Writer's Guide to Character Traits
by Dr. Linda Edelstein
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Book Summary Information
Author: Dr. Linda EdelsteinEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-08-09
ISBN: 1582973903
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Writers Digest Books
Book Reviews of Writer's Guide to Character Traits
Book Review: Excellent Psychology-based reference book for creating characters!
Summary: 5 Stars
I own the 2nd edition (which has better chapter/reference organization and "new informational stats" placed in various areas throughout the book). I know this book has a lot of criticism for being "cliche" and "use this if you want boring, predictable characters" but the author (a professional psychologist who has been in said field for a pretty good amount of time) readily counters such arguments in the first chapter. The introduction is also a "how to use this book" explanation, along with tell us about her experience in the field of psychology and why she wrote this book.
The book does make a point. Take for example (this one I found in the first chapter) a mother who recently lost her son to an accident. While one mother may return to work and seem otherwise normal, another mother may break down completely and finds it interfering with her job and yet another mother may be upset, but she might try to talk it through with her friends and family but at work her grief may not interfere as greatly as the previous one. Yet they all share on thing: grief over the loss of a child.
Its the same with this book: not everyone will have all the traits listed, and not everyone will experience the traits to the same degrees (think of a sliding scale from 1-10 for example). The author specifically states that while this book gives us information she has personally seen, experiences or researched from reputable sources (and generally agreed upon in the field of psychology) this book is not meant to tell us how to write our characters or tell us who they are. This is mearly a handy reference guide, or a crash course of Psych 101, if you will.
In order for characters in movies and books to seem real is that they need to have a basis in reality; they need to seem real and react in a matter that also feels real. Even police units sometimes utilize a criminal psychologist to help catch "the bad guy". The expert psychologist is trained to help the police get into the mind of the criminal, what his habits and fears might be, the type of person his is - detailed information based on the criminals known "facts" or "elements".
This is why I love this book. While writers generally have a good sense of character, sometimes it helps to have a guide that helps one get into the mind of a certain type of person, relationship or criminal act. A writers job is still and has always been on the ability to create real characters a reader can related to. A character that is interesting, keeps us guessing and a person we want to know more about.
This book helps is a great starting point when creating a character. A writer will probably want to research more about a certain topic - for instance, if they have a certain mental or physical disease, additional research helps to paint the complete portrait of what life might be like for that person.
This book is extremely handy and really, really useful. Just remember, it does NOT create a character for you. It just tells you about what might motivate someone, or how people in general tend to react to certain events, be it aging, mental or physical trauma, love and relationships or whatever. FIVE stars. This deserves a place on my bookshelf for sure. Recommended for beginning writers, and those who need just a little push if you have a writer's block during the character creation process.
Summary of Writer's Guide to Character Traits
From Sex to Schizophrenia: Everything You Need to Develop Your Characters!
What makes a person commit a white-collar crime? Who is a likely candidate to join a cult? Why do children have imaginary friends? How does birth order affect whether or not a person gets married? When does mind over matter become a crippling problem?
Writer's Guide to Character Traits, 2nd edition answers all of these questions and many others. With more than 400 easy-to-reference lists of traits blended from a variety of behaviors and influences, you'll gain the knowledge you need to create distinctive characters whose personalities correspond to their thoughts and actions - no matter how normal or psychotic they might be. In this updated and expanded edition, you'll also find:
- Comprehensive instruction on how to use this book
- New statistical information to help you create true-to-life characters
- Corresponding exercises that show you how to put the material to work in your stories
- A quick-reference index to make cross-referencing a snap
- Idea sparkers to get your thoughts out of your head and onto the page
Plus, you'll learn about common - and not so common - psychological, physical, and relationship disorders; delve into the minds of criminals; find out what it takes to be a professional athlete, scientist, and truck driver; discover what life is like for a gang member, suicidal teen, and alcoholic; and more.
In Writer's Guide to Character Traits, 2nd edition, note psychologist and author Dr. Linda Edelstein takes you beyond generic personality types and into the depths of the human psyche where you're sure to find the resources you need to make your characters stand out from the crowd.
Stereotypes exist for a reason; usually, because there's an element of truth to them. With The Writer's Guide to Character Traits, psychologist-professor Linda Edelstein has created a kind of Psych 101 for Writers. Her goal is a "friendly reference" for writers who want "to create believable characters and need accurate information about personality and behavior." Sure, disparage it if you like. But wouldn't you like to know which of your protagonist's offspring is most predisposed to warming up to their new stepfather? What kind of criminal is likely to have a religious mother? The traits of people who commit suicide? Edelstein has included more than 400 lists: of traits associated with child development, psychological disorders, criminal styles, sexual styles, love and marriage, life-changing events, physical problems, career, and so on. "Even when a writer's imagination soars to places more fascinating than reality," says Edelstein, "characters must possess an internal cohesiveness; they must make sense." And let's face it: "People," she adds, "are more consistent than not." (With real-life character anecdotes from Edelstein's own work and a huge character-trait cross-referencing index at book's end.) --Jane Steinberg
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