Hi, CG! We are planning on adding the Wounds Thesaurus to One Stop at some point, but it will take some time to make that happen. We have to finish the thesaurus at Writers Helping Writers first, then it will be added to One Stop as part of a scheduled update, once we’ve had time to format it for that site. Our first update at One Stop will be happening sometime in the spring, so the Wound Thesaurus will have to wait until the next one, at the least. I’m sorry for the delay; it just takes some time and planning to roll them over.

That is such an insightful way to put it, Leslie–real life or fiction, this applies.

This is wonderful for people who easily access their rational thinking brain rather than their emotional one. Those people can sometimes be fantastic at the mechanical aspects of writing and especially plot. However, understanding a character’s cause and effect-showing who they have become as a result of their experiences, is absolutely integral to story.

I think this is also relevant for those of us who think we understand emotional responses, a great reference.

Thanks for creating this useful series, and this excellent resource!

Fortunately, my sisters, my mom and I were all open to therapy. In fact we were all eager to find a way to mend the wrongs of our past. I know that this doesn’t often occur in dysfunctional families so I recognize how blessed we are. When we had our own children and saw how close all of the cousins were and how there was nothing they wouldn’t do for each other, we realized that we wanted a closer sibling relationship and one that was true, real and authentic. We’d been to therapist over the years, but the result was nothing more than a bandaid. Once we all recognized our responsibility for what was wrong with our relationship and we all committed to finding a way to make it better, we finally found real help and we are truly close now. Even though we have worked through the past trauma, I still sense and feel the fears and anxiety seeping into situations, but we try to call each other on it, before it festers into something uncontrollable, and we work it out. We are fortunate that we were able to forgive one another and work together and alone to atone for our past behaviors. We worked hard to find a way to respect and cherish one another. Sadly, it took a second brother’s death to make us work toward this goal.

I just wanted to commend you on how well you have explained this wound. You really got it … all of it. Thank you.

Melissa Sugar
@msugar13
http://melissasugarwrites.com

“Simultaneously, she’s always trying to create the family she didn’t have”

Nicole, if I could offer a bit of feedback from a personal perspective, her truest desire is to have the family that she didn’t have, and guilt is why she runs away. What makes us better at writing is the ability to write what we know from our experiences, which in turn, gives our characters real life, whether it be a tragedy or an accomplishment. Don’t avoid finding yourself even in the negative traits; ask yourself, what could possibly happen to me to make me react or respond in a way that would force me to exhibit this negative trait. When your imagination takes off and you can’t keep up, find a voice recorder and keep it in your back pocket.

So glad this helps. 🙂 I think it is natural we see ourselves a bit in the Positive and Negative Trait thesaurus books, simply because good fiction and compelling characters should always mirror real life–that’s how we draw readers in and create characters who feel authentic and real. Putting bits of yourself into each character (behaviors, mannerisms, feelings, backstory) will really make them come alive. Happy writing!