NEGATIVE TRAIT THESAURUS

FUSSY



Never struggle with Show-and-Tell again. Activate your free trial or subscribe to view the Negative Trait Thesaurus in its entirety, or visit the Table of Contents to explore unlocked entries.

CHOOSE MY PLAN

HELPFUL TIP:

Characters with this flaw will be extra sensitive to certain emotions, so think about how events in your story might specifically trigger these feelings to generate compelling tension and conflict. Another idea is to give a supporting character a positive attribute that is an opposite of this flaw, which will get under the skin of both characters and cause friction in their relationship.
DEFINITION:
Needing or applying too much attention to detail

SIMILAR FLAWS:
Fastidious, finicky, nit-picking, persnickety

POSSIBLE CAUSES:
Obsessive-compulsive tendencies
Being raised by fussy parents or caregivers
Growing up in an environment that lacked order
Perfectionism
Control issues
A strict military or religious background

ASSOCIATED BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES:
Being organized and making lists
Expressing disdain for the free-spirited and those who fly by the seat of their pants
Seeing disorder as a flaw
Not allowing people to eat in the car or in certain rooms
Requiring that people remove their shoes before entering the house
Heightened stress when things are out of order
Choosing a career where meticulousness is an asset (accounting, housecleaning, etc.)
Keeping a neat appearance
Replacing items when they show the first signs of wear and tear
Thriftiness
Having fastidious manners
Pickiness
Criticizing others; “helping” them to improve by pointing out their flaws
Thinking about what to say in advance; researching and preparing for conversations
Obsessive cleaning; keeping things starkly neat and tidy
Examining one's possessions for flaws
...

ASSOCIATED THOUGHTS:
...

ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS:
...

POSITIVE ASPECTS:
...

NEGATIVE ASPECTS:
...

EXAMPLE FROM FILM:
...

OVERCOMING THIS TRAIT AS A MAJOR FLAW:
...

TRAITS IN SUPPORTING CHARACTERS THAT MAY CAUSE CONFLICT:
...