Everyday Canvas

Fiction Writing: Creating Chronically Unhappy People

If I were to create a chronically unhappy character, I would first come up with at least two or three other happy characters very close to her or him for the sake of contrast, as there is nothing like contrast that can heighten the impact and confirm who a character is.

As to the characteristics of chronic unhappiness, such people have long ago formed a belief and attitude that is impossible or difficult to change. According to them life is hard. Period.

Happy people also may acknowledge that life is hard, but they bounce out of feeling dejected in some way. Chronically unhappy people, however, enjoy their victimhood even if they are complaining, and they do not persist in solving their problems. Then if the problems are solved for them, they minimize the situation or the attempts of others, because by then, they have come up with some other “unsolvable” problem.

Chronically unhappy people also do not trust others. They think everyone has an agenda or is out to get them.

Many things are wrong in this world; no question about that, but the unhappy people believe in the glass being half-empty. They refuse to see what is right and beautiful. Even if someone tries to show them what is right, their answers will begin with, “Maybe, but…”

Unhappy people also believe that when others have good luck and are happy, it is because that others have stolen that happiness from them. Inside their minds, or even out in public, they compare themselves to others and feel and show jealousy. As their opposites, happy people know that good luck or positive circumstances are open to everyone and they, too, can try to reach those things.

Some things are out of our control. They just happen, and we have to deal with them, but do chronically unhappy people understand this? No. They are all control freaks. They try to design even the minutest details of what may come. Then when things don’t go as they planned, they fall apart as drama kings and queens.

Happy people, however, go with the flow, even if they are goal-oriented and just as focused, and while striving to achieve their goals, because they are aware of the difference between control and doing one’s best to achieve a goal.

There is also a difference between happy and unhappy people where future is concerned. Unhappy people’s minds are filled with worry and fear of the future, while the happier ones, as much as they may harbor some worries, they allow themselves to also believe that things may be all right in the outcome. It isn’t that happy people do not experience fear and worry, on the contrary. Everyone feels those things, but happy people do not wallow in those. They either work to make the future better or just let it be.

Chronic unhappiness can be considered a disease, for talking to such people can become a chore for they make the conversation turn into gossip and complaints, and heaven forbid if something nasty has happened to them in the past. They’ll chew the cud on that and never let it go.

Happy people usually let go of the negatives of the past. They are excited about the present and dream of a better future. Unhappy people may have moments of joy, too, but that will evaporate immediately and will be soon forgotten.

As to physical traits of chronically unhappy people, these are iffy as they will change with the shifts and differences in the make-up of such characters. We could probably show some outward signs in general; such as they may shuffle when they walk and may have a saggy posture. They may stare vacantly, especially when they are denying the comforting words of others. They may react too slowly or too quickly, and they may have or fake some kind of a physical discomfort or illness.

In real life and in fiction, no one is perfect or totally imperfect, and while creating any character, we should always keep this fact in mind.

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Prompt: If you were to create a chronically unhappy character, what characteristics would you give him/her?