Your Characters Aren't Made of Stone
You often hear about how mental illness is being overused or somehow romanticized in literature these days, and even though I can’t actually disagree with that, I don’t think it’s something wrong to write about.
But I’ve seen many writers go through an amazing plot with well developed characters just to fall into the trap of the consequences of those conflicts and whatever happened in them, especially in a series of books. Characters suffer just as much as real people, and they are going to suffer from everything that you put into their lives. Sometimes they change for good, sometimes they change for bad.
And as a disclaimer, let me just add that I do not support any kind of good word about mental illness because if you suffer from it you should get help and it should not become something people seek just because they think it’s cool. Romanticizing mental illness is something I dislike and it’s very offensive to a lot of people, and you shouldn’t do it. It’s not something pretty or trendy. This stuff is serious.
Dealing with tragic events isn’t something easy, simple or fast. Remember to give it some thought, because it will define what type of character you’re writing and how the reader sees him/her. How will a funeral, for example, affect your MC? Will she/he even attend it and if not, what does this say about him/her?
How Crime Victims React to Trauma
The 5 Stages of Loss and Grief
Emotional and Psychological Trauma
Dealing with Traumatic Events
Intensive Trauma Therapy (ITT)
Biological & Psychological Effects After the Death of a Spouse
Grief: Coping with the Death of a Loved One
On Writing: Showing Trauma
Working With Sexual Trauma Survivors: What Do You Do?
Fictional Therapy Session How-To
Differences Between a Therapist and a Psychologist
How to Suggest Someone See a Therapist
How to Persuade Your Loved One to Seek Professional Help
How To Approach Someone You Care About [PDF]
MASTERPOST: How To Deal With Mental Ilness
Teens and Major Depression
A Guide on Stockholm Syndrome
The long-term medical consequences of childhood trauma
How To Write an Easily Manipulated Character
The Psychological Consequences of Killing: Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress
Traumatizing Your Characters, Part 2: Types of Trauma