Writing Prompt 2: The Hidden Wound Exercise - Writing What Hurts

March 26, 2026

In the Sympathy Rewrite, last week, we learned how to replace judgment with understanding. Now we take it one step deeper: uncovering the hidden wounds that shape your characters. Hemingway's wisdom, "As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand," isn't just about softening your view; it's about digging until you find the pain that makes people who they are.

Every strong character, from the most heroic to the most villainous, carries an invisible wound. It might be heartbreak, rejection, fear of failure, or something they can't even name. Discover that wound, and suddenly every choice they make starts to make sense.

Step 1: Start with a Surface Trait

Take a simple statement:

Maria was cold and distant.

This is what readers see. But it's only the mask.

Step 2: Ask "What Hurt Them?"

Now dig deeper. Why is Maria distant?

• Was she abandoned when she needed someone most?

• Did she grow up in a family where showing emotion was punished?

• Did she love once and lose so badly that she never dared again?

Asking this question transforms Maria from a cliché into someone layered and real.

Step 3: Write the Hidden Wound

Now, let's show the wound in action:

Judgment Version:

Maria was cold and distant.

Hidden Wound Rewrite:

Maria never hugged first. Even when she wanted to, something in her chest locked up tight, the way it had the day her father walked out and didn't look back. So instead, she folded her arms and told herself it was safer this way.

Suddenly, Maria's distance isn't a flaw, it's armor. And readers will lean in, because they understand the cost of wearing it.

Step 4: Apply It to Your Own Characters

Pick a character trait (e.g., "Jake is arrogant.").

Ask, "What hurt could make someone act this way?"

Write one short paragraph revealing that wound, not in exposition, but in a way that seeps naturally into the narrative.

Do this, and your characters will stop feeling written. They'll start feeling alive.

What you'll get from this:

Great characters don't just act. They react to wounds, to fears, to old invisible scars. When you find those wounds, you turn even your most "unlikable" characters into people readers can't stop thinking about.

As author John Truby said in The Anatomy of Story:

"A great character always has a weakness, and that weakness always comes from a wound."

Uncover the wound. Write it honestly. And watch your story deepen.