Off the Cuff / My Other Journal

Ghosts Haunting Characters

Today, after reading from a book in the library about story foundations, I made a list. I can’t stress enough the value of making lists, at least for me: not to forget things sometimes, but mostly to realize what’s important.

In this case, however, the list was for ghosts, not the eek, floating-in-white-sheets type of ghosts, but the ghosts of the past that haunt a person. The book describes this kind of a ghost as:
An event from the past that haunts the hero, which may be an open wound that is the source of hero’s psychological and moral weakness.
In other words, ghost in this case should equal the power of the past.

I used to think I can get over anything as I forgive most anything. I am not sure of that thought anymore, since my list ended up being far too long. True, I thought deep and exaggerated the events, but still the things I could remember as possible ghosts shocked me.

It may be a good idea to make lists of such ghosts. Our protagonists, antagonists, and secondary characters can use them.