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The Subtle (and Annoying) Static Trait

Secret Weapon of the Clever Writer

 

The Static Trait is the small personal HABIT an individual character displays which reveals their personal Neurosis; their driving NEED, especially in stressful situations. 

This habitual or even ritual behavior acts as both their greatest source of trouble and the linchpin to their success. 

This Static Trait is the individual character's
“Accident Waiting to Happen”.

The most obvious place to find visible Static Traits is in both Comedies and Tragedies. These stories (and movies) RELY on their characters' Static Traits to linchpin the plot.

Laurel & Hardy

What made Laurel and Hardy so funny, were the little neurotic habits -- the static traits -- that would appear under stressful situations.

Abbot & Costello

Abbot and Costello built whole routines on Bud Abbot’s little twitchy responses. The climactic scene in every one of their movies involved Abbot in a panic attack. 

 

 

You spent half the movie going “Oh no! Don’t! Don’t! Don’t!...AH! He did.”

I don’t watch tragedies as a rule, but just about every Greek play I’ve read involves the Protagonist acting on their Neurosis, the emotional need they can't -- or won't -- control which brings them crashing down.

• Pandora acting on her uncontrollable Curiosity – opened that box of ills.
• Paris acting on his uncontrollable need for Love – picked Venus as the loveliest goddess in a contest with Hera and Athena, to gain the most beautiful woman in the world who was already married to a powerful warlord.
• Oedipus acting on his uncontrollable need for Recognition – killed the king and married the queen, who turned out to be his biological parents.
• Ariadne acting on her uncontrollable Pride - bragged that her ability to weave was greater than a goddess's and was turned into a spider.
• Prometheus acting on uncontrollable his need for Revenge - gave fire to mankind and was thus chained to a rock to be eaten alive by buzzards for the rest of eternity.

In stories that are Not tragedies, this neurosis-based habit DOES cause their downfall, but also comes to their rescue at the Climax then CHANGES by the end of the story, quite literally Showing that the character has conquered their neurosis. 

 

For those who like to write their stories with humor, adding Static Traits to your characters is the easiest and most effective way to have zany antics happen in any scene.

 

 

The movie The Mummy (1999)
was loaded with static traits.

Just about every single character in the movie had a static trait based on their personal neurosis, and either lived or died, because of it. This made the movie very Comedic despite being listed as Horror.

Evelyn (Evie) 

• Her personal neurosis was her obsession with being an Egyptologist. 
• Her static trait was her obsession with books.

If it was a book, she had to touch it. Evie’s opening scene defined her character – she was filing books and knocked over an entire set of bookcases (rather like dominoes) because she simply HAD to put that book where it needed to be. The entire catastrophic release of the Mummy happened because she simply HAD to have (as well as open and read) the Book of the Dead.

Her Trait came to her rescue because her Habit allowed her to be able to Read ancient Egyptian, allowing her to be able to not only find the correct book to dispel the Mummy, but know which spell was the right one to use. She conquered her neurosis when she allowed the book to be destroyed.

Jonathan

• Evie's brother’s personal neurosis was monetary greed. 
• His static trait was kleptomania.

If it was small and shiny, he had to have it. His opening scene involved showing off to his sister his latest theft. Because of his habit for picking up shiny things, he never quite lost the object he stole – the key to the Book of the Dead.

His trait came to his rescue when he pick-pocketed the needed 'key' from the bad guys. However, he didn't conquer his neurosis. He walked out of that temple with a huge stash of gold.

Rick' O'Connell

• His personal neurosis was anger. 
• His static trait was biting sarcasm.

His solution to everything was “fight it” with his wits or his fists. He was constantly leaping into one fight after another. Evie met him while he was in jail for being in a brawl. "He had a very good time." In every scene involving an attack of some sort, he was the first one to dive into the fight.

His trait came to his rescue when he needed to go on a one-on-one battle with a supernatural creature without immediately dying. He conquered his neurosis when he allowed Evie to destroy the monster with a spell rather than trying to do it himself.

Beni 

• His personal neurosis was cowardice. 
• His static trait was freezing in place then bolting.

He ended up working for Imhotep, because he simply did not have the guts to run away.

His trait NEVER came to his rescue, and in fact destroyed him.

Imhotep

• The ancient Egyptian Mummy's personal neurosis was obsessive Love.
• His static trait was Scarabs; the symbol of his personal destruction. He was riddled with the beetles and they showed up in hoards whenever he was nearby.

Imhotep got into trouble and became the Mummy because he was in love with the pharaoh’s concubine. Everything he did was to get his one true love back from the dead at any cost.

Because Evie resembled his beloved, his neurosis made him grab for Evie -- which was his biggest mistake. If he had grabbed any other female, he would have gotten away with the resurrection of his beloved.

How to use this in your Fiction…

Start with your character’s personal neurosis and pick a small habit that shows their personal neurosis in action. 

 

This Habit should get them In to as much trouble as it gets them Out of trouble, and it should be the lynch-pin that either sets off or defuses the climactic scene.

Having a hard time finding
your character’s Personal Neurosis?

Try looking at your character’s core Motivation.
What obsessive habit would define this?

In Walt Disney’s Beauty & the Beast…

Gaston’s motivation was his Selfishness. “I deserve the best!” This was reflected in his static trait of always looking in the mirror. Even when hunting the Beast, he stopped to look at his own reflection.

Beast, in complete reverse of Gaston, utterly Refused to look into mirrors because his Original personal neurosis was exactly THE SAME as Gaston’s: Selfishness.

They were BOTH obsessed with their APPEARANCE. But then, the movie’s Premise was all about “Looking Beneath the Surface”.

In Erotic Fiction...
The Static Trait should be Sexual in nature.

• A woman who wears skimpy clothes.
• A guy who wears tight jeans and/or leaves his shirt open to the navel.
• Long Hair on either gender. This IS a sexual trait!
• Fur, Leather, or shiny Plastic clothing on either gender.
• An oral habit such as licking the lips, biting the bottom lip, chewing on pens, sucking on lollipops, or even smoking.
• Physically Touching anyone they speak to.
• Posing provocatively instead of merely sitting or standing.

For another example...

One of my personal Static Traits is redefining difficult concepts into simple terms. This comes from my obsession to write as clearly and concisely as I can, and is motivated by my personal neurosis of Avoiding Reality – by creating fantasy worlds real enough to hide in. (grin)


Morgan Hawke
www.darkerotica.net
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The Mysterious and Maddening PREMISE

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