Zodiac Traits - Writing An Aries Character

Whether you believe in astrology or not, the personality types of zodiac signs have resonated with people for centuries, and that makes them interesting and useful for a writer. I don’t necessarily believe in it, but then again, I do fit Aquarius very well, so who knows?

For these posts, I’m focusing on the most commonly discussed attributes for each zodiac sign. Please don’t get mad if what I say about your sign doesn’t describe you, because I really can’t do anything about that! This is just for character creation. Let’s take a look at Aries!

Use personality traits from the zodiac to write your characters! #writingtips #astrology #nanowrimo

 

Here are six good qualities of an Aries:

independent

energetic

courageous

enthusiastic

spontaneous

driven

And here are six not-so-good qualities.

 

arrogant

stubborn

argumentative

impatient

foolhardy

undisciplined

An Aries protagonist will entertain your readers, and will galvanize and occasionally exasperate the other characters in your story.

If she’s in a work situation, she might propose innovative new ideas. She’s not afraid to take the lead, and her energy gets other people revved up. She’ll bravely take on daunting tasks, like saving a dog from a burning building, facing down the abusive boss, or cleaning out the office refrigerator.

Is she an ideal co-worker? Not really. She might fidget through meetings and argue too much. Some of her new ideas are too far-fetched to work—and if she’s the boss, she’ll implement them anyway. She might leave a project half-finished, and she sucks at getting her paperwork in on time.

If he’s in a love situation, he might seem sweep someone off of their feet, or come on too strong. He may fall too hard or too quickly for the wrong person–possibly again and again. He’ll probably have inventive and possibly extravagant ideas for early dates.

He’s exciting, but can one really depend on him? To make a long-term relationship work, he’s going to have to control his quick temper and consider the other person’s opinion as well as his own. Even though he craves novelty and excitement, he’ll have to learn how to find it within the framework of the relationship. His partner may need to mix things up now and again, in one way or another, to keep him happy. As a lover, he’s passionate, spontaneous, and likes to take charge.

An Aries mom or dad won’t put their life on hold for their kids–they will still find time for their own things. They might arrange an exciting weekend adventure for the family, but won’t put up with any backseat whining on the way.

As a protagonist or villain, an Aries will be sure she knows better than anyone else, but her lack of attention to detail may be her downfall.

Want some examples of independent, energetic, courageous, enthusiastic, spontaneous, driven characters? Okay! I’m kind of geek in my viewing habits, so my examples reflect that. I have no idea when any of these characters’ birthdays are, but I think they exemplify the Aries spirit.

The Doctor, from Doctor Who.

Writing an Aries Character

Eowyn from Lord of the Rings.

Zodiac Traits - Writing an Aries Character

Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Zodiac Traits - Write an Aries Character

Jo March from Little Women.

Zodiac Traits - Writing an Aries Character

Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter.

Zodiac Traits - Writing an Aries Character

Captain Kirk, I think! (Dayton Ward will correct me if I’m wrong, maybe.)

Zodiac Traits - Write an Aries Character

Arya Stark from Game of Thrones.

Zodiac Traits - Writing an Aries Character

And Tony Stark…probably the most quintessential Aries on my list.

Zodiac Traits - Write an Aries Character

If any other Aries-type characters come to mind, or if you have other thoughts about Aries, please share them in the comments!

This post is the first of a series about using the zodiac to inspire character creation, so if you want to see more, be sure to follow the blog–there’s a button you can click near the top right of the page. Thanks for reading, and happy writing!

ETA: Bookmark this post for links to every post in the series!

 

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