How To Write A Better Character Backstory (Character Ghost / Wound)

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In this video, learn how to write a stronger character backstory by incorporating a character's "ghost" and "wound."
Creating a believable backstory is essential for well-developed characters, and in this video, we'll show you how to make your character's story more impactful by including their ghost (a past event or trauma) and wound (how it affects them). These tips and techniques will help you create more dynamic and relatable characters in your writing.
Chapters:
00:00 Character Ghost and Character Wound
00:43 Guilt
07:45 Grievance
14:27 Grief
22:25 Gravity
28:35 Final Thoughts
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[@wrestlingwithwords]

Check out the Wrestling With Words Podcast! The FULL playlist is here: kzbin.info/aero/PLlqXOF7zGtP3PFAM7XYOykUbhJH1CiLcl&si=CjT1NkqqQOlTIkaX

[@Trazynn]

I'd quickly like to add that not every character needs to be wounded or haunted. If people think it's necessary then they rob themselves of all kinds of corruption and loss of innocence arcs.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Yep! Totally agree. There are all kinds of other arcs and aspects to developing a characters backstory. These are just the 4 wounds/ghosts.

[@Vennsmoke]

Jamie is the absolute most wasted character in that entire franchise, they had pure gold in their hands and threw it in the garbage

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Oh, no doubt. The show Jamie vs. book Jamie are treated totally differently. I hope when (if) the books come out that we get a bit more of what his character could have been.

[@jay-vaz9485]

Luke Glanton in The place beyond the pines. Luke was haunted by his past his absent father which un turn made him feel like a ghost to his own son and.later he too becomes an absent father. Beautiful writing

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Such a good example!

[@AntoniyoGreenwood]

Most definitely got my sub... I needed this explained and now I know how to deal with my characters ghost and not everybody needs one

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Thank you so much! I am glad this was helpful :)

[@ComicPower]

John wick. Best revenge movie franchise ever.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Oh for sure, it's up there!

[@rubenhinze7695]

It's funny how the burden of not having responsibility is often heavier than the burden of having it.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Right! I thought that was such an interesting, novel theme to explore. That twist was amazing (in my honest opinion).

[@rohan1274]

watched the full video then checked the views, how the hell is this not in the 100ks?!?!! thanks i think i might try out writing sometime and this is some great advice

[@wrestlingwithwords]

I really appreciate your comment!! We are in our growth phase so hopefully we keep reaching a wider and wider audience! I really appreciate your comment and am so happy you find my videos helpful. Happy writing!

[@Korowne]

These writing tips are great, theyre so in-depth and detailed and really gets me thinking about my own charcters an their stories. Ive only watched two of your videos by far, and enjoyed them both greatly. Keep doing what your doing dude, Im subbing!

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Thank you so much for watching and for saying so! I really appreciate your comment and for watching my videos. Happy writing👨‍💻!

[@cash1833]

Thank you again for a great video! I LOVED the leftovers!

[@wrestlingwithwords]

🙌

[@izabellamcxi]

Great video, thank you!

[@wrestlingwithwords]

❤ Thank you for watching!

[@sophiejones3554]

I suppose I'm wrestling with a character whose wound lies at the intersection of these four things: she doesn't believe in her ability to lead (gravity), *because* her subordinates have died on an important mission (grief & guilt), to solve the curse on the temple of her goddess (grievance). My problem is that I don't want her to take over the story, she's supposed to be one of five main characters not The Heroine™️ but I feel like each of these topics demands attention. The other four main characters all possibly have one of these wounds (there is one I'm still unsure about but I think his will be the guilt of falling for a con which caused his friend to be injured). So it's good in a way that the fifth character is sort of at the intersection of all of them? But I'm worried that will make the other characters seem less complex in comparison, and therefore seem like they are supporting roles despite all of them being perspective characters. I really want to get away from the singular hero with this story, and give all the main characters equal complexity because 1) I want the reader to understand they are all essential to the finale (basically if I see any video saying "why X is the real hero" of my book I will cry inconsolably) and 2) I want the secondary villain to be...well that kind of traditional loner hero type. I want him to be an zealot who did some truly heroic things, but through his inflexibility brought about the destruction of his community and in a moment of desperation ended up causing the temple curse. I'm not sure yet whether I want this to be a Faustian bargain situation or a reckless meddling with powers beyond comprehension kind of situation. In any event I want the heroes to avoid making the same mistakes as the villain by being interdependent rather than independent.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

What might help is to have some of these backstories intersect with one another or at least let them relate to each other's wounds. This is a great question/comment and demands a better analysis than a follow-up comment haha, but I would say that this complex web of character emotions is a REALLY good problem to have. One thing that might help is taking a step back and looking at the overall arch/trajectory of each character's emotional state. If you look at them like different timelines, you can start to plan out how and in what order you want these characters to deal with these wounds. This will also help in not having ALL of your emotional resolutions happen at the same time and each can feel like they are all having their own fulfilling arc. You might have to play around with your plot structure and pacing too. Thank you for the comment!

[@sophiejones3554]

@@wrestlingwithwords wow, thank you so much! Demands a better analysis?😳 I wasn't expecting any response at all! Right, intersections and timelines. That works perfectly with my style, to be honest! I tend to write scenes and then decide how to connect them: that's how this problem came up. I started with this gal looking at a map, and then all of this dark stuff just appeared following the decision to put her in a leadership role. All my other characters' backstories also emerged out of scenes like this (not always their own POV scene, one has a tendency to not think about their problems😂). But after I had written one POV scene for each person I went back and did a mind map to figure out what the opposing forces would be like, and that's where this idea for the villains came from. I really don't have a plot yet, just plot threads and characters with a little bit of setting. When I read, I consider the characters to be the most important element (I'll read a boring plot if I like the characters, but if I can't find a character to connect with I will not be able to keep reading) so I figured that was the best place to start and everything else would emerge later. It mostly seems to have worked, though I also need to figure out the magic now before anyone decides to start throwing spells around or concocting potions😅.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

I totally agree about characters being the driving force. I am the same way too--usually powerful characters are more compelling than anything else. Thanks for letting me know about your process. It's always interesting to me to see how writers develop their characters and stories.

[@ZachScottB]

WOW!! This is phenomenal. I will listen to this many times as I work out different character backstories. Thank you so much.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Thank you so much for saying so! I am so glad that I’ve been helpful-and thank you for watching!

[@dankandubuisi]

How i smiled when i saw John Wick

[@wrestlingwithwords]

YES!

[@sambeckett2428]

The Leftovers sounds hilarious. Most of the world wouldn't even notice a 'rapture' scooping up all the happy-clappy Baptists.

[@wrestlingwithwords]

Might sound hilarious, but man is that show emotionally devastating. one of the best TV shows there is.

[@kayceeisonfire]

Yeah, you might not find it so hilarious when a rapture does happen, and you're left behind awaiting judgment day. There's still time to put your faith in Jesus. The gift of salvation is free for all who would receive it.

[@sambeckett2428]

@@kayceeisonfire the rapture isn't even normal Christian doctrine, it's just something one weird American cult believes in. You have fun with your zombie god, now.

[@setterfieldstray]

You sound bitter. Maybe religion would help you find happiness 😉

[@sambeckett2428]

@@setterfieldstray I already have a better religion than you, zombie worshipper.

[@KyrstOak]

5:03 *he 5:22 *his