I recently read an online article entitled “11 Personality Traits of People Who Wave ‘Thank You’ to Cars”.* You wouldn’t think such a topic has much to do with storytelling, but actually, it does.

In the article, the additional personality traits one might assume or suspect of a polite person in traffic (modified slightly here for clarity and congruency) are:

Polite                                                   Humble

Empathetic                                          Harmonious

Positive about Others                          Socially Conscious and Intelligent

Friendly                                               Conscientious

Grateful                                               Respectful of Social Norms

Comfortable Expressing Feelings

I won’t go into detail about these behavioral qualities as they apply to respectful drivers and pedestrians, because that is not the focus of this blog entry. However, they are indicative of the fact that, as authors, we can imply additional traits about characters without actually spelling them out—traits which are consistent with our readers’ expectations for the character.

For example, using the thankful individual mentioned in the online article (we’ll call him Joe), I can have my readers subconsciously assume that Joe possesses some or all of these traits without literally mentioning that they are part of his personality set. I can then reinforce the ones that are important to my story by showing that he is a friendly, socially conscious guy without specifically naming those traits. For instance, perhaps in my story, I have Joe quickly and voluntarily assist a restaurant server by helping them pick up dishes they have dropped. I don’t need to say that Joe is friendly and socially conscious, because I’m demonstrating it by his actions. What’s more, I already have shown such an action to be consistent with his overall personality palette by previously mentioning that he is appreciative of thoughtful, polite drivers in traffic. It all fits. It’s a natural grouping of traits. Therefore, it should be no surprise to my readers that Joe acts the way he does in virtually any situation. His kind, thoughtful actions are part of what defines him.

In a nutshell, I’m saying this: whenever possible, reveal facts about your characters by showing them through their thoughts, actions, or responses. Try to avoid blatant statements, such as, “Linda, being caring and honest, admitted her crime right away.” Show me; don’t tell me. While doing so, be sure that whatever your character thinks, says, or does is consistent with other aspects of their personality.

Occasionally, there might be something unexpected in a character’s nature that you choose not to explain until late in your story…something that seems incongruent with who your readers expect them to be. Nevertheless, to make your character believable, you must explain that variance—those seemingly divergent acts—before the end of your novel. Otherwise, they will not feel real, thus damaging your novel. Clearly reveal why that person’s apparent inconsistency is actually compatible with (for example) an inherited psychological defect or a life shattering trauma…something that somehow becomes a dominant factor in their hidden personality—the “dark underbelly” of their psyche, as it were.

In any case, be true to your readers by being true to human nature. Your characters are not random collections of shifting, unrelated personality traits that function independently and cannot be relied upon. They must function according to the individual personality palettes you assign them. And remember that any characteristic (such as Joe being thoughtful and kind in traffic) should also have similar, predictable traits that repeatedly pop up throughout your story.

*11 Personality Traits of People Who Wave ‘Thank You’ to Cars (2026)