We’re all looking for high-concept ideas for our stories and character traits these days. You need to come up with something unique that’s going to make your story stand out on the bookshelf. Plus, who among us doesn’t like a little extra “cool” in our stories–just because?

But hold up right there.

“Cool” for the sake of cool ain’t cool.

Think Twice Before Adding “Cool” Character Traits to Your Story

It’s easy to believe the hardest thing about coming up with a good idea is, you know, coming up with it. But that’s only the beginning. It’s not enough to come up with an awesome or interesting idea for your story. What’s even more important is coming up with a way to use this great idea.

For example, I’m going to have to pick on Jupiter Ascending again today. Whether its idea of Channing Tatum as a killer werewolf-hybrid-alien was cool or not, I leave up to you. But it was certainly intended to be cool.

By far the most interesting thing about this character was his supposedly uncontrollable proclivity for ripping out the throats of nobles. It’s what created the Ghost in his backstory. It hints at risks in his relationship with the royal protagonist. It’s dark and dangerous and, in a sense, “cool.”

It’s emphasized to the point it seems like foreshadowing. Surely, he’s going to do some throat-ripping later on in the story. Surely, this interesting aspect of his character is going to end up mattering to the story.

But… nope. The idea never goes full circle to be realized in the story’s second half. Indeed, the important character trait is never even used in the story.

Are You Taking Full Advantage of All Your Best Ideas?

Consider your story. What aspects are you most proud of? Which of your protagonist’s character traits are most interesting to you? Now, look again. Have you done more than merely mention these aspects and traits? Are there scenes late in your story that actually use these traits?

This principle really comes down to two important techniques:

1. Foreshadowing

If you emphasize something in the first half, you must then bring it to fruition it in the second. This is especially true when that something is cool enough to pique reader interest and whet their appetites.

2. Showing vs. Telling

In Caine the Werewolf-Hybrid-Alien’s case, his past as a crazy throat-ripper turned out to be all backstory (which raises another inherent, if unrelated, problem of the backstory being more interesting than the main story). The problem is that the important Ghost in the backstory ends up being told to readers instead of shown. This supposedly important character trait is never proven to readers, and, as a result, ends up carrying far less weight within the story than it could have.

The last thing any of us want to do is unwittingly waste our best ideas. Make sure you’re taking full advantage of all the character traits that are most likely to interest your readers.

Wordplayers, tell me your opinion! What do you think are your protagonist’s most interesting character traits? Tell me in the comments!