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 will hold your character back in the story and affect how they see themselves and the world. Below is a sample of the entry found in our Fear Thesaurus at One Stop for Writers. To access the full entry and the full range of topics in this powerful show-don’t-tell THESAURUS database, start a free trial.
The Fear of Being a Burden to Others
Notes
A character who doesn’t want to put their needs—emotional, mental, physical, etc.—on others can develop a fear of becoming a burden to the people in their lives. This can become problematic when the character needs help but doesn’t seek or accept it, or when they shut themselves off from everyone else, trying to be completely self-reliant.
What It Looks Like
Valuing autonomy and independence
Being a hard worker
The character doing things themselves instead of asking for help
…
Common Internal Struggles
Always being burdened with a heavy weight of responsibility
Needing help but not being able to ask for it
Struggling with perfectionism
…
Flaws That May Emerge
Dishonest, Inhibited, Perfectionist, Stubborn, Subservient, Uncommunicative, Uncooperative
Hindrances and Disruptions to the Character’s Life
Having to deal with difficulties on their own
Being viewed by others as stubborn and difficult
Trading companionship and community for self-reliance
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Scenarios That Might Awaken This Fear
The character going through something traumatic with no one to support them
Developing a condition that requires a caretaker
Aging and requiring support from loved ones
…
Other Fear Thesaurus entries can be found here.
Fear is a Crucial Piece of Your Character’s Arc
A character’s fear is defining, determining who they are at the start of your story and what they’ll have to overcome to succeed in the end. Don’t overlook or underestimate this vital piece of the character’s arc. Unearth their greatest fear at One Stop for Writers.
The Fear Thesaurus is part of the largest, fiction-specific description database available.
Access it here.
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Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.