So, I based my main character off of someone I know. After going through an exhaustive list of adjectives, I've picked out what describes him. Tell me what you think. If you'd like to check it out here's the lists I went through: Positive Personality Adjectives Negative Personality Adjectives Personality Positive: Kind, protective, tolerant, discreet, imaginative, intelligent, patient, resourceful, sensitive, warmhearted. Neutral: Always thinking, stubborn, open-minded, easygoing, fair-minded, independent, intuitive, persistent, quiet, reserved, shy, realstic, secretive. Negative: Non-sociable, blunt, lazy, aloof, finicky, irresponsible, obstinate, sarcastic. Did I really just list more positives than negatives? Maybe he's a better guy than I think, or maybe I was just being nice. Anyway, sorry there's so many, but I just wanted to describe him as best as possible. I found it difficult to describe him in sentences. If you have any questions (like what he might do in a certain scenario) I'll happily answer them.
I couldn't make a judgement from a list of character traits if im honest, id want to see him in action, different situations, a little history perhaps and then i'd be able to decide if i find him interesting or not. Sometimes its not what a person is that makes them interesting, its the why.
It is absolutely impossible to tell whether or not he will be interesting, based on those traits. Those could describe the most fascinating character ever written, an insufferable Gary Stu self insert, or anything in between. It is possible to design an interesting character's personality to some extent without knowing any of the things he actually does or any of the things that happened in his past, but that requires a dynamic design. Listing traits is a static design. Learn more about how personality truly is a dynamic system rather than a set of traits.
I can't tell from lists. In those lists, some traits seem contradictory; I'd have to see the character to see how that contradiction is resolved. I've always thought that a dandy way to learn a lot about a character would be to write a scene of them in a restaurant, when something goes wrong. (Mischarged, rare steak arrives well-done, the busboy trips and drenches them in iced tea, something.)
I need context. To get to know someone I really need to be in their head. Write a scene that features them, or go with what others suggested and drop them into a situation to see how they would react. Having information like your lists isn't all bad, though. Knowing their appearance beforehand can be handy if it becomes relevant to the narrative. Or history. Write a scene about them from way back before the story featuring them begins. Or way after, it doesn't matter. Just write. You might discover a couple of things about them you did not expect.
I'm going to agree with Chicken that some are contradictory. It seems that some of the traits are bias. Non-sociable people (like myself) are far from blunt. I'll think it, but I won't say it. Not knowing but a fraction of your intent, I'll say "uncouth" is better than blunt for a non-social person. We have a tendency to be that way because of our lack of socialization.
Like I said, I'm a little paranoid, but I will add some back story. I guess I should add what he is to which will explain a lot. Thanks daemon for that link. I completely forgot about adding that. I will try to improve this.
From the adjectives you've given I see this type of exchange from your character. "You're that horse that defended the unicorn that was in town." "I'm busy..." "A black coat and white mane? You're hard to miss." "So what?," He looked at the two with an annoyed expression. "I don't like unicorns. Go away please." This hits on several of your "negative" traits which I think would be most prominent in this exchange given the circumstances. He's blunt and aloof. Could even say he's intelligent by how he sizes up the two confronting him. Your good traits are shown in how he got into the situation and is actually not going to really shine in his words but more in his actions.
I guess I should add tactful to that list. Some of those traits on that list is how he is in certain situations and not actually a generalization. Maybe I should just remove the list and let the scene speak for itself. But, yes, how you worded the dialogue, I could see him saying. However, I can't quite see him acting that way. What's an adjective for someone who doesn't want to be rude. Somewhat unrelated: What are the requirements to post in the Novels section? I'm thinking of just posting my whole first chapter there for feedback.
He just took another personality test. Change that to INFP. He said it describes him much better than INSF. Edit: Where did INSF come from anyway? I couldn't find it on any site. What just happened?
That would probably be better. You can also just ask the guy this character is modeled after what he would say or do in the same situation. Might even act it out. That could be fun.
