By Joan Whetzel
Strength is a trait that many characters have, while others seem to lack but are surprised to find out that they have when they need it. How much strength would it take for a seemingly weak character to overcome the challenges and fallout brought on by the death or disappearance of the key person in their life? The key person could be a family member, someone at work who is important to the character’s career, or a friend who is important the character’s self esteem and self image.
The Turbulence Caused by the Key Person’s Absence
No doubt about it. When someone important to a person’s life is no longer there, there will be turbulence. There will be days when that turbulence corrodes situations, relationships, or a set of circumstances and sends stress levels soaring to the breaking point. Maybe these are the areas of your character’s life that were already shaky to begin with and maybe these are the areas that needed re-examining.
Other days that turbulence will energize your character, becoming the driving force for making the necessary changes in his or her life. The character will begin clearing out the things that are no longer working and replacing them with the dreams, physical items, and people that make your character happy. The thing is to use the turbulence to develop your character’s- well, character.
Strength Defined
Strength has many definitions:
· The state of being strong.
· The power to resist strain, stress, a force, or an attack.
· Durability.
· A degree of potency or concentration
· The capacity for effective action.
· A source of power.
Strength Synonyms
Strength synonyms include: strength, power, might, potency, strong point, forte, strong suit, asset, intensity, concentration, depth, control, influence, ability, capacity, potential, faculty, effectiveness, energy, skill, talent, focus, and deliberation.
Strength Character Traits
So how can a writer use these definitions and synonyms to show their seemingly weak character’s true strength? First you need to decide which character strengths that “weak” character possesses or develops through the turbulence that has suddenly been dropped into his or her lap. By developing these traits, your character will find ways to turn life’s dissatisfactions in to a satisfying life. Character strengths include:
· Kindness and compassion, especially when your character doesn’t feel particularly kind and compassionate.
· Confidence
· The ability to admit when one has made a mistake or done something wrong
· Perseverance
· Prudence
· Diligence
· Honesty
· Integrity
· Faith in oneself
· Religious faith
· A sense of ownership, a feeling of “this is me”
· A rapid learning curve that develops strength through one’s life’s circumstances
· Continuing to learn new ways of behaving and using the newly developing strength
· The yearning to act in accordance with one’s newly found strength
· The feeling that it’s inevitable that your character will use his or her new found strength
· Your character discovers that he or she owns strength is an epiphany to your character
· Being energized by the use of the strength, not exhausted by using the new found strength
· Feeling motivated to use that new strength
One thing’s for sure. When your character first starts gaining strength, he or she won’t feel strong at all. In fact if people point out how strong your character is becoming, he or she will deny it. In fact, he or she will probably just feel exhausted from the efforts getting through all the life changes, all the other troubles that have occurred as a result of the key person’s death or disappearance, all the secrets that are revealed since the person left. The character won’t start seeing that strength till sometime down the road, and only then on hindsight.
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