In 1959, Carl Jung first popularized the idea of archetypes—”universal images that have existed since the remotest times.” He posited that every person is a blend of these 12 basic personalities. Ever since then, authors have been applying this idea to fictional characters, combining the different archetypes to come up with interesting new versions. The result is a sizable pool of character tropes that we see from one story to another.
Archetypes and tropes are popular storytelling elements because of their familiarity. Upon seeing them, readers know immediately who they’re dealing with and what role the nerd, dark lord, femme fatale, or monster hunter will play. As authors, we need to recognize the commonalities for each trope so we can write them in a recognizable way and create a rudimentary sketch for any character we want to create.
But when it comes to characters, no one wants just a sketch; we want a vibrant and striking cast full of color, depth, and contrast. Diving deeper into character creation is especially important when starting with tropes because the blessing of their familiarity is also a curse; without differentiation, the characters begin to look the same from story to story.
But no more. The Character Type and Trope Thesaurus allows you to outline the foundational elements of each trope while also exploring how to individualize them. In this way, you’ll be able to use historically tried-and-true character types to create a cast for your story that is anything but traditional.
DESCRIPTION: An attractive and popular girl or woman who uses her status, control, and powers of manipulation to maintain her social standing or put people (especially other females) in their place.
FICTIONAL EXAMPLES: Cersei Lannister (A Song of Fire and Ice series), Hilly Holbrook (The Help), Regina George (Mean Girls), Heather Chandler (Heathers), Kathryn Merteuil (Cruel Intentions)
COMMON STRENGTHS: Alert, Ambitious, Analytical, Bold, Charming, Confident, Decisive, Diplomatic, Extroverted, Intelligent, Observant, Organized, Persistent, Persuasive, Sophisticated, Spunky, Uninhibited
COMMON WEAKNESSES: Abrasive, Callous, Catty, Confrontational, Controlling, Cowardly, Cruel, Dishonest, Fussy, Greedy, Haughty, Hostile, Hypocritical, Inflexible, Irrational, Jealous, Judgmental, Manipulative, Materialistic, Melodramatic, Possessive, Pushy, Selfish, Spoiled, Stubborn, Vindictive
ASSOCIATED ACTIONS, BEHAVIORS, AND TENDENCIES
Being assertive and confident
Valuing status and power
Taking great pains with her personal appearance
Being able to work a room
Enjoying attention and being in the spotlight
Being skilled at identifying other people’s weaknesses
Holding those in her inner circle to a high standard
Pitting followers against each other
Using fear or intimidation as a control tactic
Responding poorly to change; not pivoting easily
SITUATIONS THAT WILL CHALLENGE THEM
Encountering someone who won’t be manipulated or controlled
Having to move to a new area or social group and rebuild her position from scratch
Moving to a new school, job, city, etc., where the rules are different and her methods are ineffective
Encountering collective resistance from followers who used to be loyal
TWIST THIS TROPE WITH A CHARACTER WHO…
Has a hidden vulnerability she goes to great lengths to conceal, such as domestic abuse or a person she’s protecting
Loses her position and has to create a new life for herself
Has an atypical trait: Socially Aware, Introverted, Appreciative, Self-Destructive, etc.
CLICHÉS TO BE AWARE OF
The shallow and self-centered queen bee who has no underlying reason for her behavior beyond wanting to be popular
Other Type and Trope Thesaurus entries can be found here.
Need More Descriptive Help?
While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (16 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.
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Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.