FEAR

Fear is such an interesting topic to cover when discussing writing. Fear drives us, motivates us, and pushes our minds to reach conclusions that may or may not be rational. I think fear can also be a bit of a fingerprint: unique in its way of how it describes us. Our set fears humanize us and solidify our identities. And just like how fear characterizes us, so should it characterize the characters written in books. Thinking over this, I wrote a set list of fears for each of my main characters in my SunRider series. To me, connecting these fears to these characters brings a light of reality over them. Without further ado, here are the fears of my characters. See if any of these fears are similar to yours, and if any of these characters sound like you! I don’t think I need to warn you , but I will anyways-slight spoilers ahead:

​Finn SunRider: Ah the man himself. The hero and the all-around normal dude that got thrust into an extraordinary situation. While at first his fears were of staying a slave and not experiencing the wonders of the world, he’s developed into being a person who is afraid of losing the loved ones he’s come to gain in his journeys, and in a very real sense, he’s afraid of hurting them.
 
Goblin of the Whey-Weavers: Goblin is pretty simple, he’s afraid of losing his voice again. He was born with a disability and now that he can speak, to lose that again…oh boy.
 
Leeya Skyborne: She’s afraid of taking things for granted and losing out on opportunities. She was forced into being a businesswoman in the grand city of Kazma, never to reach out and fight for her dream of being a soldier. Later with the permanent injury she sustained by Mal’Bal’s hands, these opportunities lost haunt her.
 
Altin Rhyder: With his history and past, Altin is definitely afraid of getting close to people.
 
Salt Almirr: He’s afraid of screwing things up as a leader, of screwing things up with the responsibilities granted to him.
 
Darius Almiir: He’s afraid of  losing his captaincy and losing his loyalty to Lenova.
 
Valin Oakhearth: He’s afraid of losing the ones he’s taken under his wing. That and his library being disorganized.
 
Morgana Prait: To be honest, she is a simple girl with a hunger for guys. She’d be afraid of all men disappearing from the planet hahahaha.
 
Antina of Myrondeth: losing her honor, objectified through losing her lightning ability
 
Cion: losing Salt, who he admires and is a compass to him, and of losing the Coalition which has become his family.
 
Justice: He honestly is not afraid of anything, which adds to the alien-ess of his character. Done so on purpose.
 
Punishment: same as his twin brother.
 
Petriamus: unable to cure or heal someone and them dying in his hands. As a doctor, his worst fear.
 
Piscus: he fears for the safety of his home.
 
Portious: Being subjugated, and being second to Mal’Bal, which is interesting because he put himself in that situation. Sometimes we realize our own fears.
 
Mal’Bal: Mal’Bal is an interesting one. He is such a brutal and violent character that many don’t see him as being someone who is afraid of anything. But Mal’Bal in a very real sense is completely driven by his fear. Mal’Bal has cried to the heavens and they have not answered. Because the culture and beliefs of the cult and because of his viewpoints, he is afraid of the meaninglessness of life. In a real sense, Mal’Bal is afraid of life itself. He’s the person who has no religion and the lack of a belief in something has driven him to violent action and to create an…anti-belief. He views himself as a savior-figure “rescuing” his victims from his own fear-of life-by killing them.
 
Wahala: Ah, our other main character and the opposite of Finn in many ways. Obviously she fears for the culture of her people being erased, and for her religious beliefs being destroyed, but it goes deeper than that. Truly, Wahala is afraid of being in the bottom of the food-chain and of not being the best. Of being the leader and the one admired. She is afraid of not standing out.
 
So are there any characters that stand out to you? Are any of them more relateable to you than the others? Thoughts?