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

You know those characters. The ones whose witty catchphrases, distinctive clothing, and lovable habits make them as human as the people you see every day. 

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

For the past several weeks, we’ve been discussing the Character House, a model that compares fictional characters to houses. They have a Backstory Basement, a First Floor of Fears and Goals, Walls of Dialogue and Actions, and a Roof of Personality Traits. Here are all the posts so far: 

• Pt. 1: The Character Development Tool You’ve Been Waiting For
• Pt. 2: The Backstory Basement
• Pt. 3: First Floor Fears
• Pt. 4: First Floor Goals
• Pt. 5: The Walls of Dialogue
• Pt. 6: The Walls of Action

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 struggles and experiences.

Let’s discuss how to choose realistic, relatable, and interesting external traits to make your characters as unforgettable as an antique couch! 

What Are External Traits? Why Are They Important?

Types of external traits

Just as a house contains many different types of furniture, external traits come in numerous categories: 

• Allergies or sensitivities: Is your character sensitive to any foods, animals, insects, plants, etc.?
• Appearance: What are your character’s physical traits—hair and eye color, height, build, distinctive facial features, scars, freckles, etc.?
• Birthday: When is your character’s birthday, and how does he or she celebrate?
• Catchphrases: What phrases does your character often use in conversation?
• Clothing: What are your character’s everyday clothes, fancy clothes, pajamas, work clothes, etc.? 
• Habits and mannerisms: Does your character have any tendencies, such as motioning while talking, fidgeting with a sleeve, forgetting car keys, etc.? 
• Handwriting: Is your character’s handwriting messy, neat, loopy, etc.?
• Hobbies, interests, and skills: Does your character play any instruments or sports? Does he or she collect anything, such as coins or stamps? Does your character like to volunteer, work with animals, learn languages, run marathons, etc.?
• Favorites: What are your character’s favorite foods, books, movies, songs, colors, seasons, etc.?
• Likes and dislikes: What situations, people, places, activities, sights, smells, sounds, textures, and tastes does your character like and dislike?
• Occupation/career/job: What does your character do for a living, and how does he or she feel about it?
• Pets: Does your character have any pets?
• Posture: How does your character stand, sit, and walk? Does he or she slouch, march, bounce, stand stiffly, etc.?
• Sense of humor: What type of humor does your character enjoy? Sarcasm, puns, irony, gentle teasing, inside jokes, dry humor, dad jokes, etc.?
• Tendencies: Is your character messy or organized? Spender or saver? Morning person or night person? Etc.
• Voice: What does your character’s voice sound like? Raspy, bright, gruff, gravelly, etc.? 

External traits can enhance your characters in several ways.

1. External traits reveal personality and priorities.

A person whose bedroom contains many paintings might value art and creativity. Someone who displays family photos may value relationships. A character who volunteers at the animal shelter is probably patient and gentle; a character who enjoys skydiving may value adventure and risk-taking. 

2. External traits make characters relatable.

Relatable traits can increase the audience’s emotional investment in the characters. If characters have habits like humming or snacking on pretzels, many readers will recognize themselves or their friends in these details. In the Riverbend Friends series by multiple authors, Amelia’s habit of misplacing her phone becomes a running joke throughout all eight books.

3. Learning a character’s external traits first mirrors the way we meet real people. 

Generally, we see people’s external traits (interests, habits, etc.) before we learn their internal traits (backstory, fears, etc.). Characters who reveal their secrets immediately aren’t as realistic as those who draw our interest with a few well-placed hobbies and favorites. To use the house analogy, we usually see the first floor before we head into the basement.

4. External traits can characterize allies and minor characters.

When the ally talks about her love of filmmaking or her pet golden retriever, these details show that she doesn’t simply disappear when she’s not “onstage.” Instead, she has a life outside her interactions with the protagonist. 

Likewise, external traits can make minor characters engaging. In Stronger at the Seams by Shannon Stocker, the main character attends several doctor’s appointments. One doctor talks in a funny high-pitched voice, while another wears spectacles and a long beard. These details make the story feel more realistic by implying that even the most minor unnamed doctors are living lives of their own.

5. External traits can make similar characters different from each other.

Just as the same floor plan looks different with different furniture, external traits can distinguish characters with similar backstories. Two sisters who grew up together will be totally different if one is a fashion designer and the other is a pilot.

6. External traits can humanize villains.

Maybe your villain has a pet, a favorite hobby, or a notable appearance. In Cabin Girl by E. G. Bella (a novel I edited), the pirate captain villain has a humorous habit of using alliterative insults. Oftentimes, the scariest villains are the most human ones. 

7. External traits can drive the plot.

Even though external traits aren’t necessary for a good plot, they 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. 

Even traumatic events can produce external traits—a character who survived a house fire might stock up on fire extinguishers. These details can imply backstory without info-dumping. Not all traits need a backstory explanation, but the most important ones should usually have one.

As with all aspects of the Character House, you can 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. Coupled with original creativity, it’s always acceptable to draw inspiration from existing sources. 

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.? The bedroom and bag can reveal clues about the character’s personality, occupation, and values.

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? How does your professor grade students’ papers—leniently or harshly?

These practical questions can help you imagine your characters in their “natural habitat.” 

5. Consider the character’s existing external traits.

If you already know a few external traits, you can brainstorm related traits. For instance, a character who likes painting and poetry might enjoy other creative activities, such as scrapbooking or playing an instrument.

6. Use specific details.

Readers are more likely to remember characters whose traits are specific, not generic. Compare the following descriptions: 

• A vase of flowers sat on her desk.
• A ceramic vase of roses sat on her desk.
• A homemade ceramic vase of blue-dyed roses sat on her desk.

The first description is serviceable, but the second and third descriptions provide progressively more specific images of the flowers—and the character who displays them.

Consider possible twists on common traits. 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? These specific details can make a typical trait more distinctive. 

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. 

Pitfalls to Avoid

When using external traits to develop characters, try to avoid these two problems.

Problem #1: The Furniture Store (all external traits, no backstory)

When characters have external traits but no backstory, they become a Furniture Store. They might be fun and colorful, but they lack depth because their behavior doesn’t have a basis in their experiences.

How do you fix a Furniture Store? If you already know your character’s external traits, you can work backward to the backstory. If your character always carries a pocket watch, you might ask, why does he value this watch? Does it remind him of a loved one? Does it represent his fear of being late and missing opportunities?

Problem #2: The Walk-Out Basement (all backstory, no external traits)

Conversely, a character with a Walk-Out Basement is defined by backstory. These characters can seem unrealistic. When you meet people, you usually learn their habits, tendencies, and hobbies before you learn their most painful memories.

To fix a Walk-Out Basement, give your characters traits that don’t tie into their backstories. Likes, dislikes, and favorites can show that their lives extend beyond their hurtful experiences.

How to Show External Traits in the Story

Once you’ve developed your characters’ unique traits, it’s time to show these details in the story without info-dumping. 

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. Maybe the ally digs in her purse for her phone and roots through several Polaroid snapshots. 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. Use action tags.

An action tag is a beat that comes before or after dialogue, such as this underlined example: She pushed up her glasses. “What do you mean?”

You can use action tags to describe mannerisms and appearances without slowing the story. An artist might doodle during a meeting, and a drummer might tap his fingers on the table as he thinks. A little goes a long way, so don’t feel obligated to include the trait in every action tag.

4. 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.

5. Use the setting.

If you developed external traits by imagining the character’s bedroom or bag (as described in a previous section), these environment details might show up in the setting of your story. 

6. Show the details of character relationships.

Nicknames, inside jokes, shared activities, and other details can show longstanding friendships. Characters might recount memories (“Remember that time…?”) or gently tease each other. These interactions develop the characters individually as well as together. Next week’s post will describe relationships in more depth. 

7. 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 forced and overwhelming. Instead, weave the most relevant details into the natural flow of the narrative. 

If you don’t use every external trait in your story, what’s the purpose of these details? When you know your characters deeply, you can imagine them existing beyond the pages of your book. This in-depth knowledge will help you write your characters more authentically, which strengthens their connection with the readers.

Practical Exercises

1. Imagine walking into your protagonist’s bedroom (or another place where he or she spends a lot of time). Jot down some details about the room—the lighting, the temperature, the decorations, the photos, the furniture—and consider what they tell you about your protagonist’s values and priorities.
2. Imagine sitting beside some of your characters in a classroom or office. What do you notice about their clothing, posture, and demeanor? Are they frantically taking notes, or are they falling asleep? Is their posture slouched or ramrod straight?
3. Choose an external trait, and brainstorm three ways to make it more original, such as by subverting expectations or choosing specific details (as described in the coffee example).
4. If your characters tend to be Furniture Stores (all external traits and no backstory), brainstorm some backstory reasons for your characters’ external traits. If your characters tend to be Walk-Out Basements (all backstory and no external traits), brainstorm some traits that don’t rely on their backstories. To get ideas, refer to the bulleted list at the beginning of this post. 

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.

To avoid the problems of the Furniture Store (too many external traits) and the Walk-Out Basement (too few external traits), make sure to balance internal traits (such as backstory) with external traits (such as interests and hobbies). Finally, 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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Next week, we’ll discuss the Character Relationships, represented by the Residents of the House. We’ll explore how to develop and portray fictional relationships that deepen your characters, engage your audience, and create powerful emotions! 

What external traits do your characters have, and why? How do you brainstorm ideas for external traits?

You May Also Like

• The Character House, Pt. 8: Residents and Relationships
• The Character House, Pt. 7: Furniture and External Traits
• The Character House, Pt. 6: The Walls of Action
• The Character House, Pt. 5: The Walls of Dialogue
• 10 Ways to Write Descriptions That Leap Off the Page