  Mystery
This week: Character Traits Edited by: Gaby  
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| Hello and welcome to this issue of the Mystery Newsletter! I'm Gaby and I'm one of the editors. |
Call me crazy, but I just watched four full seasons of The Walking Dead in about five days! While it's considered a horror show, it is shrouded in a lot more mystery than I thought it would be. Of course I won't give away anything, but I highly recommend it, even if you're not a big zombie fan.  The main reason for it is, the characters are amazing. You get to see many sides of a single person and get to know their hopes and fears, their strengths and weaknesses which are not always visible in other shows.
Let's see some of the positive traits which are more likely to keep a character not only likeable but also alive:
 able
determined
efficient
encouraging
brave
mature
cautious
fierce
energetic
clever
lively
positive
rational
useful
honest
decisive
While those traits are fit for a leader, it doesn't mean that it would keep your character alive. Some could get him/her easily killed. It's the balance that keeps them going. It also makes them more noticeable and favorable, unlike the antagonist. However, not a single character is or should be created simple. That means that even a protagonist can have bad traits such as these:
disrespectful
rude
secretive
selfish
angry
arrogant
sneaky
foolish
stubborn
strange
guilty
unfriendly
weak
harsh
dark
Those are just some examples, but as a character goes through different scenarios and experiences things they thought couldn't be possible, they are capable to earn and learn more positive traits. It also makes them more favorable than the plain ol' good character. They grow as a person. That is not to say that the antagonist can't hit rock bottom and pick him/herself back up again, it's just that bad character turning good has much more appeal.
One thing to avoid would be the type of character without any positive or negative traits... Unless you plan on removing that character from the story soon anyway - but do you really want to include a non-consequential character into the story anyway? That means, you should avoid traits such as:
weak
touchy
helpless
sad
hopeless
dull
bored
If the character doesn't stand out in one way or another, it's almost unnecessary to have it. Even a minor role in the story with the proper character traits can affect others on a much bigger scale than you thought it would. Think about it!
Thank you for reading and I'll read you soon!
~ Gaby 
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| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2008921 by Not Available. |
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wien wrote:
Hello Gaby,
I agree with you very much about the need for some other dimension to deepen the mystery thriller. I wonder if you'd be interested in my item above - my PI heroine being given a job in Vienna in 1774. At least it's not about a good guy chasing a bad guy! It did get some stars from a couple of people.
Regards,
Vienna
Hey, Vienna!
Thanks for sharing your story. I've added it to this Mystery Newsletter Issue in hopes you get much more exposure. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but from the sound of it, I think it is quite unique.
Joto-Kai  wrote:
I guess it says something about me as a writer when I say I don't mind the set outcome. I'm not a great lover of suspense, so shows with a fixed outcome never manage to put me off.
I was just thinking. People talk about Liking House, M.D. because of the varied outcome- you don't know if the patient survives. But the protagonist's result? Infinitely fixed: in the end, he's always satisfied, because he's got his answer and life still hates him (although sometimes, rarely, it does something nice to taunt him.)
I can't say I disagree with you, but I still prefer to be surprised when reading a book. As for House, I've tried watching the show a few times and for whatever reason his arrogance makes me dislike the show. I've heard the same so it must be decent but I couldn't get into it at all.
Quick-Quill  wrote:
You pushed me trigger! I am running a marathon of Criminal Minds. I'm on season 4. What I love about this show is the new twist in the criminal mind. I'm sure these are all based on true events and some just trigger my imagination to expound even farther.
 Criminal Minds is a really good show in my opinion. I've watched it over and over again so many times that I think I've worn myself out with them and became bored. I do it with every show I like. Glad to see I got you hooked on it. 
Lynda Miller  wrote:
I am in agreement with you on mystery. Most books do have the same premise. It is the mystery in a book where you can't figure it out and have to read every chapter. Going to the back pages and reading them does not help you at all. Those are the kind of books I too like. Thanks for writing about this.
Lynda~Wishbone Laughing Tree
Thanks for commenting, Lynda! Life itself can be predictable, I prefer my books to contain more mystery than just average.
SpookyBee  wrote:
Gaby, Sepulchre sounds interesting. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!
I'll try and do a product review on in once I get a chance, but I must tell you, even though intriguing, and certain parts were really good, I was a bit disappointed by its ending. I think it was more the fact that I couldn't read more about the characters in the present rather than the writing itself. Out of five, I'd give it a decent four and would recommend it, if you like mystery which involves more than a simple murder.
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  wrote:
Sometimes the way a story/movie is just the beginning. For instance, in the Piranha remake, The Heroes destroy the pack of large, prehistoric fish, only for the Fish Scientist to call them, and say, "Those were just babies!" This leads one of the Heroes to say, "If those were the kids, then where's Mom-ma?" Needless to say, mother's even bigger.
Yes, I can see that.
emi5794 wrote:
What is the creepiest thing you can think of?
I am not sure I could think of the creepiest thing, because I'm a wimp when it comes to that. 
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Mystery: October 15, 2014 Issue [#6601]
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