Crafting authentic hurt characters is challenging. A well-written hurt character doesn’t just evoke sympathy—they resonate with readers, leaving a lasting impact. In this article, we’ll explore five important and practical tips to help you bring these characters to life, ensuring their struggles and growth feel real and relatable. Continue reading along!
Know The Source of Their Pain
To write realistic hurt characters, you need to know why they are hurting. That's why you must dig deep and get to know who they are and what pains them. While their pain may stem from multiple events and not just one experience, you still need to understand them. Once you have uncovered what is the source of their pain, let it influence their behavior, thoughts, and interactions. Even if you don't share all the details with your readers, knowing them yourself will help create a 3D character. Listed below are 10 possible pain-inducing events for your characters.
The Death of a Parent
The Death of a Sibling
A Friendship Betrayal
A Housefire
A Divorce
Having to Kill to Survive
A Home Invasion
Being Bullied
A Break-Up
Being Raised by Neglectful Parents
Write an In-Depth Backstory
Relating to the previous point, you must give your characters (both hurt and not) a detailed backstory. A detailed backstory is essential for crafting authentic characters, as it shapes their motivations, personality, and emotional depth. A hurt character, for example, may avoid certain relationships due to past betrayals, while a determined one might be driven by a childhood spent in poverty. Overall, consider how your character's upbringing, relationships, and defining moments influence their worldview and self.
Consider Their Mindset
Considering the mindset of your hurt characters is critical because their internal thoughts and beliefs often shape how they perceive and interact with the world around them. Pain often distorts your perspective, leading to you making decisions based on fear, mistrust, or self-doubt. That is why understanding the mindsets of your hurt characters helps you portray their reactions authentically—whether it's lashing out, withdrawing, or striving to protect themselves from further pain. By exploring their mindset, you can craft nuanced, relatable characters whose journeys resonate deeply with your readers!
Show Don't Tell
It's crucial that you show rather than tell. "Showing" keeps your readers actively involved with the story rather than watching it from the sidelines. Simply put, instead of explaining the elements of a story, showing lets readers be transported into the novel. Telling separates readers from the story and won't engage them. So, instead of directly stating "They were hurt," you should demonstrate their pain through actions and subtle cues. Maybe they avoid eye contact, have trouble trusting others, or use humor as a defense mechanism. Small gestures—like gripping the edge of a table during a conversation—can communicate a ton about their inner turmoil. For more tips on showing instead of telling, click on the button below.
Balance The Pain With Hope
Lastly, while your character's hurt and pain may shape who they are and what they believe in, it should in no way define them entirely. That is why make sure you show glimpses of them being resilient and having moments of joy and healing. This will not only create emotional depth but it will also keep your character’s arc engaging and inspiring.
While pain is a universal human experience it manifests in different ways for different individuals. That's why to create believable characters, you need to dive into their emotions and mindsets to understand how their pain shapes their thoughts, actions, and relationships.
Comments