NEGATIVE TRAIT THESAURUS

FLAKY



Never struggle with Show-and-Tell again. Activate your free trial or subscribe to view the Negative Trait Thesaurus in its entirety, or visit the Table of Contents to explore unlocked entries.

CHOOSE MY PLAN

HELPFUL TIP:

Characters with this flaw will be extra sensitive to certain emotions, so think about how events in your story might specifically trigger these feelings to generate compelling tension and conflict. Another idea is to give a supporting character a positive attribute that is an opposite of this flaw, which will get under the skin of both characters and cause friction in their relationship.
DEFINITION:
Inconsistent in thought, opinion, or intention

SIMILAR FLAWS:
Fickle, flighty, inconsistent, unpredictable

POSSIBLE CAUSES:
Mental deficiency
Living in an environment that encourages free-spiritedness and unconventionality
High intelligence
A true lack of concern for what others think
Self-centeredness; refusing to see how one's choices are affecting others
A disdain for conventionality; not wanting to live by the rules of others
Being highly imaginative or creative

ASSOCIATED BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES:
Embracing “out there” philosophies
Indecisiveness
Disorganization and irresponsibility
Incoherent thoughts
Not fitting in with the rest of society
Inconsistency; frequently changing one's opinions
Social awkwardness
Not following through on responsibilities or obligations
Forgetting meetings and appointments
Misremembering things; not remembering past events as they really occurred
Not prioritizing well
Moving from career to career as interests wane
Following a non-traditional schedule
Impulsiveness
Keeping an unconventional appearance (excessive makeup, a strange hairdo, etc.)
...

ASSOCIATED THOUGHTS:
...

ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS:
...

POSITIVE ASPECTS:
...

NEGATIVE ASPECTS:
...

EXAMPLE FROM FILM:
...

OVERCOMING THIS TRAIT AS A MAJOR FLAW:
...

TRAITS IN SUPPORTING CHARACTERS THAT MAY CAUSE CONFLICT:
...