out of mind. Forgets that the devil is always in the details.

May also be called: frump, litterbug, slummock.

Adjectives: careless, disarranged, disheveled, disorderly, disorganized, disregardful, frowzy, frumpish, haphazard, messy, negligent, rumpled, slatternly, slipshod, sloppy, slovenly, unconscientious, undisciplined, unkempt, unmethodical, unparticular, unsystematic, untidy.

Claims the ground between extrovert and introvert, in that he does not boldly insert himself into the company of others, yet is quite hospitable when approached. Engages in idle chit-chat. Extends sincere compliments. Pays attention to what others have to say. Has a smile for everyone, as well as a "thank you," a "good morning" and a "see you tomorrow." The soul of courtesy. But nothing much of consequence may fall from his lips, for he does not want to say something offensive or to seem out of step with others. May be heard to say, "Whatever the rest of you want to do is okay with me." A Mona Lisa. If he was a dog, his tail would be wagging for no apparent reason.