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.
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
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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
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Other Fear Thesaurus entries can be found here.
Fear is a Crucial Piece of Your Character’s Arc
Because fear plays such a pivotal role in storytelling and character growth, we’ve expanded this collection and published it as a book that you can easily use as you write. The Fear Thesaurus helps authors understand the psychology behind 80 common fears and use them to create believable struggles, meaningful conflict, and powerful arcs.
For more information on this book and where it can be found, please visit our bookstore. You can also view the book at Goodreads to see what other authors are saying about it.
