Unlock Your Characters' Potential: The Positive Trait Thesaurus - A Writer's Guide to Character Development

Vicky: I love this series and this book is great too!

United States on Nov 19, 2023

Amazon Customer: Excellent resource tool

United Kingdom on Sep 30, 2023

Kaiser: Order this used and wasn't sure how it would came but it came like it was brand new. I really wanted this book to help make my oc.

United States on Sep 29, 2023

Greywolf2001ca: Like all the books in the series, the two ladies brings us another very useful thesaurus on positive traits this time.

Like in the negative traits thesaurus who is as good, there are a few traits that are way too close to each other to have their own page and they should have replaced them with some that are different from the one listed. It is only a few like three or four entries that could have been changed to some other trait... or just removed to make the book smaller and cheaper to produce and buy.

It is not as impactful as the emotional wound thesaurus the ladies have created but it is still very useful for character creation (human characters that is).

Note that, as they mention in their foreword of each of their thesaurus, these books are tools for writers and not books on human psychology. It is based on what we often see in characters in movies, books and other formats. If you want more technical book, I suggest you look at your city's central library for scientific books on human psychology.

Canada on Jun 01, 2023

Julie Scott: The media could not be loaded.  I haven’t actually started to read the book yet. I bought this one together with another two. Only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is because the cover is damaged. There is a tear along the front and it’s obviously been bent.

Canada on Aug 20, 2022

Debra: This is the third book I have bought from seller. I also have the Emotional Thesaurus (second edition) which is a WONDERFUL tool for writers. I also have The Positive Trait thesaurus which is great too. As far as this book, I haven't used it yet, but skimmed through it and I think it will be just as helpful as the other two. I know some people say that some of the books are the same, which is why I read the description and looked inside preview and determined which one would be most helpful to me. Most of all, these books are simple to use and I love the layout which really makes it easy.

United States on Jul 30, 2020

Busy Bee: This book has been a wonderful resource to have on hand! I expected just a list of character traits and some info about each of them, but this book provides so much more. The first section covers all kinds of information you'll find helpful in creating your characters, including how needs and morals influence character strengths, how attributes develop, how to overcome the fatal flaw, how to choose the right attributes for your character, etc. Very useful stuff! Then you get to the traits themselves, and you have dozens to choose from. For each trait, they give you a definition; similar attributes; things that could have caused that trait to develop; behaviors, thoughts, and emotions associated with that trait; positive and negative aspects; examples from literature; traits in your supporting characters that could cause conflict (and we all know how important conflict is!); and scenarios that might be challenging for characters with that particular trait. I've already purchased "The Negative Trait Thesaurus" and find it just as helpful, and I hope to acquire the whole series at some point.

United States on Aug 18, 2016

Chelidona: Disclaimer: I am not a published author, I just write for fun. This book is a very useful little tool. It offers, as others have said, incredibly detailed list of positive traits. There is a definition, a list of similar attributes, possible causes for this trait, associated behaviour, associated thoughts, associated emotions, positive aspects, negative aspects, examples from literature, traits in supporting characters that cause conflict and challenging scenarios. It should be immediately obvious that this makes this reference useful for different stages of the writing process. When you create your characters, you can use this book (and "The negative Trait Thesaurus") to give your characters certain traits and to balance them. It can inspire you when you come up with their back stories. Say you want an adaptable character - you look up the "possible causes" and find a host of possible backstory scenarios as well as associated character traits (such as "strong self-esteem"). Now you have your main character. We all know that conflict is at the heart of every good fiction. And the book reminds you that you will need supporting characters who are meticulous/compulsive/impatient etc....

Germany on Jan 23, 2016

Wendy Jones: This is one in a trio of books which help authors to develop real and intense characters. Despite the title this book is so much more than just a mere thesaurus. It starts by introducing character development and the different traits which give them depth and humanity. This in itself is enough for this to be one of the best around, but it truly excels when it comes to the Thesaurus. There is an index of words which describe positive traits in your character. I have the ebook, so click on this word and it takes you to an in depth discussion in ways in which this can be used in your book. This includes a definition, categories for the word, similar attributes, possible causes for this attribute, associated behaviours that go with the attribute, associated thoughts the character might have, associated emotions, positive aspects, possible negative aspects of the attribute, examples from literature traits in supporting characters that may cause conflict and challenging scenarios for the character with this attribute.

As you can see from the above this is no one word attribute, but an in depth discussion which can assist with the development of lifelike characters. This book. Is...

United Kingdom on Jan 27, 2014

Lynn: Every writer needs both the Positive Trait Thesaurus and the Negative Trait Thesaurus. They go together. Add in the Emotion Thesaurus and the great downloads and extras these talented writers give you on their website (which add up to another fabulous book on their own) and you probably won't need too many other books on the craft of writing. A good dictionary and a Synonym finder and you are all set.

I have bought all three "Thesauruses" and loved them so much I bought all three for my Kindle too so I can have them on the move and when travelling. These Thesauruses are exceptionally well organised and contain huge amounts of information in a concise and practical format.

You could just leap in and pick a handful of traits to apply to your character(s) and they would still be better off than when you started. However, taking the time to read through the "users guide" chapters will add so much to your understanding of how to craft truly memorable characters that it is well worth the time invested to do this. Then use the listings to pick and choose traits and counter-traits and the ways in which they would possibly be exhibited to start building a team of people that...

United States on Jan 17, 2014