The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws (Writers Helping Writers Series)

I love this book. It will not only help you come up with flaws for your characters, but it has methods for character building as well. Not to say it is a book on character building, but it does give some techniques that are very helpful for understanding how character traits effect needs, and wants, which in turn will give your character drive. I found that especially helpful. She discusses the five needs and lies that are basic; Physiological, Safety and Security, Love and belonging, Esteem and Recognition and Self-Actualization.She then goes on to list many needs that fall under each category and lists a group of corresponding lies that a character might use as excuses for not fulfilling his needs. i.e. Love and Belonging category: Need- {Finding a Spouse} corresponding lie could be (I don't want any attachments, or no one will be interested in someone as screwed up as me.) there are many given needs and wants and many corresponding lies so you can choose from any of them to suit your story. The key is understanding WHY your character would have those needs and wants, and why would he/she choose to react negatively or positively with that reaction. There is a reverse back story tool that is very helpful for determining your character's needs and lies. It starts with the characters goals and takes you through several emotional steps until you work out the reason the character came to make his decisions. It provides a character pyramid that helps you see the structure of your character's traits as they form layers of his personality. I think every writer should have this book. I think every writer should have all three. The emotional Thesaurus is different from the positive and negative trait thesaurus. The Trait thesauri help you to create complex yet sound characters. The Emotion's Thesaurus focus on how a character feels at a particular moment, and when she is experiencing that emotion what is likely happening physiologically, emotionally, externally, certain speech patterns. It gives associated emotions, so if grief is not exactly what you are looking for you can click on anguish and see if that is a better fit, and read what an anguished person looks and sounds like. If you want to build negative characters, you can get by on just the Negative Trait Thesaurus If you are building a Pollyanna go with the Positive Traits Thesaurus but If you want emotionally rich complete characters I highly recommend you buy all three. I am not a book reviewer or a friend, or reading a copy and I don't review books that often. When I do it is because they are in my opinion outstanding contributions and I want to help other people know what they will be purchasing.

The über-talented authors of The Emotion Thesaurus have published yet another can’t-do-without guide for fiction writers. Well-rounded characters need flaws. Developing these flaws, and helping our characters reach their goals in spite of them, is part of the fun of storytelling. The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, is the ideal resource to help you craft those deliciously flawed characters. Is your protagonist vindictive? Timid? A hopeless worrywart? This handy thesaurus surveys these and over 100 more flaws in detail. This thesaurus and its companion guide, The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes, have been instrumental in helping me rebuild my novel. Through the guidance they provide, I’ve discovered how embarrassingly little I knew about my characters. The Thesaurus authors also maintain an award-winning website, Writers Helping Writers. It’s a goldmine of tools for writers that I’ve bookmarked and refer to often. How are your fictional characters doing? Could they benefit from The Negative Trait Thesaurus?

A highly useful book. While it says thesaurus.this is more like a character guide to using characters that have horrible traits. It lists various traits (in one word) description (so you don't get confused about what they mean by the one word), causes, associated behaviors, common thoughts, emotions, etc. etc. I had already read the emotion thesaurus, and between that and this, I picked up the three other books from this series that had previously only given me a passing interest. Why? Because writing a good story, is often about writing good, character driven plots. The better the characters, the more power they can give to the plot itself. And unless you are some kind of storytelling, character-building grand-master, this book will have something for you. My favorite part of this book is exploring why a character would have the flaws they do, helping flesh them out and make them feel more alive and three-dimensional. I can only hope the other three I've ordered are as useful as this one. If so, I'm going to be one very happy writer. :)

As with the rest of the books in this series, THE NEGATIVE TRAIT THESAURUS is a must-read for all fiction writers. A brief introduction covers how negative traits help develop well-rounded characters. No one has only positive traits, so weaving in negative traits allows us to create lifelike fictional beings that will take shape in believable ways, allowing readers to identify with them. After that, the book again provides a large number of negative traits, including a brief description and possible influences that could be responsible for them within your character. Each entry dives deeper with similar attributes, associated behaviors and thoughts, possible emotional responses, and what traits in supporting characters may cause conflict. Also included are example characters from literature to really drive the point home. If you’re looking to develop in-depth characters who come across as authentic, add this to your arsenal, along with THE POSITIVE TRAIT THESAURUS. Bottom Line If you want to create deep, realistic characters, look no further than the Writer’s Guide series.

Want to create true to life, fleshed-out characters? Start here. These two authors deliver. They show you how characters are the story and how to develop them for maximum effect in your own book. The first part of the book states that everyone is damaged, and the more emotionally traumatic the better. They tell you why negative traits, wounds and flaws are essential for character arcs, how to build them, and how they can be fit to make the journey harder and more meaningful. They also cover that people who are wounded form lies they believe (Ex. I'll never be a good mother.), which stems from one of the five basic needs. (Sorry, too long to list.) The second part lists flaws alphabetically. They cover definition, similar flaws, possible causes, associated behaviors and attitudes, associated thoughts, associated emotions, positive aspects, negative aspects, examples from film, overcoming this trait as a major flaw, and traits in supporting characters that may cause conflict. I read through each flaw and was surprised when my characters became fleshed out in my head. I knew what they were thinking and what caused it. We can all think of various flaws we want our characters to have (selfish, stubborn, reckless, etc.), but it is invaluable to have ALL the flaws listed out, so you can find the one your brain forgot, under that pile bills and junk mail, that adds the critical pulse to your character and brings your story to life. You might even find yourself identifying with flaws and eagerly turning to 'Overcoming this trait as a major Flaw'. It's like a mini therapy session. Acknowledge and correct. All in all, this book is worthy of a spot on your shelf, if just for having a complete list of flaws at your fingertips. I also highly recommend their other two books: The Emotion Thesaurus and The Positive Trait Thesaurus.

Genre: Reference, Writer Help Audience: Writers Length: 206 pgs Rating: **** Review: This book, like The Emotion Thesaurus that I bought a while back from the same authors, is a great help. It has a wonderful introduction that goes into detail on character flaws, why characters need them, and how to craft them in your writing. It has a long list of flaws, and unlike The Emotion Thesaurus, it includes in index in the back that links the similar flaws. (I find myself using a regular thesaurus with The Emotion Thesaurus since it doesn't include this.) It also includes some great worksheets at the end to help plot out characters. This was perfect for me. It works best if used together with The Positive Trait Thesaurus, and personally, I would have gladly paid more to have both works included in one volume. (I bought each for $4.99.) If you need help delving in deeper with your characters and really making them shine, I would suggest both of these. Try this. Like good writer reference books? Read DONE & DONE: The Power of Accountability Partnering for Reaching Your Goals by Annette Lyon and Luisa Perkins

This is such a thorough thesaurus of character traits, attitudes and behaviors. If you struggle even a little bit with character development this book is the holy grail. It profiles a negative trait (like saying being obnoxious, needy or insecure) and list all possible causes for it, associated thoughts that come with the trait, associated emotions, the trait's positive & negative aspects, examples from film, traits in supporting characters that would generate conflict, and most importantly.... what a character needs to do to overcome this trait as a major flaw AKA how to craft your character's arc. Seriously, you can't ask for more than this. Best book purchase in a long time!

Both the Negative Trait and Positive Trait Thesauri are amazing. Probably one of the most useful writing resources I've ever purchased. I bought the Negative Trait one ages ago and then avoided it because it seemed like a lot of work to consider your characters this way. Then I bought the PT one and started working. It is a bit of hard work. But completely worth it. Once you know who your characters are, you can create scenes that are directed by their instincts and behavior and not just write a bunch of random stuff happening to them. How can you challenge a character that you don't understand? These books saved my current WIP, which ground to a halt recently when I ran out of horrible random things to do to my characters. Now that I've read and used these books, I can let my characters screw things up on their own and if I need to come up with external torture for them, I now understand what will thoroughly wreck their day :) I am so impressed with these books. I highly recommend them if you're a writer and you're willing to do the work to make your characters three-dimensional and engaging.

I first bought this as an ebook, having heard very good things about it from a few writers whose opinions I trust. I highlighted and made so many notes it became cumbersome, so I recently bought the paperback version. This information is timeless, which makes it excellent reference material to have at hand, hopefully for many years to come. If you write for a living, or aspire to, or even if you write just for your own entertainment, there is so much to be had from this book. The authors have obviously gone to a lot of effort, not only to include much valuable information, but to offer examples that are very cleverly done and very clearly described. Buy this one. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Un libro que ofrece la oportunidad de tener herramientas para crear y escribir personajes creíbles a partir de sus rasgos negativos es no solo útil, sino imprescindible. Porque hay una lógica de las transformaciones que todo personaje ha de representar para ser creíble y este libro aporta las estructuras de cómo se adquiere una "debilidad o flaqueza" el personaje, qué creencias lo sostienen y qué ha de representar para superarlas...Por esto considero que es una magnífica compra.

This is the second in a trio of books which are, I feel, an essential part of any publishers toolkit. Like the Positive Trait Thesaurus the first few chapters cover the negative traits which will help the writer to develop a realistic character. It discusses how, characters, no matter how good or evil they are, need to display opposite traits which make the seem believable. There is an overview of the types of characters which are so deplorable that no one can identify with them and how these can be changed by the way ins which they are portrayed. Following helpful and useful introductory chapters, the book becomes even more useful when the Thesaurus is used. This is more than your average Thesaurus, providing an in depth exploration of a word and its use in writing fiction. It provides a definition of the word, similar flaws, possible causes, associated behaviours and attitudes, associated thoughts, associated emotions, positive aspects, negative aspects, examples from film, overcoming this trait as a major flaw, and traits in supporting characters that cause conflict. As a tool for writers this book cannot be faulted, and is in fact outstanding. This is a not to be missed book for all writers, whether new or established. Buy it now you will not regret it.

As an author sometimes I struggle to come up with authentic sounding phrases and descriptions of places, people and so on. This set of books - Character Traits (2) and Settings (2) are a fantastic aid. If you want to deepen your readers' experience and give them true and believable characters and amazing worlds and settings you will love these books too.

Très bon livre pour développer les défauts des personnages, avec des bonnes analyses et des pistes pour aller plus loin. Dommage qu'il n'y ait pas d'équivalent (ou alors je ne l'ai pas encore trouvé!)