Heroic Traits And Their Faults

Heroic Traits and Their Faults

Accepting – too accepting; willing to excuse extreme behavior

Adaptable – used to traveling from situation to situation; may not be able to fully adapt/live in a permanent situation

Affable – accidentally befriends the wrong sort of people; pushes to befriend everyone

Affectionate –inappropriate affection

Alert – constantly on edge; paranoid

Altruistic – self-destructive behavior for the sake of their Cause

Apologetic – apologizes too much; is a doormat; guilt-ridden

Aspiring – becomes very ambitious; ruthless in their attempts to reach goals

Assertive – misunderstood as aggressive; actually aggressive; others react negatively when they take command all the time

Athletic – joints weakened from exercise; performance-enhancing drug abuse; competitive

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Writing With Color – Featured Description Posts

Some of our most useful posts on describing People of Color, all in one place.

Words to Describe Hair

Words to Describe Skin Tone

Describing Asian Eyes

Describing Wide Noses

Describing Undead & Sick Dark Skin

Describing POC and Avoiding Caricatures

Describing Unnatural Skin Tones: Green

Describing Unnatural Skin Tones: Jaundice

Indicating Race of Characters (FAQ Questions #3-4)

Not Indicating Race at All – Note: You Probably Should

Praising Beauty Without Fetishizing

Olive Skin, Race and Ethnicity

Specific Description Posts  

Describing Skin as Swarthy (Spoiler alert: it’s sketchy)

Describing East Asian Skin as Porcelain (Spoiler alert: it’s also sketchy)

Describing Skin as Russet (Spoiler alert: it’s alright)

Describing PoC as Exotic (SA: it’s othering)

Describing Skin as Ebony (SA: it’s cliche)

Describing Natural Hair as Cloud-Like (SA: it’s cool)

Describing Black Hair as Unkempt (SA: it’s offensive)

Describing Black Hair as Kinky (SA: it depends)

Describing Skin as “Dark as Night” (SA: it also depends)

Describing Skin as Like Dirt or Soil (SA: See above)

Describing Skin as just “Dark.” (SA: it’s vague)

Describing Black Hair as “Nappy” (SA: it ain’t recommended)

Describing Skin With Food (SA: it’s a no-no)

–WWC

Tips for when you can't write a scene or can't get into it:

Find the song your character listens to all the time and try to find why that song is special and what they think when they hear it.

Imagine/write the scene in the same or a similar place where it unfolds, be it the kitchen or the garden. (And...)

Imagine/write the scene at the same time it occurs. Cover yourself with a blanket to pretend it's night if you have to.

When you're imagining, pretend you're the pov character and write down the special details they *insert all senses*, what they would like to do but can't and the thoughts that come to their mind.

Write dialogue that feels special first and try to find a way to make it shine and be of importance when writing the scene. (Or... )

Write physical language first, subtle or not, and make it special or important.

I've seen studies saying a couple with similar personalities and interests are more likely to be longer lasting. While the old saying says opposites attract, it turns out similarities last better. Thats why the couple in my story are both introverts with similar interests. Of course they have interests that they don't share but those they do they really go intensely for.

There is no question here for me to answer, so I don’t know what you want.

That said, the probability of couples staying together shouldn’t be dictating the setup of your story. Statistics are nice, but in this case they’re irrelevant. You could write a perfect good story about couples who are opposites as well.

I’m not saying that the setup of “introverts with similar interests” is a bad idea, because it isn’t, but if you’re using a statistic to justify a romantic relationship, chances are you aren’t fleshing out the characters well enough, aren’t properly exploring the dynamics of romance, and/or writing a “checklist” relationship.

It’s fine to consider statistics in stories, you just don’t want them to be the main justifier for something like romantic pairings. It tends to lead to flat relationship writing.

Good luck with your romance (and you have an actual question then feel free to revisit the ask box)!

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Thinking of asking a question? Please read the Rules and Considerations to make sure I’m the right resource, and check the Tag List to see if your question has already been asked. Also taking donations via Venmo Username: JustAWritingAid

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