Character Secret Thesaurus: Making a Black Market Purchase

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain hidden?

This is some of the important information you need to know about your character’s secrets—and they will have secrets, because everyone does. They’re thorny little time bombs composed of fear, deceit, stress, and conflict that, when detonated, threaten to destroy everything the character holds dear.

So, of course, you should assemble them. And we can’t wait to help.

This thesaurus provides brainstorming fodder for a host of secrets that could plague your character. Use it to explore possible secrets, their underlying causes, how they might play into the overall story, and how to realistically write a character who is hiding them—all while establishing reader empathy and interest.

For instance, let’s see what it might look like if your character…

Made a Black Market Purchase

ABOUT THIS SECRET: A black-market purchase usually stems from desperation or a lack of options—both, compelling motivators. It could also be an option for someone who’s used to working in the shadows or has an antagonism for authority. Whether the purchase is an organ, contraband, a baby, or something else, the buyer will usually be compelled to keep others from finding out.

SPECIFIC FEARS THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: A Loved One Dying, Abandonment, Being Attacked, Being Capable of Harm, Being Judged, Being Separated from Loved Ones, Being Taken Advantage of, Being Unsafe, Being Watched, Betrayal, Conflict, Criticism, Death, Government, Letting Others Down, Losing Autonomy, Losing Financial Security, Losing One’s Social Standing, Losing the Respect of Others, Rejection, Sickness

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Diverting energy and resources from personal or professional growth to covering their tracks
Experiencing side effects from buying unregulated health or food products
Paying a premium and going into debt to buy a product that ends up being substandard (and being unable to get their money back)

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
The character quickly acquiring the needed item after being unable to get it through any available channel
Fabricating receipts, paperwork, or other documentation to legitimize the purchase
Using intermediaries or third parties to make the purchase

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Developing a fascination with illegal purchases that becomes a habit and draws attention
Frequently associating with shady characters or hanging out in “underground” environments

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE 
Learning of the negative impacts of the transaction on others—e.g. learning someone was murdered to harvest the purchased organ
Being questioned by authorities in an investigation on black-market activities
Being contacted by the seller while the character is with others
Being exposed in a raid of the black-market network that reveals their contact details and purchase

Other Secret Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

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