In a post on Writer Unboxed, Kathleen McCleary says that how our characters encounter and handle their deepest fears can reveal the essence of their personality. “One of the keys to writing fiction is to put our characters in terrible situations, circumstances in which they must confront their greatest fears, their deepest insecurities, the rawest versions of themselves,” she says. “And those moments, of course, are the turning points that shape them from that point on. What do they do? Who do they become?”
McCleary suggests a few things to consider:
- Expect the unexpected. When you force your characters to confront serious fears, prepare to be surprised by their responses. “When thrust into terrifying situations, people are often braver, more scared, stronger, weaker, more rigid, or more resilient than expected, and sometimes they’re several contradictory things at once,” McCleary says.
- Death isn’t always the worst thing that can happen. Sometimes, characters may decide that death would be preferable to alternatives, such as causing harm to a loved one, losing honor or reputation, or failing to live a meaningful life.
- Courage is messy. The anticipation of fear can change our personalities as much as the actual confrontation of it. Does your character become indecisive, paralyzed, cowardly, or cruel? Fear changes our perception; it can bring out our worst selves,” McCleary says.
