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.
Maybe your character…
Having an Undisclosed Bias
ABOUT THIS SECRET: A character is biased when they view someone negatively and attribute flaws to that person without proof that those qualities apply. It might result from a negative encounter or traumatic experience with a specific individual, learned behavior from a trusted person, or repeated exposure to hurtful stereotypes (through the media, for example). In an environment where the bias isn’t widely accepted, the character will mask or hide it to avoid judgment, rejection, banishment, discrimination, or reputational fallout.
SPECIFIC FEARS THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: Being Taken Advantage of, Being Unsafe, Certain Kinds of People, Persecution, Putting Oneself out There, Trusting Others
HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Causing friction with loved ones who don’t agree with the bias
Feeling guilt and shame over what their dark, biased thoughts say about who they are
Being deprived of an enriching or helpful relationship with someone from the biased group
Missing out on the opportunity to gain allies or share resources
The character’s perspective always being limited to align with people who think like them
BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
The character entertains the bias in their mind but doesn’t speak it aloud
The character gravitating toward people who think like them
Justifying their reasons for not engaging with the people they’re biased against
Expressing support for those people but not offering them the same opportunities the character would offer to others
Mentally using labels for certain people but not verbally referring to them that way
ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Making jokes about the people they distrust
Passive-aggressiveness (backhanded compliments, talking about a member of this group behind their back, etc.)
Not questioning gossip and rumors that cast certain people in a negative light
Not requiring proof of wrongdoing to the same degree the character requires it from other people
Standoffish behavior around this group
SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE
Making jokes about the people they distrust
Passive-aggressiveness (backhanded compliments, talking about a member of this group behind their back, etc.)
Not questioning gossip and rumors that cast certain people in a negative light
Not requiring proof of wrongdoing to the same degree the character requires it from other people
Standoffish behavior around this group
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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Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.