Whether you believe in astrology or not, the personality types of zodiac signs have resonated with people for centuries, and that makes them interesting and useful for a writer. I don’t necessarily believe in it, but then again, I do fit Aquarius very well, so who knows?
For these posts, I’m focusing on the most commonly discussed attributes for each zodiac sign. Please don’t get mad if what I say about your sign doesn’t describe you, because I really can’t do anything about that! This is just for character creation. Let’s take a look at Aries!
Here are six good qualities of an Aries:
independent
energetic
courageous
enthusiastic
spontaneous
driven
And here are six not-so-good qualities.
arrogant
stubborn
argumentative
impatient
foolhardy
undisciplined
An Aries protagonist will entertain your readers, and will galvanize and occasionally exasperate the other characters in your story.
If she’s in a work situation, she might propose innovative new ideas. She’s not afraid to take the lead, and her energy gets other people revved up. She’ll bravely take on daunting tasks, like saving a dog from a burning building, facing down the abusive boss, or cleaning out the office refrigerator.
Is she an ideal co-worker? Not really. She might fidget through meetings and argue too much. Some of her new ideas are too far-fetched to work—and if she’s the boss, she’ll implement them anyway. She might leave a project half-finished, and she sucks at getting her paperwork in on time.
If he’s in a love situation, he might seem sweep someone off of their feet, or come on too strong. He may fall too hard or too quickly for the wrong person–possibly again and again. He’ll probably have inventive and possibly extravagant ideas for early dates.
He’s exciting, but can one really depend on him? To make a long-term relationship work, he’s going to have to control his quick temper and consider the other person’s opinion as well as his own. Even though he craves novelty and excitement, he’ll have to learn how to find it within the framework of the relationship. His partner may need to mix things up now and again, in one way or another, to keep him happy. As a lover, he’s passionate, spontaneous, and likes to take charge.
An Aries mom or dad won’t put their life on hold for their kids–they will still find time for their own things. They might arrange an exciting weekend adventure for the family, but won’t put up with any backseat whining on the way.
As a protagonist or villain, an Aries will be sure she knows better than anyone else, but her lack of attention to detail may be her downfall.
Want some examples of independent, energetic, courageous, enthusiastic, spontaneous, driven characters? Okay! I’m kind of geek in my viewing habits, so my examples reflect that. I have no idea when any of these characters’ birthdays are, but I think they exemplify the Aries spirit.
The Doctor, from Doctor Who.
Eowyn from Lord of the Rings.
Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Jo March from Little Women.
Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter.
Captain Kirk, I think! (Dayton Ward will correct me if I’m wrong, maybe.)
Arya Stark from Game of Thrones.
And Tony Stark…probably the most quintessential Aries on my list.
If any other Aries-type characters come to mind, or if you have other thoughts about Aries, please share them in the comments!
This post is the first of a series about using the zodiac to inspire character creation, so if you want to see more, be sure to follow the blog–there’s a button you can click near the top right of the page. Thanks for reading, and happy writing!
ETA: Bookmark this post for links to every post in the series!
I love this blog series idea! I’m already following your blog and will certainly be tuning in for these.
I assign all my main characters (and villains) zodiac signs to help me flesh them out and inform their reactions. I marked “The Summer Park Psychics” characters’ birthdays in my planner even, just for fun. Jazz’s birthday is this week (is she a Leo or what?). Dante is quite deliberately an Aries. I needed a sign that wouldn’t let Elsa (very, very Virgo) steamroller over him. Your post is right-on and I look forward to reading more!
I definitely would have guessed those zodiac signs for them!
Awesome! I’m eager to see your articles on the other signs I’ve used to see how well they match up 🙂
Also, you have really cool friends. *reads comments studiously*
:: puts on Nerd Hat ::
Kirk was (supposedly) born in late March, making him an Aquarius. Not sure about the new movies version, since that’s an “alternate timeline”
:: takes off Nerd Hat…puts on hat with beer holders and drinking tubes ::
^ That should’ve read “Aries.”
:: puts on Dunce cap ::
I KNEW you would know.
He really is an Aries?! That’s awesome. I bet they did this on purpose.
Original Gangsta Kirk was (supposedly) born on March 22, so Aries.
New Movies Kirk was (supposedly) born in early January, so Capricorn.
http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/James_T._Kirk
http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/James_T._Kirk_(alternate_reality)
Yes, I have such references readily available. It’s an occupational hazard 😀
Ahhhh I see! Of course, I don’t know if the laws of the zodiac apply once you’re in other parts of the galaxy. Must ask my scientist friends about that. 🙂
OG Kirk was born on Earth, so he’s stuck with it. 🙂
Now I wish I’d thought of this before I started a certain series I won’t mention here *cough* Secrets of the Zodiac *cough* What a great way to get moving on a character! I must use it for the next book.
Hahaha when I started this series I thought of you! Guess what I’m going to be reading on the plane to NYC today? 🙂
This is cool! I live with two Aries. That whole stubborn, argumentative, bad temper thing? HOO-BOY!
Reblogged this on Swamp Sass and commented:
Reblogging. I’m not personally into the signs and things, but… we’re always looking for characters and character traits… I never thought of using this method. Interesting.
I had never thought of this, but it is a great way to simplify building a character profile …. and seems accurate. Xander, my main character in The Sea Purrtector files is an Aries and certainly fills those qualities. (Xander is a Siamese cat and based on my own Rom, who was an Aries, so I write Xander as I believe Rom would behave.) IMHO, it is bizarre that your characteristics list transfers to my feline protagonists, so I think you have something here.
I definitely agree with you, but where’s our sign, Aquarius?
Anyway, I believe that Zodiac signs somehow resonated to people’s personality, but other aspects like upbringing, experience, culture and more can affect someone’s personality.
I also assign signs to my characters, but I also use the four types of personality. I’ve somehow was able to distinguished them from each other.
So glad, I found your website, I’ll wait for your next posts. For now, I’ll read your other posts. 😉
🙂 I am going in the usual order the zodiac signs are listed in… so I’ll get to Aquarius before the end of the year!
Oh I see. Looking forward to that.
I hope you don’t mind me asking, but which other sign are you drawn to.
Yes, we’re both Aquarius, but we still have our differences. I’m drawn to fire signs, specifically Sagittarius. How about you? 🙂
Love these articles! And just wanna say that you’re spot on with this one, IMO because— Aries here! *wavies* I was born on March 23rd (close to the Pisces/Aries cusp). I had a psychic tell me once that I have the “sweetness” of Pisces, but…yeah. I’m totally an Aries. LOL! I’ll even claim the bad stuff because, hey…nobody’s perfect, right? *wink*
I’m pretty sure Aries is recognized as one of the “cool” signs 🙂 Even Aries flaws are cool flaws! Thanks for reading, and for the kind words!
Another Aries character would be Riley from the boondocks. He’s sensitive and maybe compassionate but tends to hide his sensitivity with his fiery energy. He’s street smart and occasionally befriends trouble. I’m an Aries and those character traits do match too.
Haha! Bryn, this post makes me puff with pride to be an Aries. :p I came to your blog today in search of a little help writing a “drunk” character/scene and happened upon this Zodiac series. Too good. Now, I best get back to work…