--- product_id: 4157229 title: "The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws (Writers Helping Writers Series)" price: "€ 51.70" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.es/products/4157229-the-negative-trait-thesaurus-a-writers-guide-to-character-flaws store_origin: ES region: Spain --- # The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws (Writers Helping Writers Series) **Price:** € 51.70 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws (Writers Helping Writers Series) - **How much does it cost?** € 51.70 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.es](https://www.desertcart.es/products/4157229-the-negative-trait-thesaurus-a-writers-guide-to-character-flaws) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Crafting likable, interesting characters is a balancing act, and finding that perfect mix of strengths and weaknesses can be difficult. But the task has become easier thanks to The Negative Trait Thesaurus . Through its flaw-centric exploration of character arc, motivation, emotional wounds, and basic needs, writers will learn which flaws make the most sense for their heroes, villains, and other members of the story’s cast. This book’s vast collection of flaws will help writers to explore the possible causes, attitudes, behaviors, thoughts, and related emotions behind their characters’ weaknesses so they can be written effectively and realistically. Common characterization pitfalls and methods to avoid them are also included, along with invaluable downloadable tools to aid in character creation. Written in list format and fully indexed, this brainstorming resource is perfect for creating deep, flawed characters that readers will relate to. Review: Amazing Resource - I love this book. It will not only help you come up with flaws for your characters, but it has methods for character building as well. Not to say it is a book on character building, but it does give some techniques that are very helpful for understanding how character traits effect needs, and wants, which in turn will give your character drive. I found that especially helpful. She discusses the five needs and lies that are basic; Physiological, Safety and Security, Love and belonging, Esteem and Recognition and Self-Actualization.She then goes on to list many needs that fall under each category and lists a group of corresponding lies that a character might use as excuses for not fulfilling his needs. i.e. Love and Belonging category: Need- {Finding a Spouse} corresponding lie could be (I don't want any attachments, or no one will be interested in someone as screwed up as me.) there are many given needs and wants and many corresponding lies so you can choose from any of them to suit your story. The key is understanding WHY your character would have those needs and wants, and why would he/she choose to react negatively or positively with that reaction. There is a reverse back story tool that is very helpful for determining your character's needs and lies. It starts with the characters goals and takes you through several emotional steps until you work out the reason the character came to make his decisions. It provides a character pyramid that helps you see the structure of your character's traits as they form layers of his personality. I think every writer should have this book. I think every writer should have all three. The emotional Thesaurus is different from the positive and negative trait thesaurus. The Trait thesauri help you to create complex yet sound characters. The Emotion's Thesaurus focus on how a character feels at a particular moment, and when she is experiencing that emotion what is likely happening physiologically, emotionally, externally, certain speech patterns. It gives associated emotions, so if grief is not exactly what you are looking for you can click on anguish and see if that is a better fit, and read what an anguished person looks and sounds like. If you want to build negative characters, you can get by on just the Negative Trait Thesaurus If you are building a Pollyanna go with the Positive Traits Thesaurus but If you want emotionally rich complete characters I highly recommend you buy all three. I am not a book reviewer or a friend, or reading a copy and I don't review books that often. When I do it is because they are in my opinion outstanding contributions and I want to help other people know what they will be purchasing. Review: A Must-Have Resource for Fiction Writers - The über-talented authors of The Emotion Thesaurus have published yet another can’t-do-without guide for fiction writers. Well-rounded characters need flaws. Developing these flaws, and helping our characters reach their goals in spite of them, is part of the fun of storytelling. The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, is the ideal resource to help you craft those deliciously flawed characters. Is your protagonist vindictive? Timid? A hopeless worrywart? This handy thesaurus surveys these and over 100 more flaws in detail. This thesaurus and its companion guide, The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes, have been instrumental in helping me rebuild my novel. Through the guidance they provide, I’ve discovered how embarrassingly little I knew about my characters. The Thesaurus authors also maintain an award-winning website, Writers Helping Writers. It’s a goldmine of tools for writers that I’ve bookmarked and refer to often. How are your fictional characters doing? Could they benefit from The Negative Trait Thesaurus? ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #60,694 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #50 in Authorship Reference #71 in Fiction Writing Reference (Books) #85 in Writing Skill Reference (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 1,956 Reviews | ## Images ![The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws (Writers Helping Writers Series) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71PB3Mmzx-L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazing Resource *by A***R on May 6, 2014* I love this book. It will not only help you come up with flaws for your characters, but it has methods for character building as well. Not to say it is a book on character building, but it does give some techniques that are very helpful for understanding how character traits effect needs, and wants, which in turn will give your character drive. I found that especially helpful. She discusses the five needs and lies that are basic; Physiological, Safety and Security, Love and belonging, Esteem and Recognition and Self-Actualization.She then goes on to list many needs that fall under each category and lists a group of corresponding lies that a character might use as excuses for not fulfilling his needs. i.e. Love and Belonging category: Need- {Finding a Spouse} corresponding lie could be (I don't want any attachments, or no one will be interested in someone as screwed up as me.) there are many given needs and wants and many corresponding lies so you can choose from any of them to suit your story. The key is understanding WHY your character would have those needs and wants, and why would he/she choose to react negatively or positively with that reaction. There is a reverse back story tool that is very helpful for determining your character's needs and lies. It starts with the characters goals and takes you through several emotional steps until you work out the reason the character came to make his decisions. It provides a character pyramid that helps you see the structure of your character's traits as they form layers of his personality. I think every writer should have this book. I think every writer should have all three. The emotional Thesaurus is different from the positive and negative trait thesaurus. The Trait thesauri help you to create complex yet sound characters. The Emotion's Thesaurus focus on how a character feels at a particular moment, and when she is experiencing that emotion what is likely happening physiologically, emotionally, externally, certain speech patterns. It gives associated emotions, so if grief is not exactly what you are looking for you can click on anguish and see if that is a better fit, and read what an anguished person looks and sounds like. If you want to build negative characters, you can get by on just the Negative Trait Thesaurus If you are building a Pollyanna go with the Positive Traits Thesaurus but If you want emotionally rich complete characters I highly recommend you buy all three. I am not a book reviewer or a friend, or reading a copy and I don't review books that often. When I do it is because they are in my opinion outstanding contributions and I want to help other people know what they will be purchasing. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Must-Have Resource for Fiction Writers *by G***S on January 21, 2014* The über-talented authors of The Emotion Thesaurus have published yet another can’t-do-without guide for fiction writers. Well-rounded characters need flaws. Developing these flaws, and helping our characters reach their goals in spite of them, is part of the fun of storytelling. The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, is the ideal resource to help you craft those deliciously flawed characters. Is your protagonist vindictive? Timid? A hopeless worrywart? This handy thesaurus surveys these and over 100 more flaws in detail. This thesaurus and its companion guide, The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes, have been instrumental in helping me rebuild my novel. Through the guidance they provide, I’ve discovered how embarrassingly little I knew about my characters. The Thesaurus authors also maintain an award-winning website, Writers Helping Writers. It’s a goldmine of tools for writers that I’ve bookmarked and refer to often. How are your fictional characters doing? Could they benefit from The Negative Trait Thesaurus? ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ In a word- "Outstanding" *by F***R on May 7, 2019* A highly useful book. While it says thesaurus.this is more like a character guide to using characters that have horrible traits. It lists various traits (in one word) description (so you don't get confused about what they mean by the one word), causes, associated behaviors, common thoughts, emotions, etc. etc. I had already read the emotion thesaurus, and between that and this, I picked up the three other books from this series that had previously only given me a passing interest. Why? Because writing a good story, is often about writing good, character driven plots. The better the characters, the more power they can give to the plot itself. And unless you are some kind of storytelling, character-building grand-master, this book will have something for you. My favorite part of this book is exploring why a character would have the flaws they do, helping flesh them out and make them feel more alive and three-dimensional. I can only hope the other three I've ordered are as useful as this one. If so, I'm going to be one very happy writer. :) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.es/products/4157229-the-negative-trait-thesaurus-a-writers-guide-to-character-flaws](https://www.desertcart.es/products/4157229-the-negative-trait-thesaurus-a-writers-guide-to-character-flaws) --- *Product available on Desertcart Spain* *Store origin: ES* *Last updated: 2026-06-04*