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.
Hope
Notes
Hope encourages people and characters to try new things, take on challenges, and believe that things will get better. But multiple disappointments and experiences can create a fear of hope, with the character being reluctant to look forward to anything. This fear can make it difficult for them to work toward improving their situation and could make optimism a thing of the past.
What It Looks Like
Being reconciled to the status quo
Not expecting circumstances to improve
Expressing skepticism when positive things happen: It’ll never last, etc….
Common Internal Struggles
Wanting certain circumstances to be better but truly believing there’s nothing the character can do to change them
Being unable to move beyond past disappointments, no matter how much they want to
The mind always jumping to worst-case scenarios…
Flaws That May Emerge
Abrasive, Apathetic, Cynical, Defensive, Foolish, Impatient, Impulsive, Indecisive, Insecure, Martyr, Melodramatic, Nervous, Paranoid, Pessimistic, Timid, Withdrawn
Hindrances and Disruptions to the Character’s Life
Missing out on career opportunities because it would have been pointless to reach for them
Staying stuck in a dead-end, toxic, or unsafe situation because the character doesn’t believe there’s anything better for them
Being unable to pursue a dream that would provide fulfillment …
Scenarios That Might Awaken This Fear
Wanting to take a step towards a dream, but there’s a risk of failure involved (submitting a manuscript to an editor, asking someone out, etc.)
A situation with high stakes being forced on the character (being sued, being falsely accused of a crime, etc.)
Working towards a goal and getting knocked down (trying to reconcile with someone who refused to forgive the character, having another miscarriage, etc.)…
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.
