I'm not sure how well I'm developing my character's personality to the point of the "cowardly" trait. Is it bad to have a character have a trait only 3/4 of the time? He is not the embodiment of cowardice, but largely he is. For example, he commits crime because he's trying a appease a captor. He runs away from authorities rather than being a hero and facing them. He sacrifices his friend rather than face penalties himself. (He does feel guilt.) However, he's not afraid of heights or high speeds. He can handle the dark fine. Am I going all over the place? Should I make him more of a coward or less? Thanks!
I think that sounds just fine, personality traits aren't set in stone- it would be weird, and quite unrealistic, if he was actually scared of everything
Cowardly is just a word that means he doesn't like to deal with certain types of danger. You don't think of it as cowardly, just an aversion to various difficult situations or confrontations.
Seems coherent to me. It far from follows that a person inclined to physical cowardice will also be inclined to moral cowardice (and vicey-versey).
My MC was originally a coward too - unintentionally so, unfortunately, so I rewrote him - but anyway, what made my MC a coward wasn't necessarily that he ran away from danger always. But that he's very passive, never actually does anything or moves forward, and then when things do happen he panics, and then when the event is finished, he is angry and blames everyone around him for it. He was probably the most detestable character I've written to date. My villain was more lovable than him. Anyway, your coward sounds fine. Being afraid of heights doesn't make you a coward. Letting your friend be your scapegoat is. And btw, it is not "cowardly" you're after, but "cowardice".
(Thanks for the cowardice thing, Mckk!) Art, I didn't look at it morally/physically until now. Makes more sense of my own character!
