Character Secret Thesaurus: Living Under a Curse

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 Living Under a Curse

ABOUT THIS SECRET: Depending on the kind of story you’re writing, curses might be an unknown in the character’s world or an essential part of the fictional landscape. But any unwelcome change inflicted on them by an outside source will be something they fear, whether it affects their physical appearance, mental capabilities, giftedness, or something else.

SPECIFIC FEARS THAT MAY DRIVE THE NEED FOR SECRECY: A Loved One Dying, Being a Burden to Others, Being Attacked, Being Judged, Being Labeled, Being Pitied, Being Taken Advantage of, Being Unable to Achieve a Dream, Discrimination, Humiliation, Isolation, Losing One’s Social Standing, Losing the Respect of Others, Never Finding Happiness, Not Being Believed, Persecution, Rejection

HOW THIS SECRET COULD HOLD THE CHARACTER BACK
Generalized apathy from believing they’re doomed no matter what they do
Being overwhelmed by anxiety, fear, or depression due to uncertainty about the curse
Becoming risk-averse
The curse becoming part of the character’s identity

BEHAVIORS OR HABITS THAT HELP HIDE THIS SECRET
Following a routine that keeps the curse hidden
Making logical excuses for why bad things seem to follow them around
Medicating to keep the curse from taking over
Talking a big game about not believing in magic, witchcraft, or superstition

ACTIVITIES OR TENDENCIES THAT MAY RAISE SUSPICIONS
Engaging in bizarre rituals
Refusing to speak a certain name, handle a certain object, or visit a location
Consulting a practitioner of the dark arts
Being able to do things other people can’t do

SITUATIONS THAT MAKE KEEPING THIS SECRET A CHALLENGE 
The curse manifesting itself in the presence of someone else
The curse causing repeated and noticeable trouble in the character’s life
Someone taking an interest in the character that increases scrutiny

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.

If you like, swing by and check out the video walkthrough for this site, then give our Free Trial a spin.

The post Character Secret Thesaurus: Living Under a Curse appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

The Bookshelf Muse is a hub for writers, educators and anyone with a love for the written word. Featuring Thesaurus Collections that encourage stronger descriptive skills, this award-winning blog will help writers hone their craft and take their writing to the next level.

Source: https://writershelpingwriters.net/2025/04/character-secret-thesaurus-living-under-a-curse/