Ten Character Traits I Like

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week's topic took some pondering. What traits do I particularly like in my fictional characters? Here are ten I came up with; I'm probably missing some.

1. Analytical
I love a good detective story, or any other character who puts together the pieces of a mystery through clever deductions.

2. Caring
When our hero/ine inevitably gets knocked over the head, this is whose house they wake up in, bundled up in bed and being fed soup. Or it's the character who acts as a surrogate parent and provides unconditional love to another person for the first time.

3. Exuberant
This character is just thrilled to be alive and sees every day as an adventure. Their energy is infectious and may even drag the protagonist out of a slump.

4. Funny
This person is the comic relief of the story, who will reliably drop witty one-liners that have you laughing out loud.

5. Incorrigible
As mentioned in my post on my favorite tropes, this is the person who's on the side of the good guys but won't ever break all their bad habits.

6. Orderly
As someone who enjoys having a routine and sticking with what's tried and true, I like seeing a character who takes pleasure in always have the right tool at hand or who's already taken care of something before they're even asked.

7. Pessimistic
When done well, a pessimistic character can add comic relief in a way different from the class clown. This is a character like Eeyore or Puddleglum, who somehow manages to see the gloomiest side of even the best situation and, in doing so, draws attention to how silly our everyday anxieties are most of the time.

8. Resilience
Some of my favorite books are about characters who've gone through challenging circumstances and now are slowly learning to heal and trust again.

9. Unflappable
This character's only slightly irritated that she had to beat up the sixteen bad guys following her because it's made her late for dinner.

10. Wisdom
This character isn't always around to save the day, but they pop up at crucial moments to teach our protagonist the lessons they need to face the next challenge on their own.

What are your favorite character traits?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Special Topics in Calamity Physics and The Amber Spyglass
Five years ago I was reading: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Gang Leader for a Day, and Sing You Home
Ten years ago I was reading: Johnny Tremain