What about giving your character a fear? Fears are often debilitating and defining. I found a great website that lists fears, probably all the ones known to mankind.
For instance, if you have a character with ablutophobia, the fear of washing or bathing, it will really define them. First of all, they'll stink like hell. They don't buy soap. They don't have many friends, although flies love them, and they probably rarely leave their house.
If your character has botanophobia, the fear of plants, they probably live in the city, in a highrise and all their friends know, when they're shot, not to bring them flowers in the hospital. Although, they may not mind flowers on the coffin. I wonder, would they even want to be buried? It's kinda plant-like...
Here are a few of my other favorites:
- Alliumphobia- Fear of garlic. (Aren't these people called vampires?)
- Allodoxaphobia- Fear of opinions. (I know some with this problem...)
- Amnesiphobia- Fear of amnesia. (Well, would you remember anyway?)
- Anablephobia- Fear of looking up.
- Androphobia- Fear of men. (Also known as women.)
- Anglophobia- Fear of England or English culture, etc. (ha, ha, ha... I mean, that's too bad.)
- Aphenphosmphobia- Fear of being touched. (Haphephobia) (My husband says I suffer from this. I think it's because he suffers from ablutophobia. Just joking, dear.)
6 comments:
Great post.
I never thought about adding fears.
I feel a little inept sometimes reading blogs where writers talk so specifically about how and why they create characters. Mine just spring up from the story? I usually sit down and start writing, and pretty soon the story is filled with people. I never feel I created them, and I don't put much time into plotting.
A certain weakness!
I don't write plot-driven books so much as character-driven? That might be part of the difference, but really I'm just exceedingly instinctual. I do - and then I think.
Oh, your blog is looking great, btw. I love the header. :)
Thanks, Corra, for both comments. I'm slowly making the blog the way I want it.
ann
Hum...I've never considered a fear either. I usually keep asking myself "why"? Why do they behave a certain way. Why do they avoid particular people and situation, etc.
Thanks for the website.
Hello, Dana. Glad you like the website. I try to come up with ways to improve on my characters all the time.
ann
Lovely blog you have heere
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