When you're writing a character, it's important to know why she is the way she is. Knowing her backstory is important to achieving this end, and one of the most impactful pieces of a character's backstory is her emotional wound. This negative experience from the past is so intense that a character … [Read more...] about Emotional Wounds Entry: Victimization via Identity Theft
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Emotional Wounds Entry: Watching A Loved One Die
When you're writing a character, it's important to know why she is the way she is. Knowing her backstory is important to achieving this end, and one of the most impactful pieces of a character's backstory is her emotional wound. This negative experience from the past … [Read more...] about Emotional Wounds Entry: Watching A Loved One Die
10 Reasons Why Your Hero Needs Flaws
When we see the word Hero or Heroine, we think heroic, which is ironic because our protagonists are usually anything but at the start of a story. Instead they are often jaded, lost, or incomplete in some way, toting along a collection of flaws and false beliefs about the world and themselves. But … [Read more...] about 10 Reasons Why Your Hero Needs Flaws
Understanding Character Wounds: A List Of Common Themes
Characters are the heart of a novel, and within that heart is the Hero’s Inner Journey. The protagonist’s path is much like yours or mine--one that will (hopefully) bring him closer to lifelong happiness and fulfillment. In real life, people strive to become something more, to be something … [Read more...] about Understanding Character Wounds: A List Of Common Themes
Five Reasons to Identify Your Character’s Wounding Event
As human beings, we’re all products of our past; good and bad, our experiences have formed us into who we are. The same should be true of our characters. One way to make them really believable and memorable is to dig into their backgrounds and unearth those defining moments so we’ll better … [Read more...] about Five Reasons to Identify Your Character’s Wounding Event
Fear Thesaurus Entry: Hope
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 … [Read more...] about Fear Thesaurus Entry: Hope
Use Conflict to Target a Character’s Soft Spots
Conflict is a key story ingredient, one we need a lot of, but this doesn't mean quantity is better than quality. Fiction isn’t a video game; waves of bad guys with guns won't keep readers tuned in for long. They expect to see a variety of conflict, including meaningful problems that deepen the … [Read more...] about Use Conflict to Target a Character’s Soft Spots
The Conflict Thesaurus Volume 2 Master List of Entries
Every story should have plenty of tension and conflict. This doesn't mean a non-stop barrage of car bombs and serial killers waiting in the pantry, though. Writers should choose conflict carefully, placing problems and obstacles in a character's path to force them to make hard decisions, sacrifice … [Read more...] about The Conflict Thesaurus Volume 2 Master List of Entries
5 Ways Trauma Makes Your Character an Unreliable Narrator
Trauma is defined as anything that’s overwhelming or unpleasant that causes long-term mental or emotional problems. It rewires the brain and causes disordered thinking. So, if you’re looking for a way to SHOW a character’s trauma background, the WHY behind poor choices, and irrational behaviour, use … [Read more...] about 5 Ways Trauma Makes Your Character an Unreliable Narrator
Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Stalker & Target
Trigger warning on this one. Please practice self care. Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it's important to craft them carefully. But characters don't usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they'll live, work, play, and fight with … [Read more...] about Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Stalker & Target
Identifying your Character’s Fatal Flaw
Good characters are often broken characters. They’ve been wounded, and the last thing they want is to be hurt in that particular way again, so they adopt new behaviors—emotional shielding—that are meant to protect them. They believe this shielding will keep them from harm, but these new habits … [Read more...] about Identifying your Character’s Fatal Flaw
Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Treasure Hunter
Jobs are as important for our characters as they are for real people. A character's career might be their dream job or one they've chosen due to necessity. In your story, they might be trying to get that job or are already working in the field. Whatever the situation, as with any defining aspect for … [Read more...] about Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Treasure Hunter