Characters don���t always react to stress and threats in healthy ways–like real people, they lean on coping strategies they���ve developed to survive past trauma and avoid new pain. These dysfunctional coping mechanisms consist of behaviors and thought patterns designed to keep discomfort at bay. But habits formed in the past can become obstacles in the present.

Unhealthy mechanisms are forms of emotional shielding meant to protect the character from harm���specifically, from the recurrence of a past wounding event. And many times, they do keep those traumas from repeating. But they also create new difficulties. Practices like denial, avoidance, overindulgence, and self-sabotage generate issues that reverberate through their relationships, work performance, personal satisfaction, and the pursuit of their story goal.

Over the course of a story, the character must become aware of their go-to mechanism, realize how it���s holding them back, and replace it with healthy coping methods that will get them where they want to go. In this way, coping methods will play a key role in your character���s arc.

To help you write a transformation journey that���s authentic and complete, we���re launching The Coping Mechanism Thesaurus. Each Saturday, we���ll share a coping method that���s common to the human experience and could play into your character���s story. Here���s a sneak peek at what each entry will include.

What the Mechanism Looks Like

Coping behaviors show up in all kinds of ways���through speech, body language, habits, and emotional reactions. The content in this field will include a variety or fight, flight, and freeze responses associated with this mechanism. Showing these responses in believable ways builds realism and gives readers insight into what���s going on with the character under the surface.

Basic Human Needs

Coping mechanisms are tightly linked to a core element of character arc: basic human needs. Unhealthy mechanisms rob the character of a vital need, creating a void that they���ll go to great (and dysfunctional) lengths to fill. On the flip side, healthy mechanisms refill the hole. Knowing what mechanism will need to be replaced is the key to helping your character regain balance and learn positive methods that will help them achieve their goals and face difficulties in productive ways.

Fallout (And Possible Turning Points)

Many unhealthy coping mechanisms start out as a benign behavior or attitude. They only become a problem when the character takes them to an extreme, can no longer function without them, and continues relying on them despite the damage they cause. The Fallout field is meant to show authors the many ways a coping method wreaks havoc. Then they can incorporate it into the character���s life so they���ll eventually see the need for change.

Challenges That Will Test the Character

Growth doesn���t happen immediately. Once a character realizes their current methods aren���t working for them, they���ll try a different one. But old habits die hard, and regression is a normal part of any transformation journey. Each healthy coping mechanism comes with its own challenges that can tempt the character to throw in the towel and revert to what���s comfortable. Likewise, certain internal struggles will make it harder for them to stick with the program long enough to effect change and see the benefits of coping in positive ways.

Pathways to Changing Unhealthy Mechanisms

To complete a personal transformation, the character will need to discard their half-hearted attempts and fully commit themselves to change. By the story���s end, they���ll have embraced some mental shifts and new habits to show they���ve gone all in and are committed to the long-term work of healing. This field gives writers options for what true commitment to unloading the unhealthy mechanism looks like.

Final Thoughts

The Coping Mechanism Thesaurus is designed to help you write both healthy and unhealthy methods with depth and nuance. We hope the entries we share will give you the tools to chart your character���s path to change and wholeness.

Frequently Asked QuestionsWhere Can I Buy This Book?

Unfortunately, the Character Secret Thesaurus isn���t a book yet. When we introduce a new thesaurus on the blog, it means we���ve only started writing it. Our process is to ���test��� each new thesaurus here at Writers Helping Writers by posting a new entry each Saturday. If, over time, we receive feedback that writers find the thesaurus helpful and would like to see it become a book, we mark it as a possible book project for the future

Can I do something to ensure
this thesaurus becomes a book?

Yes! Take a minute to leave a comment on any of our Character Secret posts saying this topic will help you so we know! Another huge way to muster support for this thesaurus is to share links to it on social media or in writers��� groups so others know help is available in this area. The resulting boost in traffic here tells us the thesaurus is a popular one. (Thank you for doing this���we appreciate word of mouth!)

Will the book version be the same as the blog version?

What you see here on the blog is only a fraction of what you���d see in a book, for a few reasons:

We only explore some secrets here, whereas the book will have many, many moreWe���re a huge target of AI scraping, which forces us to limit the content we share freely here.Each book also includes an expansive ���how-to��� section that explores how to use the thesaurus topic in a story more effectively. Our biggest mission is to help writers grow their craft, because great stories get noticed!How can I stay in the loop when you release a new book?

We have an email list you can sign up for. We���ll send a note when a release date is coming, and then again when the book is available. (Thank you for asking!)

Is this Thesaurus at One Stop for Writers?

Not just yet. We always wait until we have many thesaurus entries written before we add them to our show-don���t-tell database there. In the meantime, the One Stop THESAURUS is worth checking out since it contains all the thesauruses we���ve created to date (18) vs. how many exist in book form (10).

Is there a question I didn���t answer? Just leave it in the comments!

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