The Character House, Pt. 7: Furniture and External Traits

Unique characters can become readers’ all-time favorites. But how can we develop realistic external traits without being generic, obtrusive, or over the top?

The Character House reveals the answers.

Today’s post explores external traits, which are represented by the furniture in the house. Just as furniture helps the house feel like a home, external traits—likes, dislikes, interests, skills, appearance, etc.—add depth to characters by showing who they are apart from their past experiences.

What Are External Traits? Why Are They Important?

External traits come in many different categories: appearance, clothing, hobbies, interests, skills, habits, mannerisms, favorites, likes, dislikes, pets, jobs, allergies, sense of humor, and more.

External traits can reveal the character’s personality and priorities. They also make characters relatable and increase the audience’s emotional investment.

External traits can characterize allies and side characters by showing that even the most minor characters are living lives of their own. These traits can even humanize villains. In Cabin Girl by E. G. Bella (a novel I edited), the pirate captain villain has a humorous habit of using alliterative insults.

Finally, external traits can play key roles in your plot. In Tessa Afshar’s Jewel of the Nile, Chariline enjoys studying architecture. In one scene, she uses her understanding of building design to locate the home of an important side character. 

How to Choose External Traits

1. Consider personality and backstory.

Your characters’ external traits might result from their family, friends, upbringing, and other backstory components. In The Eternity Gate by Katherine Briggs, Seyo loves history and languages because her father used to be the royal historian. 

Work backward from the known to the unknown. If you know your character’s personality, you can choose corresponding external traits. In one of my contemporary projects, the ally’s interest in animation reflects her enthusiasm and creativity. 

2. Draw from real-life references. 

Observe the interests, tendencies, and mannerisms of yourself, people you know, and characters you’ve watched or read. Maybe your friend has a fun laugh, or your favorite movie character wears a distinctive piece of clothing.

3. Look at the character’s bedroom and bag.

Imagine your character’s bedroom, dorm room, office, or other commonly used room. What knickknacks are on the shelf? What does the bedspread look like? Are the decorations fancy or understated? 

You can also imagine looking through the character’s bag and pockets. Do they contain a wallet, a sentimental object, a cell phone, pencils, etc.?

4. Imagine interacting with your character at school or work.

Everyday behavior can reveal personality. For school-age and college-age characters, what would it be like to work with them on a group project? Would they take the lead and make sure the project is perfect, or would they sit back and let others do the work? 

You can ask similar questions for characters who are in the workplace. How does your structural engineer respond to a challenging bridge design? How does your firefighter interact with coworkers?

5. Use specific details.

Readers are more likely to remember characters whose traits are specific, not generic. If your initial idea is that your character likes coffee, what type of coffee does she like? Does she always drink out of a souvenir mug? What if she likes hot chocolate, apple juice, or tea instead?

Of course, you don’t have to give your characters the most outlandish external traits possible. Oftentimes, the combination of traits makes characters unique. Many characters might have traits A, B, or C separately, but a character with traits A, B, and C together can be a memorable addition to your story. 

How to Show External Traits in the Story

1. Mention it casually.

If an ally likes collecting old photos, she doesn’t have to directly say, “I like collecting old photos.” Instead, perhaps the hero enters the ally’s office and notices a wall of black-and-white photos. Keep the trait relevant to the scene; don’t point it out with a neon sign.

2. Incorporate the character’s interests into the narration.

For point-of-view (POV) characters, the narration itself can reflect hobbies, interests, and occupations. For example, a botanist might name the species of trees in a forest, and a poet might use beautiful figures of speech. In Silence by Deborah Lytton, Stella loves singing, so her narration focuses on sounds in the environment.

3. Describe things in action.

Describing things in action can make your descriptions more dynamic. If your character has a pet cat, show the cat lapping up water, pouncing on a mouse, or curling up in a patch of sunlight.

4. Remember the iceberg principle.

You might know your characters inside and out, but only a fraction of these details will appear in the story. Trying to include every single trait in the story can come across as overwhelming. Instead, weave the most relevant details into the natural flow of the narrative. 

Making Characters Come Alive

Just as furniture makes a house feel like a home, external traits make characters come alive by revealing their personalities and hinting to their lives outside the story. To brainstorm external traits, consider your character’s backstory and personality, draw from real-life references, use specific details, and challenge yourself to put twists on common traits.

You can use narration, action, setting, and relationships to naturally incorporate your characters’ external traits into your manuscript. Although not every trait will appear in the story, these details will help you know your characters better and write them more realistically. 

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What external traits do your characters have, and why?

You May Also Like

• The Character House, Pt. 13: 3 Ways to Build a Character House
• The Character House, Pt. 12: The 5 Stages of a Moving Character Arc
• The Character House, Pt. 11: Roof and Personality Traits
• The Character House, Pt. 10: Emotions and Home Utilities
• The Character House, Pt. 9: The Windows of Voice and Vulnerability