# Writing Better Characters with the Big Five Personality Traits with Kat Caldwell - #343

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-indy-author-podcast-1109171/writing-better-characters-with-the-big-five-personality-traits-with-kat-caldwell-343
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-indy-author-podcast-1109171/writing-better-characters-with-the-big-five-personality-traits-with-kat-caldwell-343.md
Podcast: [The Indy Author Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-indy-author-podcast-1109171)
Published: 2026-07-07T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://theindyauthor.libsyn.com/writing-better-characters-with-the-big-five-personality-traits-with-kat-caldwell-343
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/theindyauthor/TIAP_343_Kat_Caldwell_Episode_LIBSYN.mp3?dest-id=386964
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-indy-author-podcast-1109171/episodes/writing-better-characters-with-the-big-five-personality-traits-with-kat-caldwell-343
Duration seconds: 2819

## Resource

Matty Dalrymple talks with Kat Caldwell about WRITING BETTER CHARACTERS WITH THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY, including what the five traits are and how they function as a spectrum rather than fixed categories; why a character's "need" is really about the unconscious ways their personality causes hurt to the people they love; how to use the Big Five as a diagnostic tool when your story feels like something's off; and why a satisfying character arc means growth and not a 180-degree reversal. Interview video at https://www.youtube.com/@TheIndyAuthorPodcast/podcasts Show notes at https://www.theindyauthor.com/episodes-all and on Substack @TheIndyAuthor. If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple Kat is a novelist and short story writer and loves to teach fiction. She writes love stories in several genres including historical romance, contemporary romance, and contemporary fiction. Kat is the creator of the Pencils&Lipstick podcast, a podcast for writers with author interviews, craft talk and insight into the publishing world. In between conducting interviews for her podcast and writing, you can find Kat traveling the world, reading, or volunteering with her church—always with a cup of cold brew close by. Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST.…

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