Root your characters in reality by giving them an authentic wound that causes difficulties and prompts them to strive for inner growth to overcome it. With its easy-to-read format and over 100 entries, The Emotional Wound Thesaurus is a crash course in psychology for creating characters that feel incredibly real to readers. Whether you’re trying to figure out what this important event might be for your character or you’re looking for concrete information on a specific experience, the following entries might come in handy for you.
CRIME AND VICTIMIZATION
A Carjacking
A Home Invasion
A Physical Assault
Being Held Captive
Being Sexually Violated
Being Stalked (Click to view!)
Being Treated as Property
Being Victimized by a Perpetrator Who Was Never Caught
Identity Theft
Witnessing a Murder
DISABILITIES AND DISFIGUREMENTS
A Learning Disability
A Physical Disfigurement
A Speech Impediment
A Traumatic Brain Injury
Battling a Mental Disorder
Being So Beautiful It’s All People See
Falling Short of Society’s Physical Standards
Infertility
Living With Chronic Pain or Illness
Losing a Limb
Losing One of the Five Senses
Sexual Dysfunction
Social Difficulties
FAILURES AND MISTAKES
Accidentally Killing Someone (Click to View!)
Bearing the Responsibility for Many Deaths
Being Legitimately Incarcerated for a Crime
Caving to Peer Pressure
Choosing Not to Be Involved in a Child’s Life
Cracking Under Pressure
Declaring Bankruptcy
Failing at School
Failing to Do the Right Thing
Failing to Save Someone’s Life
Making a Very Public Mistake
Poor Judgment Leading to Unintended Consequences
INJUSTICE AND HARDSHIP
An Abuse of Power
Becoming Homeless for Reasons Beyond One’s Control
Being Bullied
Being Falsely Accused of a Crime
Being Fired or Laid Off
Being Forced to Keep a Dark Secret
Being Forced to Leave One’s Homeland
Being the Victim of a Vicious Rumor
Being Unfairly Blamed for Someone’s Death
Experiencing Poverty
Living Through Civil Unrest
Living Through Famine or Drought
Prejudice or Discrimination
Unrequited Love
Wrongful Imprisonment
MISPLACED TRUST AND BETRAYALS
A Sibling’s Betrayal
A Toxic Relationship
Abandonment Over an Unexpected Pregnancy
Being Disappointed by a Role Model
Being Disowned or Shunned
Being Let Down by a Trusted Organization or Social System
Being Rejected by One’s Peers
Childhood Sexual Abuse by a Known Person
Discovering a Partner’s Sexual Orientation Secret
Discovering a Sibling’s Abuse
Domestic Abuse
Financial Ruin Due to a Spouse’s Irresponsibility
Finding Out One Was Adopted
Finding Out One’s Child Was Abused
Getting Dumped
Having One’s Ideas or Work Stolen
Incest
Infidelity
Learning That One’s Parent Had a Second Family
Learning That One’s Parent Was a Monster
Losing a Loved One Due to a Professional’s Negligence
Misplaced Loyalty
Telling the Truth But Not Being Believed (Click to view!)
SPECIFIC CHILDHOOD WOUNDS
A Nomadic Childhood
A Parent’s Abandonment or Rejection
Becoming a Caregiver at an Early Age
Being Raised by a Narcissist
Being Raised by an Addict
Being Raised by Neglectful Parents
Being Raised by Overprotective Parents
Being Raised by Parents Who Loved Conditionally
Being Sent Away as a Child
Being the Product of Rape
Experiencing the Death of a Parent as a Child or Youth
Growing Up in a Cult
Growing Up in Foster Care
Growing Up in the Public Eye
Growing Up in the Shadow of a Successful Sibling
Growing Up With a Sibling’s Disability or Chronic Illness
Having a Controlling or Overly Strict Parent
Having Parents Who Favored One Child Over Another
Living in a Dangerous Neighborhood
Living in an Emotionally Repressed Household
Living With an Abusive Caregiver
Not Being a Priority Growing Up
Witnessing Violence at a Young Age
TRAUMATIC EVENTS
A Child Dying on One’s Watch
A House Fire
A Life-Threatening Accident
A Loved One’s Suicide
A Miscarriage or Stillbirth
A Natural or Man-Made Disaster
A Parent’s Divorce
A School Shooting
A Terminal Illness Diagnosis
A Terrorist Attack
Being Humiliated by Others
Being Tortured
Being Trapped in a Collapsed Building
Being Trapped With a Dead Body
Divorcing One’s Spouse
Getting Lost in a Natural Environment
Giving Up a Child for Adoption
Having an Abortion
Having to Kill to Survive
Losing a Loved One to a Random Act of Violence
The Death of One’s Child
Watching Someone Die
Buy the book in print and ebook or PDF formats
More about this writing guide
How to practice self-care when writing about emotional wounds
