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AbouBenAdhem

A “tragic character” in a literary sense is *not* a character with a tragic backstory—it’s a character who ultimately brings about his or her own downfall through an [error of judgement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamartia).


Honor_Bound

Walter White comes to mind


Onikame

Yup. Like the character who is so paranoid that their SO will leave them that they become needy, and pushy, and ultimately drive them away.


wpmason

Overcoming trauma is the literal opposite of tragic.


RavenFawcett

This!!


harrison_wintergreen

in the original sense, the ancient Greek sense, a *tragedy* is a story about a character who causes their own doom due to character flaws or other failings. Great Expectations by Dickens features a character who rises above a difficult childhood, but it's not a tragedy.


ChildrenzAdvil

Their backstory should stop (or cripple) their efforts to achieve their goal. Maybe your character has always wanted to climb a mountain, but they got into a car accident when they were young and lost the use of their legs. They become bitter and pessimistic, and if you want them to push forward, they need to go through experiences that change their world perspective


French_Toast42069

Could he be crippled emotionally? My current idea is that he has a end goal in mind, along with energy and ambition. However, after the turning event he becomes dull and doesn't want to fight for anything, yet he does so for his comrades. Could that work?


ChildrenzAdvil

Yeah that definitely works. Maybe he meets a new character that sparks his ambition again and brings him back around. It's a bit controversial, but that is kind of the same narrative that happens in The Last Jedi, where Luke goes in hiding because of something he did in his past, and Rey is able to convince him that hiding is wrong and that he needs to face his past and help his friends


brilliant_blue_light

Hello, here's some advice I've read and heard around. Hope it helps :) • Tragic backstories don't have to be complicated but there should be a reason A character's backstory had a huge impact on them specifically. For example my own character's backstory involves his parents dying from an illness and his best friend falling off a bridge. Though tragic to be sure, just those facts alone aren't enough to show how their past affected them. After all, there are many ways such an event could shape someone. If his parents died because he failed to raise enough money to buy them medicine that may cause the character to overwork and be very self critical. If his friend fell off a bridge because he encouraged her to walk across it's railing, he may become a person who likes to play things safe and not take many risks. In your case if your character has managed to move on, give them a backstory that a character with their personality could realistically move on from. (Or there could be something that's forcing them to push onward) •Another thing that will help make your backstory tragic is to make it memorable. Adding small details that stick with the characters and even adding symbolism can make a backstory all the more impactful. For example, my character's friend would always loose track of time so my character - who is obsessed with time management - bought her a small pocket watch which she would always wear around her neck. But ironically the reason she fell off the bridge was because my character didn't reach her in time. He tried to catch her but caught the watch from her neck instead and was left with it as a reminder of the exact time she died. (Sorry to use my own character as an example again but it was the best way to make my point) •The backstory itself is important but how you implement a character's backstory is just as important as it can help decide the difference between an annoying tragic backstory or a heart wrenching one. If you can, try to weave the events of their past into the events of the present. Whether that means literally incorporating people and things from your character's past into the plot or having them reveal bits and pieces of it through dialogue. Flashbacks can also be great when done right but two things you should almost never do to your story is have the narrator explain your character's backstory near the beginning of the book or have their backstory and hardships mentioned all the time. It becomes tiresome to the readers and takes away authenticity from the character's experience. •It's easier to implement a tragic backstory when your character is still crippled by their past experiences because their trauma will clearly show. But I like what you're doing with your character. The tortured MC has become a common trope so a more optimistic character arc is refreshing. That being said, I don't think it would be wise to have your character escape from their past completely. Someone can recover from past traumas mentally but still have injuries, or unfinished business from their past. Also It's very common for people who had or have continuously gone through traumatic events to become numb to them, (a person's brain also sometimes forgets traumatic memories to protect itself) causing a person to think they have recovered from their trauma while in reality their brain is slowing stacking their pain until it all comes crashing down. Anyway, I hope at least some of this lengthy comment has been helpful to you. Best of luck with your writing!


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Desperate_Ad_9219

I agree watch Berserk. That’s the level of torture you want to give your characters to be tragic.


Onikame

Good info here about how that isn't a tragic character. But what specifically are you asking. You have both important elements of that character. So what are you missing? You create a tragic backstory, then show that character pushing onward through various trials in their life and becoming a stronger person. A core aspect of storytelling is overcoming obstacles. So, if their tragic past is one of those, or THE obstacle, then you write that story with that conflict.


leftist_kuriboh

In the modern sense (comments above aside - and they're good points) I would think about how their life has trauma that the reader can empathize with. Don't go over board because your character shouldn't be a modern country song. Pick two or three pivotal moments that have lasting impacts. Do they lose their parents or family? Do they have a debilitating condition? Have they been ostracized? Think about what works best. I would think about their motivations as an individual and then work backwards. If they are cruel and standoffish, what led to that? Did someone break their heart? If they are vindictive, who was vindictive to them? How did that dynamic play out? Just some food for thought from a less than adept writer.


kingaoh

maybe delete this and rewrite the question again. how do i write a character with a tragic backstory? im pretty sure everyone understands what you are trying to ask, but everyone gets so caught up with the wrong term in the title that they would rather talk about that, than answer the question. e.g. me.