CHARACTER TYPE AND TROPE THESAURUS

PESSIMIST



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HELPFUL TIP:

Using a trope or archetype helps readers quickly understand a character, but stopping there creates a weak and predictable figure. Instead, add depth with a unique backstory, emotional wounds, and related fears and flaws. You can also break expectations with an unusual job, relationship, secret, or positive trait.
DESCRIPTION:
This doom-and-gloom character believes that if something bad can happen, it will. They tend to focus on flaws and potential pitfalls and see every opportunity as a new way that things can go wrong.

FICTIONAL EXAMPLES:
Eeyore (the Winnie the Pooh series), Marvin the Paranoid Android (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), George Costanza (Seinfeld), Sadness (Inside Out)

COMMON STRENGTHS:
ALERT, ANALYTICAL, FOCUSED, HONEST, INTROVERTED, METICULOUS, OBSERVANT, PENSIVE, PERSISTENT, RESOURCEFUL

COMMON WEAKNESSES:
APATHETIC, COWARDLY, CYNICAL, FUSSY, GRUMPY, HUMORLESS, INFLEXIBLE, INHIBITED, INSECURE, LAZY, MARTYR, MELODRAMATIC, MORBID, NERVOUS, OBSESSIVE, PARANOID, PESSIMISTIC, UNCOOPERATIVE, WITHDRAWN, WORRYWART

ASSOCIATED ACTIONS, BEHAVIORS, AND TENDENCIES:
Noticing even the smallest details
Identifying problems and risks before they happen
Avoiding potential trouble spots others may not see coming
Being cautious
Easily identifying things that need improvement
Planning ahead 
Being thorough
Staying calm and focused in a crisis
Wanting others to see the world as they do
Saying "I told you so" when their dire predictions come true
Constantly complaining
Being excessively critical of themselves and others
Using sarcasm
Being cynical about new opportunities
Making self-deprecating remarks
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FEARS THAT MIGHT LIMIT THE CHARACTER:
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SITUATIONS THAT WILL CHALLENGE THEM:
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INNER STRUGGLES TO GIVE THEM DEPTH:
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CLICHÉS TO BE AWARE OF:
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TWIST THIS TROPE WITH A CHARACTER WHO...:
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UNEXPECTED OCCUPATIONS FOR THIS CHARACTER:
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CREATE SOMETHING NEW:
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