What Color Are Your Characters' Personalities?

Admit it, you've gotten sucked into those color personality quizzes on social media. They're all mostly flattering. Oh, you're orange? You must be playful and witty. Certainly you're attractive with all that energy you exude! Or maybe you're red: confident, powerful, and passionate. Yes! Bring on the passion.

Well, I don't know how accurate all those tests and quizzes are. They seem to be pretty good at massaging our egos. Most of them don't mention the negative sides of those color traits, whether or not we tend toward being self-centered, irresponsible, or just plain dull. I'm sure the makers of those tests are missing a few shades in each quiz. Nevertheless, there is a good use for those color charts if you're a fiction writer. You can use them to flesh out your characters' personality profiles.

people vector created by freepik

Consider the Green personality: Calm, intellectual, powerful, curious, introverted, cynical. Sounds like an anti-hero to me. Maybe it's even a villain. I think examining the traits of a "green" personality would add a lot of dimension to some of the villains I've read. It would help to learn that they are not only maniacal and egotistical, but that they are curious and intellectual too. Do you see what that could mean to the fleshing out of their character? How much more dimensional might that make your villain if you added in traits and characteristics that explored these other nuances of personality? How about a dangerous, egotistical villain, who also happens to be a brilliant horticulturist or amateur astronomer? What if they're a winner on the game show Jeapordy? What if they got a full ride scholarship to a prestigious school because they're brilliant, yet morally demented in some way?

Let's look at another example. How about a romantic lead who is Purple by nature: Peaceful, charismatic, gentle, supportive, sensitive. It's easy to find leads who are gentle, supportive, and sensitive. Romance novels are swamped with them. Maybe they are peaceful as well. But if we add charismatic to the mix, what might that mean to the things they do when it comes to their actions and behavior? If they are all those positive things, what would their struggles be? Because they are sensitive, would they hide behind the mask of their charismatic actions if they feel hurt? Also, take a look at the color list below. Those gentle souls have some serious issues to deal with in the personality department too.

It's important to note that not all the color personality tests completely agree, and some are more expansive. Here's a basic conglomeration of what some of the charts say. I've grouped the results together and generalized. (How very unscientific!) Whether they're to be believed or not is up to you. You can still use them to round out an otherwise flat personality in your story world.

REDS

Confident, Strong-Willed, Determined,

Ambitious, Passionate, Vibrant

Can be harsh, critical, cheap, workaholics, poor listeners, domineering

YELLOWS

Sensible, Helpful, Faithful,

Thorough, Responsible, Committed

Contrarily, some tests say they are persuasive, spontaneous, motivated by fun and...

Can be self-centered, superficial in friendship, easily distracted

GREENS

Calm, Intellectual, Powerful,

Curious, Introverted, Cynical

Can be argumentative, tend to gossip, unmotivated, unwilling to take risks

BLUES

Sincere, Romantic, Idealistic,

Spiritual, Empathetic, Loyal

Can be perfectionists, moody, insecure, unforgiving, and very controlling

PURPLES

Peaceful, Charismatic, Gentle,

Supportive, Sensitive

Can be impractical, cynical, aloof, arrogant, a social climber, have delusions of grandeur

ORANGES

Witty, Playful, Open-minded,

Generous, Energetic, Active

Can be judgmental, over-analytical, impatient, pessimistic, cowardly, non-emotional

WHITES

Considerate, patient, accepting, devoid of ego,

non-confrontational, good listeners

Can be self-deprecating, unwilling to set goals, express conflict, or work at another's pace

There are a lot more. Plus, each of the colors I listed have further variations of personality than what I've included. If you find it might be useful to enhance character development in your writing, investigate color personality further. I found this site to be very helpful, explanatory, and just plain fun to investigate:

Empower Yourself With Color Psychology

Write on!

Finally Friday Flashback! on a Great Old Book - Journey Of No Return

It's finally Friday, and time to take a flash back to look at a terrific book from the past! This is a new blog series, so I hope you enjoy it.

There are so many books to choose from, and we all have favorites we've read over the years. Some are considered classics, and some might have resonated with us simply books I've enjoyed because they were great stories in their own right. So, let's talk about an old book that you may or may not have ever read, but I think you should.

I didn't know where to begin, so I glanced at my book shelf, and a book I've had for many years, and one that shaped my love for a particular genre jumped out at me. If you don't know it, allow me to introduce you to Bette M. Ross's Journey of No Return.

It can be read as a stand-alone, but you would do yourself a favor by first reading Gennie the Huguenot Woman and afterward, Hannah's Daughters. Journey Of No Return fits in the middle as it is part of this generational saga.

It is a tale of early America that settles on the story of three brave young people. There is Miss Hannah Roebuck, a courageous and lovely young woman in early America faced with heart-rending choices that help to shape the destiny of the new nation. There is the famous Shawnee leader Tecumseh, whose proud people have been deceived. Finally there is Micah MacGowan, a Scottish missionary whose life is also irrevocably changed during this time.

I loved this story! First off, I get swept up in early American history. I'm a fan of Allen Eckert's creative non-fiction, especially The Frontiersman (we'll talk about that one someday) and the stories of Tecumseh. This tale gave him and that period another light. Set against a fascinating panorama of American history, as well as a visit to the court of Versailles when Napolean offers America the Louisiana Purchase, the story is a strong romance as well. It's a love triangle, if you haven't guessed, and it will hold you spell-bound to the end.

This book's publication hales back to 1985. You might recall some of Ms. Ross's other novels such as Song of Deborah or The Thirteenth Disciple. She also penned a book called Our Special Child about parenting children with special needs.

If you enjoy current authors such as Laura Frantz or Lori Benton, you will enjoy this throwback novel Journey of No Return as well as the entire series.

My New Cold Frame Garden Experiment

Hey, everybody, I am so excited! Last weekend my superman Jeff built the first of my two cold frames that I'm implementing in my garden plan this year. Fantastic, huh? Before you wonder if I'm a little behind the ball with springtime upon us, remember, I live in northern Wisconsin. Don't let the green grass in the picture fool you. It may be mid-April, but we are currently under a winter storm warning. Yuck!

Nevertheless, I'm anxious to start planting. In this box, I'll plant some cool weather crops like onions, lettuce, and maybe even a few peas. I'll leave them in there all season long. The next box will mostly be used for starting or housing things I'll move out into the garden later.

The box is ten feet long and about two-an-a-half feet wide. It's made entirely of recycled materials.

At the back, it's about 18 inches deep and about 12" deep in the front. The angle will invite the sunlight in, and I'll have plenty of room for some dirt.

I like those fancy handles he found somewhere...

The clear, plastic roofing will really help heat it up. I'll have to prop it open when it gets too warm for the plants.

It has nice big hinges to support the length of the door.

And here it is with some rich, black dirt inside. Eep! Fresh veggies, here we come!

What new things are you trying with your gardening this year?

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