Is Your Character Brave?

Say your MC is running towards danger. All the other characters are shaking their heads and thinking, "Man, he/she is brave!"

But is he/she really brave?

Maybe they're just (pardon my language) stupid. They don't fully realize the danger they're going into, and they're just rushing in headlong without even really stopping to think.

Maybe they're reckless. Again, they may not be fully calculating the results of their actions. They see a possible escape, and they jump. They'll think about it later, if they survive.

Maybe they're careless (for lack of a better word) in regards to their life. They have either made peace with death (and so aren't scared of it), or their life is so horrible that death is preferable, so if they die...meh.

Maybe they're desperate. When faced with capture and torture or a "possible escape or possible death" they'll take the chance (however slim) of escape.

Maybe they've done this sort of things hundreds of times now, and it's not scary to them. It's just part of the job, their daily life.

For a character to really, truly be brave, they need to face something they're actually really and truly scared of.

I'm a slightly timid person. I have to stand on the edge of that cliff for a minute or two before I jump down into the river. All the possible outcomes - landing on a rock or shallow spot, getting water up my nose, drowning, sea monsters - go through my head. I have to remind myself that I'm a good swimmer, that I've tested the depths and it's deep enough and clear of rocks, that everyone else has jumped and survived.

So then I take a deep breath and close my eyes and jump. And I survive. I was brave to jump.

But then I climb up and do it again, without a single hesitation. Is that second jump brave? Not really. Now I'm not scared. I know I'll be fine.

What about my friends, the ones who didn't hesitate even on the first jump. Were they brave? Maybe. Maybe they were simple reckless or stupid. Maybe they were brave.

I was the chicken here. I was not the brave (at first) one. But find a different situation. My friends who were oh-so-ready to jump off that cliff are now faced with answering a unknown number calling their phone. The idea of talking to a random stranger makes them a little nervous, so they don't answer. I, however, whip out my phone and answer it calmly.

Am I brave? No. My job is office manager. I talk to strangers on the phone all day. I'm used to it. Was I born extroverted and talkative? Not really. I was nervous about talking on the phone when I started, but after years of doing it, it's just part of daily life for me.

So let's use this to strengthen our writing.

That character of yours who is calmly rushing into battle, that character who jumps through windows, that character who calmly stares down the villain...are they really being brave?

In order to be brave, you first have to be scared.

So find out what your characters are scared of.

That character who rushes into battle...she's really just reckless. But she happens to be scared of dogs. So...let's make her run into dogs. She's normally so snarky and confident, but now that the villain is standing there with a dog, she freezes and can't think of what to do next.

To be brave, she'll have to face that dog (or those dogs), and maybe steal the key from off their collar or sneak past them to make her escape.

That character who casually jumps off the roof or through windows or does other daring things? He's alone in life. If he dies, no one will really mourn him. He doesn't care for anyone, but he does care for drama, so if he dies, hey, it's a great way to go.

But then he realizes he wants to live or that he has a family now or someone who depends on him. And he has to start thinking about actually living for tomorrow. To be brave, he may have to stand down and wait for a less risky escape, just so he can guarantee his survival for that other person (or even a dog or pet, haha).

So really stretch and find your character's fears. Find that line they won't cross and make them face it. Even if your character is decidedly brave, maybe they don't like germs, and arrive at a country where the sharing of a communal glass of wine is proper custom and they have to drink after everyone else or risk the wrath of the King.

Find their breaking points, find what they're scared of doing and/or facing, and take them there and push them. *cue evil author laugh*