Art Edwards' “U Method”

My main character is too nice, so I tried Art Edwards' “U Method.”

Here’s how he describes it: “…character’s traits fall somewhere on the U’s arms…likable traits fall along the right arm, unlikable traits along the left.”

So I tried to “plot” my character’s traits and I realized the obvious, she didn’t have many faults.

So now I’m working on the left side of the arm. I think my character will have the following:

Unlikable Traits—She’s a know-it-all, smart alec

Very Unlikable— desperate when it comes to relationships, niave

Wait, this character sounds like a cliche. I have to think about this some more.

See Art Edwards, "The Key to Complex Characters," The Writer, Jan. 2012, p13 for more details.