So I realized I used a particular bodily reaction in several of my books: fainting. Typically it’s the heroine who’s eyes roll up in her head, knees buckle and the light go out. There can also be a hero who’s fainted but only from pain and/or trauma. The reason why it came to mind was I was about to use it *again* as I am working on a new MS. And I had to pause and think about it.

Why so many faints? Why is it something I have used so many times? The only thing I can come up with is because I am a control freak—me Denise, the writer, me Denise the mom and wife, I do not like not being in total and absolute control. And (to my thinking) fainting is the complete opposite of that. The person who faints has zero control over what happens while they’re out, often can’t even control the fact they’re about to pass out. It doesn’t matter if they trust where they are or who their with, they HAVE NO CONTROL. That is/was the ultimate epitome of vulnerable.

Now I may or may not have admitted on here (but my close writer buddies know) I like to put some of my characters though major crap. At times, I like to heap a world of hurt upon them (and it’s a cathartic way to vent), they *may* be vulnerable, but they have options of how they can or won’t react. But something as simple as fainting then puts them at a mercy they may not even know they need to ask for. So scary!

Do you have something that, from your personal life, bleeds over to your writing? A foible that you may hate that you have, but you exploit in your characters? And what might you do to make your characters their most vulnerable?