Character Secret Thesaurus: Doubting One’s Faith

What secret is your character keeping? Why are they safeguarding it? What’s at stake if it’s discovered? Does it need to come out at some point, or should it remain hidden?

This is some of the important information you need to know about your character’s secrets—and they will have secrets, because everyone does. They’re thorny little time bombs composed of fear, deceit, stress, and conflict that, when detonated, threaten to destroy everything the character holds dear.

So, of course, you should assemble them. And we can’t wait to help.

This thesaurus provides brainstorming fodder for a host of secrets that could plague your character. Use it to explore possible secrets, their underlying causes, how they might play into the overall story, and how to realistically write a character who is hiding them—all while establishing reader empathy and interest.

For instance, let’s see what it might look like if your character…

Is Doubting Their Faith

ABOUT THIS SECRET: When someone starts doubting their faith, it can leave them feeling unmoored. In addition to their inner turmoil, they may face disbelief, anger, and rejection from friends and family members, and even excommunication, leaving them unsupported as they work out new beliefs that align with their values. In extremist faith communities, keeping this process a secret is imperative since even voicing doubts or criticisms might endanger the character’s life.

SPECIFIC FEARS THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: Being Attacked, Being Judged, Being Labeled, Being Separated from Loved Ones, Being Unsafe, Betrayal, Certain Kinds of People, Change, Conditional Love, Conflict, Criticism, Death, Discrimination, Humiliation, Isolation, Letting Others Down, Losing One’s Heritage or Cultural Identity, Losing One’s Social Standing, Losing the Respect of Others, Not Fitting in, Persecution, Rejection

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Feeling as if they’ve lost their purpose
Pulling away from people in the faith and losing their support
Struggling to make life decisions while their values and morals are in flux
Feeling like a hypocrite for participating in rituals they no longer believe in
Wrestling with fear, anxiety, and depression as they question what they were taught and what they truly believe

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Continuing to perform religious rituals (prayer, fasting, attending services, etc.) even though their heart isn’t in it
Expressing doubts by posing “devil’s advocate” questions
Diving deeper into their existing belief system to try to find answers to their questions
Overcompensating with excessive displays of devotion

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Asking exploratory philosophical questions with trusted individuals
Referencing secular or non-religious sources when discussing doctrine
Cultivating friendships with people outside their community

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE 
Being in a position of authority in their community where they’re responsible for leading others in their faith
Being seen participating in another faith’s rituals
A disaster or tragedy that highlights the character’s doubts about God, making it more challenging to stay silent

Other Secret Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

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