The Character House, Pt. 3: First Floor Fears

If you’re looking for a tool to help you create a cast of well-rounded characters, the Character House is here to help!

Just as the basement walls support the first floor, characters’ beliefs influence their fears and goals. (When I use the term “first floor,” I mean the floor itself, not the walls. The walls represent the character’s dialogue and actions, which we’ll discuss in future posts.)

This post will explore character fears, while the next post will discuss character goals.

Why Are Character Fears Important?

Everyone is afraid of something. Spiders, failure, drowning, rejection, fire, public speaking—the list of possible fears is as varied as human beings themselves.

Realistic characters should have fears—people, places, things, emotions, or situations that they avoid at all costs. Readers will connect with characters who battle fear and become stronger in the process.

How to Develop Character Fears

External fears are tangible objects, such as fire, water, heights, spiders, sharks, and small spaces. By contrast, internal fears are concepts and situations, such as failure, rejection, betrayal, and abandonment. A list of internal fears can be found at One Stop for Writers.

Deep, emotional internal fears can make your characters more relatable. Likewise, external fears can humanize characters by giving them relatable quirks.

Your character’s external fear might connect to an internal fear. For instance, if a character lost a loved one in a fire, the external fear (fire) might stem from an internal fear (losing a loved one).

1. Start with what you know.

If you know your character accidentally caused a car accident on a rainy day, the character may develop a fear of driving in the rain (external fear), hurting others (internal fear), or both.

You can also start with a known personality trait and brainstorm what fears produced those tendencies. If your character tends to take foolish risks to fit in with others, this habit may indicate a fear of rejection. If your character refuses to swim, this avoidance may reveal a fear of water.

If you already know your character’s fear, you can use the fear to brainstorm other components of the Character House, such as the backstory. A character with a fear of failure may have previously failed in a way that hurt many people.

(Note: Sometimes characters will be afraid of bugs or darkness for no apparent reason. In these cases, internal fears can provide the depth that external fears lack.)

2. Consider the character’s beliefs.

The backstory wound causes the character to adopt a false belief (Lie), which often results in a fear. A character who has experienced abandonment (backstory wound) may believe, “I’m not worthy of love” (Lie), which could lead to a fear of rejection.

3. Give your characters multiple fears.

Well-developed characters often have multiple fears, not just one, that connect to a common struggle. In The Time Travel Team: The Great Historic Mystery, Tyme’s main fear is failure, but she’s also afraid of letting others down, being rejected for her flaws, and not living up to the standard set by her ancestor, Isaac Newton. All these internal fears stem from Tyme’s struggle with perfectionism.

How to Show Character Fears

1. Show fears through behavior.

Don’t tell us, “Jason was afraid of fire.” Instead, show him refusing to go near a bonfire. Show him smelling candle smoke and remembering the house fire that killed his brother. Other characters might say that the flames of a fireplace danced, but Jason might say they writhed. This word choice connotes danger and fear.

In A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes, all citizens have clocks counting down to their death. With only one year left to live, Parvin’s fear of wasting her life motivates her to take audacious risks in an attempt to leave a legacy. Parvin’s actions stem from her fear and propel the plot of her story.

People often hide fear with different emotions. A character who fears losing loved ones might grow increasingly nervous when her husband fails to return her call. Once he returns late, the character might cover her fear with anger, feign indifference, or make jokes to distract herself.

2. Show fears through strengths and flaws.

A character who fears losing control may become disciplined and responsible but also strict, domineering, and argumentative. When characters display both positive and negative traits, they become more realistic and well-rounded.

People with the same fear often display contrasting reactions to that fear. If Hannah, Connor, and Nate are all afraid of failure, their different reactions can demonstrate their distinctive personalities. Maybe Hannah becomes a perfectionist to keep herself from failing. Perhaps Connor hides his fear by arrogantly criticizing others to keep the blame off himself. And maybe Nate purposely underachieves to avoid disappointment.

Character Fears Are Nothing to Fear

Character fears can create story conflict, portray relatable struggles, and build a connection with the audience. Just as the basement supports the first floor, you can brainstorm fears by considering backstory, beliefs, and other known traits. Once you pinpoint what your characters fear, you can show these fears through actions, strengths, flaws, and arcs.

Audiences love seeing characters face daunting trials until they’re no longer controlled by the fears that once ruled their lives. These triumphant stories equip readers with the courage they need to battle their own real-life giants.

What are your characters’ fears?