There are certain character traits which I love to see appear in books and short stories.
- The attitude that hypocrisy is something for others, not the character themselves (huge fun to write about. The character's own hypocrisy shines through and this trait lends itself well to tragedy or comedy).
- Stubbornness. Again a character's stubbornness can drive a story. It can lead to heroics or recklessness, again leading to action stories.
- A character with a good sense of humour. Their quick wit can provide light relief in a serious story and drive a humorous one. There has to be a good reason for their humour and the story should show it off.
- Courage. Can tie in with 2 above funnily enough. Courage can take many forms as can the characters and stories in which this trait appears. Courage is what makes someone stand up to someone else. There are so many tales that can come from this one trait alone. Someone's courage could annoy someone else and can lead to interesting situations (for example a wife wishes her husband didn't keep doing acts of derring do partly for his own safety and partly she doesn't want him rescuing some pretty young thing he might prefer to her).
- Resentment. Can lead a character on the path to villainy and give them cause to be villains. Villains who you can see why they are that way are so much more interesting and give a story depth.
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