Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they’re a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health condition, or stem from a past wounding event, these fears influence a character’s behaviors, habits, beliefs, and personality traits. The compulsion to avoid what they fear will drive characters away from certain people, events, and situations and hold them back in life. 

In your story, this primary fear (or group of fears) will constantly challenge the goal the character is pursuing, tempting them to retreat, settle, and give up on what they want most. Because this fear must be addressed for them to achieve success, balance, and fulfillment, it plays a pivotal part in both character arc and the overall story.

This thesaurus explores the various fears that might be plaguing your character. Use it to understand and utilize fears to fully develop your characters and steer them through their story arc. Please note that this isn’t a self-diagnosis tool. Fears are common in the real world, and while we may at times share similar tendencies as characters, the entry below is for fiction writing purposes only.

Fear of Letting People Down

Notes
The feeling of letting people down is never a pleasant one, nor is it uncommon. Not wanting to disappoint or upset others is understandable—especially if it’s someone the character loves or is responsible for. The problem comes when this mindset becomes an obsession. This fear can come from a desire to please a parent, spouse, employer, friend, group, or even society as a whole. When pleasing people takes over, unhealthy patterns form, which lead to a whole host of problems.

What It Looks Like
Repeatedly asking for instructions
Asking to help (with chores, services, etc.) or doing these things without asking
Consistently receiving high grades or performance reviews
Working overtime often
Being a perfectionist
Volunteering to run errands, do favors, etc.
Constantly apologizing for little things
Being hurt by constructive criticism
Seeking validation and praise for work or services
Spending free time on pursuits that will make the character better (studying, volunteering, taking on an internship, etc.)
Obsessing over small details
Agreeing to plans with minimal hesitation
Being empathetic and sensitive to others’ emotions
Making sacrifices to put other’s needs first
Agreeing with others’ opinions, evaluations, and ideas
Being highly suggestible
Repeatedly assuring others when they make mistakes
Conforming to societal norms
Watching others carefully for negative reactions
Cheerfulness, even when doing menial tasks

Common Internal Struggles
Wanting to follow a passion (for a career, etc.), but caving to what others expect
Putting on an emotional front to hide “unacceptable” emotions
The character investing in a hobby they don’t enjoy because someone else likes it
Not knowing how to say no
The character feeling that they’re not enough
The character compromising their values to do what’s expected
Smiling on the outside while falling apart on the inside
Wanting to share an opinion but not wanting to cause trouble
Resenting the people the character is trying so hard to please, and feeling guilty about it
Worrying about the repercussions of falling short or making a mistake

Flaws That May Emerge
Cowardly, Defensive, Fussy, Inhibited, Insecure, Irrational, Martyr, Needy, Obsessive, Oversensitive, Perfectionist, Pessimistic, Self-Destructive, Subservient, Timid, Weak-Willed, Workaholic

Hindrances and Disruptions to the Character’s Life
Struggling to function at work or school due to fear of failure or making mistakes
Struggling with low self-esteem and depressive disorders
Feeling a lack of true connection to certain people (parents, a boss, etc.)
The character being unable to do the things that make them personally happy because they’re too busy doing what others want
Being taken advantage of due to a lack of personal boundaries
Constantly flirting with burnout
Frequently falling ill due to a lack of self-care
The character believing that their own opinions and ideas aren’t as important as other people’s

Scenarios That Might Awaken This Fear
Receiving a poor grade or performance assessment at work
Being asked to do a large or difficult task
The character learning that someone wasn’t happy with their work
Having to make a crucial decision—e.g., marriage, attending college, choosing a career
Being punished or penalized for making a mistake
Someone critical or harsh re-entering the character’s life
Getting invited to two events at the same time and having to choose one
Being asked or pressured to do something the character isn’t comfortable with
A significant other not appreciating a thoughtful gift

By BECCA PUGLISI

Source: writershelpingwriters.net

Visit us at First Edition Design Publishing

By Natalie Dale, MD

As a former physician, I get a lot of questions from other writers about medical aspects of their stories. And while every story is unique, there are a few mistakes writers seem to make over and over. Below are three of the most common mistakes, along with suggestions on how to avoid them.  

1. Passing Out from Blood Loss

The mistake:

Your character is injured in a fight and they’re losing blood, fast. Then the world goes black. They wake up some time later, woozy but otherwise fine, with a bandage slapped over the wound. 

Why it’s wrong:

If your character is bleeding out fast enough to pass out, they’re bleeding out fast enough to die. The average human contains about five liters (5L) of blood. The amount of blood they lose, and how fast they lose it, will dictate their symptoms.

• 10% blood loss (0.5L): Minimal symptoms
• 20% blood loss (1L): Anxiety, dizziness, and blacking out when going from lying down to standing up (called orthostatic hypotension)
• 30% blood loss (1.5L): Low blood pressure, racing pulse, and fast breathing rate, feeling woozy/drowsy, having difficulty focusing. Also called hemorrhagic shock.
• 40% blood loss (2L): Loss of consciousness
• 50% blood loss (2.5L): Death

It doesn’t take much to go from unconscious to dead. If you want your character to pass out from blood loss—and survive—they’ll need some sort of intervention to stop the bleeding. And no, slapping a bandage over the wound won’t cut it.

How to fix it:

Get your character medical care, such as surgery, blood products, and pressors, soon after they fall unconscious. If that isn’t possible, consider having them pass out from pain or from the sight of their own blood, rather than from the blood loss itself.

2. The Harmless Head Injury

The mistake:

Your protagonist has subdued her nemesis; all she must do now is get rid of him. But she’s the good guy—she can’t kill him. So, she knocks him unconscious instead. He wakes up an hour or so later with a mild headache and a burning desire for vengeance.

Why it’s wrong:

A hit to the head that causes unconsciousness is a traumatic brain injury, or TBI. TBIs are major injuries, with lasting consequences ranging from daily headaches to coma and death. Here’s a brief guide to the symptoms your character should exhibit based on the duration of their unconsciousness. 

• No loss of consciousness: Mild-moderate concussion. Concussion symptoms include headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears, trouble concentrating, short-term memory problems (posttraumatic amnesia), and behavior changes that last from several hours to a few weeks.
• Brief loss of consciousness (seconds to 30 minutes): Severe concussion or epidural hematoma, a potentially fatal type of brain bleed. If your character has a concussion, they will have severe concussive symptoms (see above) lasting days to months. If they have an epidural hematoma, your character will briefly pass out, then wake up and insist they’re fine. But watch out! As they continue to bleed into the space between their brain and skull, your character will get progressively drowsier and more incoherent, until they fall asleep. If they don’t get neurosurgery to stop the bleed, they’ll die.
• Up to 6 hours unconscious: Moderate TBI. Requires hospitalization and often ICU admission. After their hospitalization, your character will require weeks to months of intensive rehabilitation to recover. If your character doesn’t receive treatment, they may die.
• More than 6 hours unconscious: Severe TBI. Your character will require treatment in the ICU. If they survive—and many don’t—they will probably suffer from lifelong disability. Full recovery from a severe TBI is exceedingly rare.    

How to fix it:

Unfortunately, there is no safe way to instantaneously knock someone unconscious, keep them unconscious for any appreciable amount of time, then have them wake up and be totally fine. It’s a buzzkill, I know. But there are ways you can make it work.

• Hit them over the head and give them a concussion: If your story needs your character to be immediately knocked unconscious for a few minutes, you can get away with it. Just keep the duration of unconsciousness to under 30 minutes and give them signs of a concussion afterwards.
• Give a sedative: If your story needs a character to be knocked out for a while, consider giving them a sedative like midazolam (Versed). Intravenous (IV) administration would start working fastest but can’t be given quickly. Intramuscular (IM) injections, on the other hand, can be given in as little as 2-4 seconds. Because they’re so easy to give, IM sedatives are often used by paramedics and psychiatrists on severely agitated patients. Once injected, these medications will take 15-30 min to take effect, but once it does, the character will be reliably asleep for up to 90 minutes.

3. The Mythical “Medically Induced” Coma

The mistake:

Your character has been grievously injured, so they are put in a medically induced coma to heal. They’re on the brink of death and the family/police can’t talk to them, so no one really knows what happened. All they can do is wait and pray your character will be OK.

Why it’s wrong:

People aren’t put into comas to heal. In fact, therapeutic comas (the medical term for “medically-induced coma”) are used only in two very specific situations. But first, let’s talk definitions.

A coma is a prolonged state of unresponsiveness, meaning that your character isn’t responding at all to their environment. Coma isn’t a diagnosis; there are lots of things that can cause a coma, ranging from drug overdose to TBI. If your character is in a coma, it means their brain has suffered a big enough insult that it needed to shut down some of its most basic functions. The prognosis of a coma depends on both its cause and duration. But for the most part, if your character is in a coma, they are going to have a very long road to recovery.

A therapeutic coma is when doctors give your character medications to artificially depress brain function so completely that your character becomes comatose. Doing so is quite dangerous; your character will need to be intubated and put on a ventilator to breathe for them, and their vital signs—particularly blood pressure—will need to be closely monitored. Because it’s so dangerous, your character will only be put into a therapeutic coma if doctors need to shut down all brain activity. And there are only two reasons for this: unrelenting seizures (refractory status epilepticus) and increased pressure inside the skull (increased intracranial pressure) due to brain swelling, bleeding on the brain, or a fast-growing brain tumor. These conditions are exceedingly dangerous and have a terrible prognosis. If you want your character to fully recover from their injuries, I highly recommend avoiding the therapeutic coma.   

How to fix it:  

Luckily, there is an easy solution: ventilation and sedation.

If your character has been seriously injured, they might need to be put on a ventilator to help them breathe. Reasons for needing a ventilator range from traumatic chest injuries, like flail chest or pulmonary contusion, to pneumonia. Ventilators are notoriously uncomfortable—many people who’ve been on a ventilator get PTSD from the experience—and so ventilated patients are usually kept at least minimally sedated.

Unlike comas, the prognosis of recovery after sedation is excellent. The medications can be reversed or just given time to make their way out of your character’s system, and they’ll wake right up. Ventilation and sedation provide all the tension of a life-threatening injury—and the inability to communicate—without the horrible prognosis of the medically induced coma.

Final Thoughts

What we write matters. Though it may seem like nitpicking to insist that you sedate your character instead of putting them in a medically induced coma, or give your character symptoms of a concussion after their head injury, I assure you that it’s important. There are real people out there suffering from these conditions and how we, as writers, portray these conditions can make a real difference.

Source: writershelpingwriters.net

Visit us at First Edition Design Publishing

Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they’re a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health condition, or stem from a past wounding event, these fears influence a character’s behaviors, habits, beliefs, and personality traits. The compulsion to avoid what they fear will drive characters away from certain people, events, and situations and hold them back in life. 

In your story, this primary fear (or group of fears) will constantly challenge the goal the character is pursuing, tempting them to retreat, settle, and give up on what they want most. Because this fear must be addressed for them to achieve success, balance, and fulfillment, it plays a pivotal part in both character arc and the overall story.

This thesaurus explores the various fears that might be plaguing your character. Use it to understand and utilize fears to fully develop your characters and steer them through their story arc. Please note that this isn’t a self-diagnosis tool. Fears are common in the real world, and while we may at times share similar tendencies as characters, the entry below is for fiction writing purposes only.

Fear of Love

Notes
Being loved (and loving others) is a basic need that’s universal to all humans. Yet there are people who fear this kind of true connection and actively or subconsciously avoid it. This fear may emerge in the wake of past negative experiences with the people who should have loved the character most. It can also come about from witnessing harm done to others in the name of love.

What It Looks Like
Being the life of the party but not connecting with people on a deep level
Engaging in romantic relationships that don’t go anywhere
Avoiding any romantic relationships
Dodging deep and meaningful conversations with others
The character overworking themselves to avoid personal commitments
Retreating emotionally
Being inclined to distrust others
Being jaded about love (believing it’s a fallacy, it’s harmful, etc.)
Being harsh, hardened, or abrasive
Choosing unhealthy or toxic relationships
Picking fights to avoid intimacy
Engaging in negative coping behaviors, such as drug or alcohol abuse

Common Internal Struggles
Craving intimacy but being unable to allow themselves to be that vulnerable
Having powerful feelings for someone but being too afraid to act on them
Desiring close relationships but being unable to trust others
Wanting to open up to others but being too scared of disappointing them
The character desiring love but not if it means giving up their personal power
Experiencing flashbacks to past wounding events with people who were supposed to love them
The character knowing they should forgive an -ex for a past hurt but struggling to do so
Engaging in an endless loop of negative self-talk
Suffering with depression or dissociation

Flaws That May Emerge
Abrasive, Addictive, Antisocial, Cynical, Evasive, Hostile, Impulsive, Inattentive, Inhibited, Insecure, Irrational, Nervous, Oversensitive, Reckless, Self-Destructive, Timid, Uncommunicative, Violent, Volatile, Withdrawn, Workaholic

Hindrances and Disruptions to the Character’s Life
Consistently responding inappropriately to conflict (which results in more problems)
Potential relationships failing due to the character’s unconscious self-sabotage
Unrealistic partner expectations leading to disappointing relationships
The character being unable to express their needs and desires
Being viewed by others as superficial or emotionally unavailable
Engaging in unhealthy relationships because they feel “normal”
Living in isolation (having given up on love)
Ongoing substance abuse
Engaging in activities that temporarily satisfy a need for connection (joining clubs or volunteer groups, having a string of one-night stands, etc.)

Scenarios That Might Awaken This Fear
A romantic partner’s infidelity
Witnessing abuse (that reawakens memories of the character’s trauma or makes them leery of love)
Being rejected by a potential love interest
Losing a loved one through tragic circumstances
A gay character being rejected by their parents
Being abandoned by a partner, sibling, or guardian
The character’s parents divorcing
The character discovering that their spouse has a separate, secret family
The character being victimized by someone close to them
A romantic relationship progressing toward something significant (which makes the character uncomfortable)
Discovering a friendship wasn’t real—that the “friend” was using the character in some way

by BECCA PUGLISI

Source: writershelpingwriters.net

Visit us at First Edition Design Publishing

By Lisa Hall Wilson

Every one has emotional triggers – are you using this to increase the emotional tension in your story? Why not!?

What Does Your Character Think is Their Strength?

What does your character pride themselves on having, being, doing, possessing, needing, controlling, etc? Do they rest their identity in any of these things? Some common ones are: acceptance, respect, being liked, being needed, freedom, attention, being in control, autonomy, safety, etc. 

It could be a strength or aptitude that was reinforced when they were young. A child identified as gifted at a young age might place all their identity and self-worth in being smart, in being the smartest person in the room. How would they feel when faced with a new colleague who is smarter, faster, more innovative? What would that do to their self-confidence? 

This where personality plays into things. Would they react in anger and lash out, gossip, try to undermine the new colleague at every opportunity? Would they sink into shame and beat themselves up constantly? Would they become competitive and work themselves into the ground to maintain what they believe they’re owed or due?

A woman who’s always told how pretty she is might begin to expect that compliment from people, from men in particular. What thought takes root if that doesn’t happen? What emotions come to the fore if she’s in the room when another woman gets all the compliments and not her?

Emotional triggers are often linked to anything a character feels they’re really good at, that they deserve, something they see as their personal identity, or that they’re constantly striving for (feeling heard by a spouse for example).

What Does Your Character Value Most and Fears Having Taken Away?

This is where the primary and secondary emotions come into play. You can read more about that here – but to recap a primary emotion is an instinctive emotional response: fear, guilt, envy, jealousy, attraction. A secondary emotion is any emotion that requires a thinking response: love, anger, hatred, shame, etc. 

Anger and shame and love are always secondary emotions.

Some emotions can be either a primary or secondary emotion. For example, attraction can be an instinctive thing (a primary emotion), but it can also develop over time with familiarity (a secondary emotion).

An emotional trigger skips the primary emotion phase and jumps right to the thinking response – the secondary emotion. That’s why you can instantly be angry at something and not know why.

So, for example, I have a character with an emotional trigger of feeling high maintenance. If she perceives that people think she’s being high maintenance, too-big-for-her-britches, because it’s a learned response (one that she’s practiced many times) she skips right to feeling shame. The shame is what’s observable (showable in actions or dialogue). The shame is what I show when writing this emotional trigger.

What Emotions Are Activated When Key Needs Are or Aren’t Met?

Activated is another way to say triggered, but in this context it seems more descriptive. Once you’ve identified the feelings or fears that are emotional triggers for your character (and yes you can have more than one), figure out what emotions are activated when that situation crops up.

You have to think in terms of secondary emotions here. Do they immediately become angry? Are they riddled with shame? Do they feel loved? Remember, triggers don’t have to be negative!

Now, to manage or overcome an emotional trigger, an individual needs a good measure of self-awareness and humility. Then, as Brene Brown would say, they need to get curious. Why do they feel that way? What do they feel is at stake? 

How to Show and Not Tell an Emotional Trigger

In my Method Acting For Writers Masterclass, I talk about how primary emotions are usually felt and secondary emotions are usually seen. How does that play out?

Eliza’s husband is three hours later coming home than he said he’d be, without answering texts, emails or phone calls to explain the delay. Eliza has shipped the kids off to grandma’s for the night, prepared a nice dinner, and gotten all dressed up — as a surprise.

By the time hubs arrives home, Eliza has cleared the romantic setting from the table, put all the still-edible bits of food in the fridge, and Eliza’s changed out of the sexy outfit she’d been wearing into a terry bathrobe.

During the whole clean-up, her primary emotions are going wild. Frustration (feeling taken for granted). Concern (did something happen at work). Fear (was he in an accident). Jealousy (was there another woman). You’d show all these emotions colliding around inside through physiology, actions, and internal dialogue. 

Once hubs arrives home and is safe – oh, whoops – went out for drinks did I forget to text you? Now she has to DO something with these emotions so now she’s angry. But if Eliza had an emotional trigger of say… feeling in control, then not knowing where her hubs was when he was supposed to be at home would be a trigger for a secondary emotion. Having her well-thought-out plans for the surprise would be an emotional trigger. 

Emotional triggers can be powerful and effective, because they’re so often over-the-top emotional reactions. When your emotional triggers are activated, you’re not just angry — you’re livid. People can observe these night-and-day emotional hairpin turns. They seem to come out of nowhere if you’re not privy to what the trigger is.

Are you using emotional triggers in your novel?
What is your character afraid will be taken away or threatened? 

Source: writershelpingwriters.net

Visit us at First Edition Design Publishing

Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they’re a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health condition, or stem from a past wounding event, these fears influence a character’s behaviors, habits, beliefs, and personality traits. The compulsion to avoid what they fear will drive characters away from certain people, events, and situations and hold them back in life. 

In your story, this primary fear (or group of fears) will constantly challenge the goal the character is pursuing, tempting them to retreat, settle, and give up on what they want most. Because this fear must be addressed for them to achieve success, balance, and fulfillment, it plays a pivotal part in both character arc and the overall story.

This thesaurus explores the various fears that might be plaguing your character. Use it to understand and utilize fears to fully develop your characters and steer them through their story arc. Please note that this isn’t a self-diagnosis tool. Fears are common in the real world, and while we may at times share similar tendencies as characters, the entry below is for fiction writing purposes only.

Fear of Isolation

Notes
As social beings, it’s common for human beings to seek out others for support, companionship, or safety. But alone time is also important for people to be able to rest, reflect, and recharge. And no matter how social a character is, there will be times when they’re on their own and need to be comfortable with themselves as company. A character with a fear of isolation will struggle in these moments due to the intense discomfort that arises when they’re alone.

What It Looks Like
Having a large family
Pursuing a public career or one that requires the character to interface with others
Living in a highly populated area
Having an overly active social life
Always having a significant other
Being in multiple romantic relationships simultaneously
Flourishing in large groups of people
Being the one who coordinates get-togethers
Keeping the TV on all night as background noise
Working in an office rather than remotely
Calling people often to chat
Being the last one to leave the party
Making do with surface-level relationships when deeper ones aren’t available

Common Internal Struggles
Needing downtime to decompress but not wanting to be alone
Being stressed by a packed social calendar yet continuing to fill it
The character fearing their inner thoughts and emotions when they’re alone
The character fearing they cannot take care of themselves on their own
Negative thoughts and feelings taking over in the absence of other people
Feeling anxious, unsafe, or panicky when alone
Being assaulted by inner demons and bad memories when no one is around

Flaws That May Emerge
Abrasive, Addictive, Compulsive, Controlling, Frivolous, Impulsive, Insecure, Melodramatic, Needy, Obsessive, Possessive, Pushy, Self-Indulgent, Vain, Volatile, Workaholic

Hindrances and Disruptions to the Character’s Life
The character being unable to enjoy time alone and in their own company
Having more shallow friendships than deep and personal ones (because the character is flitting from one group of people to another)
Engaging romantically with people who aren’t a good fit simply because they’re available
Past pain going unresolved because the character won’t face it
Being over-scheduled
Using drugs, food, or alcohol when alone to combat anxiety
The character frequently annoying others by always intruding on their time
Suffering from exhaustion

Scenarios That Might Awaken This Fear
A horrible secret or memory surfacing during a quiet moment alone
Getting lost and being alone for longer than usual
Being dumped and having a lot of disposable time
A pandemic or environmental disaster triggering a lockdown or quarantine
Seeing someone suffering alone with the same issue that plagues the character (depression, anxiety, wrestling with a similar wounding event, etc.)
Plans falling through, leaving the character on their own

By BECCA PUGLISI

Source: writershelpingwriters.net

Visit us at First Edition Design Publishing

By Lisa Poisso

Vocabulary and the way a character speaks are the outer layer of character voice—the icing on the cake. Instead of trying to build character voice from the outside in, get under the character’s skin by revealing how they experience and interpret the story world from the inside out.

Character voice bubbles up organically when every aspect of the story is seen through a character’s-eye view of priorities, perspectives, and agendas. It’s less like cobbling together a latticework of characters, setting, and events than it is establishing a running commentary on how the character views everything caught in that web.

“Running commentary” may sound like something suited for first-person or deep third point of view. In fact, continually inflecting the story with a character’s personal concerns is a fit for any point of view whose narrator is also a character. It’s a seamless way to write. The character voice—with all its attendant observations, judgments, opinions, prejudices, preferences, thoughts, and emotions—effectively becomes your framework for worldbuilding.

The idea of character voice often brings to mind a character’s favorite words and phrases—for example, whether a character calls something neat, cool, lit, or dope. That’s coming at character voice from the outside in. To build character voice from the inside out, start with what the character observes in the first place.

1. What Characters Notice

What you know is inside a room will almost certainly be different from what the viewpoint character notices. What gets noticed depends on who does the noticing. Everyone sees the world through the lens of their own mindset, a potent brew of knowledge, experience, motivations, goals, preferences, hopes, fears …

A musician notes different qualities in a concert hall than an interior designer. A six-year-old child beelines right past the collection of R&B vinyl to get to the puppy. The best friend sees a comfy, lived-in nest while the exhausted mom sees dirty socks and a pile of bills on the counter.

This is where knowing your characters’ histories comes in handy. What memories and emotions are associated with the people, places, and things they meet?

TIP: For deep-level character exploration, there’s no better tool than the Character Builder at One Stop for Writers.

2. What Characters Think About What They Notice

Once you’ve worked out what a character would notice in any particular scene, it’s time to express that observation using their unique frame of reference.

Frame of reference is everything. To a character who spent summers at Grandma’s, it’s not simply the blue couch in the parlor; it’s Grandma’s sacred slab of dusty blue granite. To a carefree bachelor, it’s not a twelve-year-old girl; it’s a whiny tween suffering through Nikes instead of Yeezys.

This personal frame of reference often overtakes more logical, objective methods of description. Only narrators immediately know such details as another character’s exact height or age. The viewpoint character must make a guess: a woman so short he’d need to fold in half to kiss the top of her head, a guy about Mark’s age but with less gray hair.

It would be hard to get too specific with these judgments. People are opinionated. They have beliefs, and hopes, and prejudices about virtually everything they encounter. Don’t be afraid to be judgmental; you’re only letting your character out of the corral.

3. What Characters Are Stewing About

Most people have some sort of agenda at any given moment. What’s on the calendar for today?

This dynamic is supercharged for story characters, who are actively struggling toward specific scene and story goals. Like any of us facing a potentially eventful day, characters mentally and emotionally home in on their goals. Are they on the right track? Is today the day they’ll succeed? Or will all the cards come tumbling down?

Even the smallest actions, such as what a character chooses for breakfast, can be influenced by their goals for the day. If today’s the big presentation, will they eat a carefully balanced meal, pound a half dozen donuts, skip food to avoid nervous heaves, or forget about breakfast entirely? The way your character approaches these details reveals what they think is important.

Filling in the Blanks

Dialogue and thought, including vocabulary and syntax, are the external clothing of character voice. What does the character’s speech reveal about their upbringing, education, and experience? Will readers notice favorite words, phrases, or sayings? This characteristic language creates a neat, recognizable package for readers.

Just don’t forget what’s on the inside, as well.

Peering through a character’s lens into the world is often simpler to carry out after the first draft. Once all the story things are on the page, there’s more room to figure out how the character would view them.

At that point, it’s time to add color. How could you describe every person, place, and thing in a way that reveals something about how the character views it? What do those elements evoke for the character? Dialogue, description, backstory and facts, setting—virtually every element of the writing can be shaded through this personal lens.

Source: writershelpingwriters.net

Visit us at First Edition Design Publishing

Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they’re a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health condition, or stem from a past wounding event, these fears influence a character’s behaviors, habits, beliefs, and personality traits. The compulsion to avoid what they fear will drive characters away from certain people, events, and situations and hold them back in life. 

In your story, this primary fear (or group of fears) will constantly challenge the goal the character is pursuing, tempting them to retreat, settle, and give up on what they want most. Because this fear must be addressed for them to achieve success, balance, and fulfillment, it plays a pivotal part in both character arc and the overall story.

This thesaurus explores the various fears that might be plaguing your character. Use it to understand and utilize fears to fully develop your characters and steer them through their story arc. Please note that this isn’t a self-diagnosis tool. Fears are common in the real world, and while we may at times share similar tendencies as characters, the entry below is for fiction writing purposes only.

Fear of Mediocrity

Notes
The fear of mediocrity is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can drive the character to do their very best, rising to all occasions and overcoming the obstacles that stand in their way on the path to success. The dark side of this fear comes when it is based on external validation. Needing the admiration of their peers instead of basing their success and value on their uniqueness and areas of strength is a recipe for disaster.

What It Looks Like
The character being hyper-critical of themselves
Searching for purpose in life
Wanting to be extraordinary
Difficulty accepting criticism
Becoming anxious as deadlines approach
Being a perfectionist
The character comparing themselves unfairly to others
Needing external validation
Desiring superiority over others
Refusing to accept mediocrity in others
Having unrealistic expectations
The character basing their value on the opinions of others
Being envious of other people’s accomplishments
Being scared to take risks (because they could result in failure)
Being an overachiever
Having a large ego
Exhibiting narcissistic tendencies
Pointing out other people’s flaws (to counteract their feelings of inferiority)
Going to extremes to prove themselves (getting plastic surgery to improve their appearance, amassing debt to maintain a certain lifestyle, etc.)

Common Internal Struggles
Putting off a new endeavor or adventure for fear of criticism
Not choosing a desired career path because it’s too ordinary
The character wrestling with depression when they fall short of a goal
Feeling demeaned at the slightest criticism
Berating themselves over simple mistakes
Becoming resentful when they don’t receive recognition they feel is warranted
Being overwhelmed with self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy

Flaws That May Emerge
Controlling, Extravagant, Haughty, Impulsive, Insecure, Irrational, Jealous, Judgmental, Know-It-All, Materialistic, Needy, Oversensitive, Perfectionist, Pretentious, Resentful, Self-Destructive, Self-Indulgent, Selfish, Vain, Workaholic

Hindrances and Disruptions to the Character’s Life
Being dissatisfied with significant accomplishments
Constantly being plagued with self-doubt about their abilities
The character living below their potential because they’re afraid to take risks
Needing the praise of people the character admires before they can claim success
Being unfulfilled socially or relationally because the character is focused on achieving goals
Always feeling second-best because the character is comparing themselves to others and coming up short
Frequently burning out

Scenarios That Might Awaken This Fear
Being eclipsed by a successful sibling
The character not winning a competition or contest
Being told they will never amount to anything
Being passed over for a promotion
Seeing an ex-partner with someone the character perceives to be better in some way than the character
Observing someone being showered with accolades and desiring the same
Being assigned a ho-hum role or project where there is no chance to shine
Being teamed up with a partner who is superior to the character (in an area of giftedness, with other people, etc.)

By BECCA PUGLISI

Source: writershelpingwriters.net

Visit us at First Edition Design Publishing

Debilitating fears are a problem for everyone, an unfortunate part of the human experience. Whether they’re a result of learned behavior as a child, are related to a mental health condition, or stem from a past wounding event, these fears influence a character’s behaviors, habits, beliefs, and personality traits. The compulsion to avoid what they fear will drive characters away from certain people, events, and situations and hold them back in life. 

In your story, this primary fear (or group of fears) will constantly challenge the goal the character is pursuing, tempting them to retreat, settle, and give up on what they want most. Because this fear must be addressed for them to achieve success, balance, and fulfillment, it plays a pivotal part in both character arc and the overall story.

This thesaurus explores the various fears that might be plaguing your character. Use it to understand and utilize fears to fully develop your characters and steer them through their story arc. Please note that this isn’t a self-diagnosis tool. Fears are common in the real world, and while we may at times share similar tendencies as characters, the entry below is for fiction writing purposes only.

Fear of Humiliation

Notes
Humiliation is similar to embarrassment, but it tends to have a public angle, occurring in front of a group of people or friends. The resulting unpleasant emotion is one your character will naturally want to avoid; experiencing it enough could create a fear for the character that causes them to go to great lengths to avoid potentially humiliating situations. Closely related to this is a fear of public speaking, which will be added to our thesaurus soon.

What It Looks Like
Being easily embarrassed
The character overcompensating to prove their worth
Disassociating from persons who have caused humiliation in the past
Avoiding people who witnessed a past humiliation
Being suspicious of certain people and their motives
Becoming antisocial
Being reluctant to meet new people
Taking remarks out of context (assuming humiliation was intended when it wasn’t)
Being overly cautious about not tripping, saying the wrong thing, etc.
Declining social or work opportunities where a public mistake or failure is possible
Excessive worrying about making a blunder
Staying in the background to avoid slipping up in front of others
Downplaying accomplishments or skills to avoid attention
Not becoming romantically involved with others (to keep from being turned down)
The character engaging in self-deprecating humor—making fun of themselves before others have a chance to do so

Common Internal Struggles
Having trust issues
The character feeling paranoid that someone is out to get them
Struggling with perfectionism
Wanting to build relationships and new friendships but fearing what may happen
Assuming the worst will happen despite knowing how unlikely it is
Wanting to run away from a humiliating situation instead of dealing with it head-on
Wondering if the humiliation was justified (self-blame)
Self-loathing undermining the character’s self-esteem
Feeling like there is no escape (if humiliation is frequent and ongoing, maybe as a result of bullying)
Growing feelings of resentment causing the character to consider seeking revenge

Flaws That May Emerge
Antisocial, Defensive, Gullible, Haughty, Inhibited, Insecure, Martyr, Melodramatic, Morbid, Needy, Nervous, Oversensitive, Paranoid, Perfectionist, Pessimistic, Suspicious, Timid, Withdrawn, Worrywart

Hindrances and Disruptions to the Character’s Life
Missing out on good opportunities because they include an element of risk or a possibility of public embarrassment
The character lashing out at perceived humiliation where none was intended, causing problems in relationships
Lingering anger over past humiliations causing the character to be stuck—unable to move past the event
Avoiding places or situations where past indignities occurred
Developing a physical tic or pain from a severe humiliation in the past
The fear of humiliation progressing into an anxiety or panic disorder

Scenarios That Might Awaken This Fear
Being set up on a blind date
Having to walk in front of a group of people or down a flight of stairs to make an entrance
The character having to work with a person who once humiliated them
Someone bringing up a humiliating event from the character’s past
Having to revisit the site of a humiliating event
Seeing someone else’s embarrassing blunder on social media, TV, or in person
Being pressured by a loved one or mentor to do something that carries an element of risk
The character’s feelings about a humiliating event being minimized by others

By BECCA PUGLISI

Source: writershelpingwriters.net

Visit us at First Edition Design Publishing