One Person – Two Opposite Views

Posted on September 25, 2026 by knlistman

Frank Barron is known for his in-depth studies of the creative mind. Most of these were done in his three decades at the Berkeley Institute for Personality Assessment and Research. His subjects, mostly college students, often took complex elements to produce a final product that was elegant and deceptively simple. Barron found that creative people could hold two opposite views at the same time and yet see no contraction. Basically, they could be both naïve and knowledgeable, emotional and logical, or disciplined and free spirited.[1]

Generating ideas that seem familiar to the reader and yet different from other books is a challenge for writers. One key to this is developing important characters with a similar type of dichotomy as the creative students that Barron studied. What does a character look like who holds two opposing views at one time? Look at the strengths of the protagonist that you have created. What is the opposite of a particular strength? How can that character benefit from it or suffer from it in their society?

Consider adolescent characters who are trying to balance ideas at opposite poles. They may appear as moody and fickle as they push the envelope when it comes to being different from older people and step on the toes of those who could have helped. Then, these same rebellious teenage characters turn around and cave into conforming with same-age peers. Such a character should create problems for themselves for themselves with the opposite trait rather than solving them, at least until the end. This keeps the creative character from seeming like a typical “Mary Sue.”

Often we assume a person who is deprived and abused will learn to lie, steal, and be cruel to other people. This does not have to be true, and the opposite can also occur. A person who gains what they desire will fear the loss of what they have. So, they assume a facade of superiority and behind this outer appearance exists an insecure person whose selfishness can be devastating to others if they do not get what they want.

Such dichotomies become better integrated as people grow older, and that is why we have the archetype of the wise old mentor.

In my current work in progress, the protagonist is one of the handful of literate people in 5th century Britain. He should seem erudite and wise to others. He is aware of past historical events. Yet, he struggles to apply his wisdom because he cannot detect how others are scheming. This child-like naivety is actually a strength. To rulers, he is a person they do not need to fear. In some incidents his struggle with this dichotomy provides unexpecting allies who also lack the power to sway their society.

Such dichotomies become better integrated as people grow older, and that is why we have the archetype of the wise old mentor. Younger characters of this type are often challenged with their own ideas about themselves. This may prove difficult when they deal with a crisis that requires a major turn around in their life. Writing a character who changes significantly during the story is also a valuable skill that AI seems unable to imitate in a realistic manner.

[1] Barron, Frank and Harrington, David M., Creativity, Intelligence, and Personality by Frank Barron. Annual Review of Psychology, 32 (1981): 439–476
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Part of a Puppy

Posted on August 21, 2026 by knlistman

My early encounter with the computerized Large Language Model (LLM) occurred when helping students answer “individualized” math tutorial questions. Junior high students had to complete lessons on the computer containing math problems for Algebra. If they did not get enough of the word problems correct on the first round they would receive newly written ones that had not yet been vetted by humans. 

As a struggling student attempted to answer one of these additional questions, she called out, “Ms. Listman, how do I know if I should round up or down?”

She had tried both ways, but neither was accepted as the correct one. According to this computerized math program the proper answer was to sell 2.5 beagle puppies. Honestly, no child wants half of a puppy. But, the LLM didn’t consider it wrong to divide a cute baby beagle.

Current attempts to help LLM imitate human creativity are often not much more successful. So why are they still in demand? The act of creating requires more concentration than daily chores. Authors of math word problems, as well as other writers are suffering from burnout in an attempt to keep up with the demands for new content. Creating provides a kind of euphoric boost which is its own reward. This is the “flow” state of creativity, as described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. If people try to stay in Csikszentmihalyi’s “flow” for too long, they neglect things like eating and sleeping which are not healthy things to do. In the past some used drugs to maintain the energy of flow. But have you ever considered the reasons that a number of lyricists and musicians in the rock music world died young? 

Now, people are encouraged to take a pressure relieving short cut and let AI do some of this “creative” work for them. In writing this means the LLM performs world building, suggests alternate plots and provides sketches for characters. Burnout is no longer as much of a threat. But, the end result is not as satisfying for the creator or the reader. Now the threat is becoming entangled in a blasé world of products filled with similar ideas repeated in different forms . 

A crucial part of writing is to create difficult problems for characters who must figure out how to overcome them. 

People who consume these books, movies or computer-based “individualized” algebra programs become aware of the lack of original work. Some begin to expect less unique content. A crucial part of writing is to create difficult problems for characters who must figure out how to overcome them. 

In the instance of my encounter with the LLM-created word problems for Algebra I, the student needed to explain that ditching the computer-based tutorials was the best option. That would prevent the sacrifice of a puppy in order to receive the credit for an answer that didn’t require dividing a puppy in half.

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The Stubborn Nonconformist

Posted on July 19, 2026 by knlistman

I recall developing my own secret codes as a ten year old. At first I just moved letters from one position to another in the alphabet–an easy to break code. Then I decided that the letters would move depending on the number of lines from the top of the page. That new twist created a code that only I could understand. However, if I ran my secret messages through a computer program designed to break ciphers, it probably wouldn’t remain secret very long. Did that idea bother me? Not at all. There is little purpose in writing if only I can comprehend my words. That is the quandary of writing in a unique style.

We all build our preference for writing based on input from other people. The purpose of teaching spelling, grammar and composition in school is so the rest of the world can understand and sometimes even enjoy our writing. But, many authors still desire a voice that is recognizable. Our reading preferences, professors and especially friends and family shape that voice. My mother told me not to repeat the same words but pull from the vast number of synonyms in English. The positive result for me was developing a large vocabulary. She also fretted about ending sentences with a preposition. I should not write “As the sunlight spilled into the room, I woke up.” She insisted another word must follow the preposition. I was supposed to write “…I woke up slowly.”

People who disagree with my conclusions should consider their choice as stylistic ones.

Now, when people quote rules by authors when I use the evil “ly” adjectives, I consider them in the same light as my mother–providing advice that can be ignored. Phrasal verbs (those ending with a preposition) can be placed at the end of a sentence. The useful “ly” adverbs still express shades of meaning. People who disagree with my conclusions should consider their choices as stylistic ones–not grammatical rules for writing. In case you haven’t lived long enough to notice, grammar rules don’t remain static, either.

No one’s writing style is built without input from other people, but that doesn’t make it sound the same. You could blame similar sounding text on the propensity to let AI crank out a lot of content. The true culprit is the human tendency towards conformity. Most people desire to write like other people for the same reason that they want to wear current fashions. During my high school years my brother was embarrassed to stand at the end of the street waiting for the bus with me. I combined hand-me-downs and handmade accessories into atypical outfits, not tasteless but the other girls didn’t look like me. People use AI tools because they don’t want their writing to be embarrassing. However, that doesn’t force everyone to write in the same style that AI determines as the proper average. Some of us were born stubborn non-conformists and will remain that way.

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Unlearning Information

Posted on June 17, 2026 by knlistman

In high school speech class, when required to give an informative speech, I  described the  accomplishments of the Anasazi.  My speech teacher, whose total pre-Columbian knowledge probably included a few facts about the Mayans and Aztecs asked a pointed question.  “What’s the purpose of your speech?  Why are these Anasa…. whatever, people important?”

On my family’s visit to Mesa Verde a few years prior, I had been impressed by this ancient civilization. We got to carefully climb up ladders to peer into apartment complexes they built out of clay covered stones and timber. At the top of the cliffs were remnants of an irrigation system that allowed the Anasazi to farm in a semi-arid climate. We saw the beginnings of a road system that crossed the southwest. These achievements did not happen in the last century, but over a thousand years ago. They had figured out how to survive in a semi-desert and flourish to the point of trading with people as distant as those civilizations in Mexico.

My speech teacher was asking a version of many students’ perennial query, “Why do I need to know this?” This was an informative speech and not a persuasive one aimed at convincing anyone to change or take action. I did not harp on my admiration of the Anasazi like so many “amazing histories” that are divulged on social media. I was not trying to prove anything about my ancestor’s greatness because as far as I know, there are no Anasazi ancestors in my lineage. I could have voiced my opinion about the great advancements of this long gone civilization. Would it have made any difference to my teacher? 

The importance of events is subjective and based on individual views. I tended to take a classicist view that compared people and events throughout time to create an understanding of the nature of civilization. Classic knowledge can be more widely applied as it deals with similar events affecting far flung populations over time. Seeking it has helped me develop conflicts in my current novel in progress, which is set in the time when Arthur was supposed to have grown up and inherited the kingdom in Camelot. That is, if King Arthur or Camelot ever existed. This work is not written as a fantasy but a realistic story. 

The post-Roman period in Britain is the source of legends with scant historical records. The kind of information I seek is specifics about general needs. How would travelers survive in fifth century Wales and Cornwall? Did a version of rooms to rent or pubs exist? Would they bargain for nights in thatched-roof stone huts in exchange for a pair of grouse they had caught? Does traveling present new dangers I never considered? General knowledge, such as how to survive in a different climate or possible hostile culture, would be useful.

Let’s return to my high school speech teacher, who wanted to know what difference the knowledge of the past would make in this current world. People who seek out the latest trends or important current events tend to gather information from only one place, one culture or environment for a very specific time. This knowledge is specific. But the value of information garnered  because it’s all over the news right now, fades over time.

Measuring importance requires learning to balance the latest news with that which has proven useful over generations. The Internet abounds with trends: popular fashion, escapades of a performer, the latest gross or terrifying news story, or advance is Artificial Intelligence. Each of those has a momentary importance. But we don’t know what will fade from view within a year. 

As I watch our society’s mad dash for the cutting edge, I find a particular quote by C.S. Lewis to be quite applicable to the dilemma of determining relevance of events as they occur – even though this was written concerning newspapers, not the Internet.

“Nearly all that a boy reads there in his teens will be known before he is twenty to have been false in emphasis and interpretation, if not in fact as well, and most of it will have lost all importance. Most of what he remembers he will therefore have to unlearn; and he will probably have acquired an incurable taste for vulgarity and sensationalism and the fatal habit of fluttering from paragraph to paragraph to learn how an actress has been divorced in California, a train derailed in France, and quadruplets born in New Zealand.”

Quote from Lewis, C.S. Surprised by Joy Harcourt Brace Jovanovich: 1955 p.159

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The Secret to Emotional Prose

Posted on May 19, 2026 by knlistman

Black Beauty is one of my favorite books because of the emotional nature of the story. As I read it in third grade I cared for that noble horse as his life became a series of downward trends. That was the Anna Sewell intent—for people to have pity on the horses that worked long hours to provide transportation in her time. These animals were often not well cared for and then stuck in dirty, crowded stalls in the huge city of London. However, as a person who suffered from an injury to her ankles early in life, Sewell was dependent on the horses that provided her with a freedom to move.

As a child this deftly drawn story drew me in. As an adult I picked it up again and read a few chapters and still found a lump forming in my throat. Why do some fictional stories affect emotions more than others? Perhaps the question should be why do some people prefer the emotional draw of fictional stories? The answer is not just based on the content of the book. It also depends on the need for the person to feel safe with their deep feelings so they invest them in some other person’s reality.

If you’re looking for the secret to creating emotional stories that will affect everyone, there is none. The idea of a catharsis has been around since storytelling began. Some people feel free to mourn, cry, or swoon about a play or movie without rejection by others. They don’t have to hold in the grief of events that did not happen to them. It may be too painful for them to release their emotions concerning real life tragedies. But, prior life events similar to what they are reading will allow the book to provide a catharsis.

Just as there is no set way to express emotion in writing. There is no one recipe for writing in a style that appeals to all readers. I heard a high school teacher praising a certain student’s style as she read a polished paragraph and pointed out how every word was perfect—at least for her. I prefer imagery that’s a little off-kilter or a connection between an image and an item that I haven’t heard before. I like encountering terms used in a slightly incorrect manner that adds extra depth to the interpretation. I try to avoid repeating the same words frequently. But, the repetition of certain words creates a rhythm that may be exactly what I need.

Aiming for the perfect balance in prose often requires a slew of rewriting and rereading out loud. On occasions as rare as seeing the aurora borealis in Oklahoma, the words simply flow. There’s no need to retouch them at all. If that always occurred, I would not treasure the experience as much. Just as I treasure the rare story that I cannot reread without a lump in my throat.

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Boosting Your Creativity the Hard Way

Posted on April 26, 2026 by knlistman

Are we becoming less creative? In a joint study by Harvard and University of Washington (Davis and Weinstein, 2013) the researchers compared  creative writing by teenagers to determine if creativity was increasing or decreasing. Their conclusion was a decline existed in writing, which became simpler and more mundane. Davis concluded that ” markers of creativity—like complexity and risk-taking and breaking away from the standard mold—that appear to have changed.”[1]

The creative writer combines originality, complexity, independence of judgment, and aesthetic sensitivity according to the research of Frank Barron. Who is this man and why is he telling us what constitutes creativity? Barron was an American psychologist with a PhD from U.C. Berkeley. He spent about thirty years studying creative people and documenting their nature and habits. I find these works, written from the 1960s through 1990s, surprisingly direct for someone who is considered a philosopher and an academic. (If that doesn’t interest you, Barron also did research on the use of psychedelic drugs.) [2]

Barron is considered a pioneer in the psychology of creativity and in the study of human personality, who was known for his in-depth studies of the creative mind. His subjects often took extremely complex elements to produce a final product that was elegant and deceptively simple. He found that creative people could hold two opposite views at the same time and yet see no contraction. Basically, they could be both naïve and knowledgeable, emotional and logical, or disciplined and free spirited.

Such dichotomies tend to become better integrated as people grow older. For creative adults in their twenties, this lack of integration may appear as moodiness or fickle thinking. They are trying to balance ideas at opposite poles and they may push the envelope when it comes to being different from the previous generation, but not from their peers. In fact this age group exhibits more conformity to peers than many others.

Comparing your work to others is second nature. But, originality is determined by how an idea differs from those of one’s peers. So, a writer who wants to stand out from the crowd still has to do their research and find out what other authors are doing. Yet to rise above the bar set by the rest, you must take the risk of not imitating but differentiating yourself. This is particularly true when dealing with other famous authors. There are enough people trying to imitate them. If you do the same your chances of being noticed by the public only decrease. Generating ideas that are different from others is where your value as an author is found. 

[1] Kelley, P. A decline in creativity? It depends on how you look, University of Washington News and Information, November 14, 2013

[2] Barron, Frank and Harrington, David M., Creativity, Intelligence, and Personality by Frank Barron. Annual Review of Psychology, 32 (1981): 439–476

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What Do You See in a Character?

Posted on April 6, 2026 by knlistman

How many times have you read posts in which people argue about the merits of fictional characters? I’ve read enough of these to assume many readers prefer imaginary people to real ones. Fictional characters are often created to be braver, more beautiful, more talented and often more ingenious than real people. They can solve desperate problems within a few chapters. But the real advantage is that created characters don’t talk back. I realize that some authors follow the trend of claiming their characters are so real that they refuse to behave. Instead they ignore the author’s plan and even argue about what they are going to do in the story. I don’t see these authors shaking in their boots in fear. They are still in control of their characters. Asserting that they are not just makes an interesting tale.

My characters live in my head for an amount of time, often experiencing a very ordinary life until a possible conflict arises. Then, I quickly take them down that path to see where it will lead me. The difficult part is capturing the life of these characters in words. But this is the only way to get them out of my head and into those of readers.

What is the best way for me to help readers become acquainted with my characters? The easy way is to tell them that the main character is tall, muscular, drives a BMW with reckless abandon, is frequently impatient, speaks four different languages, has a preference for champaign, and a severe allergy to peanuts. Then, there is the better way, which is to write the narrative in a manner so the reader can observe this character. They follow his reckless drives, see how he reacts when he serves into a ditch to avoid hitting bison. The reader can hear what he says about others, listen to his thoughts to reveal his true feelings. They can even feel his pain when a sumptuous almond cake also contains peanut oil and the burning sensation in his throat begins.

But other less important characters also get their time on the page, because I’m not writing a new version of Robinson Caruso. I will not create them all with the same detailed development reserved for the main character because I don’t want to drive readers up a wall. Each minor character who is seen repeatedly will have a bit of individuality, like a quirk in behavior or a physical trait to make them distinguishable from the others.

So here are some usable shortcuts to creating characters:

Archetypes are the embodiment of a collective set of characteristics. They include the mentor–a wise old man or woman willing to share their wisdom with the hero, or the trickster–a  lively character whose loyalty is always suspect.  Archetypes must be fleshed out with details to make them unique and different.

The foil is pretty much the opposite of the protagonist or another important character. For example, a short, weak man with boundless patience who hates driving cars would make my protagonist more dramatic by comparison.

The doppleganger is a character who has striking similarities to the main character. Often the most noticeable one is appearance. This “twin” can be an empathetic companion or a cunning advisory. Their traits don’t have the boundaries of other archetypes.

Semi-Round characters are partially developed with a specific combination of traits to keep them from being flat, such as an actor with stage fright.

Creating complex characters for the protagonist, the sidekicks and the antagonist(s) is both more difficult and more satisfying for the writer and the reader. Flat characters who follow basic tropes are predictable and do not require as much thought when writing. It is appealing to use formulaic characters to make writing easier. But, you have to decide who you are writing for and if you can live with your decision.

Illustration by J.W. Listman

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The Love-Hate Relationship with Creativity

Posted on March 10, 2026 by knlistman

Despite current praise of novelists, playwrights, artists, musicians and other kinds of creative people, the behavior that leads to these careers is often discouraged during childhood, adolescence and beyond. This is not just a matter of people trying to protect their loved ones from a career that won’t pay the bill. Acceptance of authority–being obedient, respectful and polite, following rules, and showing more respect to those in power–is often indicative of a conformist. Creative people make judgments and evaluate situations for themselves, which means that they often do not do what they are told. Their actions are based on their own internal beliefs and desires. A number of them are often non-conformist who really do not care if they fit the standards that society expects.

This often begins during the years spent in school. Researchers in creativity have found that the creative characteristic, inquisitiveness, can be exhibited by talking a lot or demanding responses, especially by younger students.[1] How else can they find out about new things? On one hand educators praise intrinsic motivation, while dreading some students that are intrinsically motivated. If one of these students actually becomes famous, the teachers will often “forget” how difficult they were.

Both creative adolescents and adults are open to new ideas and critical of other’s ideas. This is less of an inherent conflict for creative students than it is for adults. The creative person tends to have fewer friends because many view criticism as a sign of rejection.[2] As a person who is inventive in writing, art, music and other fields becomes older, they will not remain the same. They often prefer to work alone not because they desire solitude, but because they sense others are wary of their non-comforming behavior. Their remoteness, a form of self-protection, is often viewed as snobbishness.

The love-hate relationship with creativity and the creative person is not limited to education. In most aspects of life people desire the product of creativity, while avoiding the producer of the creative. This is complicated by the fact that artists, writers and musicians can become enemies of their creative cohorts in the competition to achieve. Some that would like to gain fame in creative fields, don’t shy away because of the problem with earning a living as much as the fear of rejection for being different and difficult.

[1]  Torrence, E.P. & Khatena, J. (1970) What Kind of Person Are You? A brief screening device for identifying creatively gifted adolescents and adults. Gifted Child Quarterly, 14, 71-75
[2]  Khatena, J. & Torrence, E.P. (1998). Khatena-Torrance Creative Perception Inventory – Instruction Manual. Bensenville, IL: Scholastic Testing Service, Inc.

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Social Learning and Creative Writing

Posted on February 23, 2026 by knlistman

There is a trend to use existing social media (Facebook, Discord, Reddit, Quora, Instagram) to create a social learning group in which members collaborate and share knowledge with each other. So, I’ve visited some of these groups that might interest me in instructional design, classic literature, and writing fiction. Initially the posts share new information and current hot topics in the field, then they either turn to arguments or AI generated inquiries that make me wonder about how useful machine learning actually is when it comes to writing.

As a writer I am not looking for a list of literary techniques used to create tension in romance and mystery novels. (I believe the better term for these is tropes.) I am looking for more complex and nuanced information. When I search social media related to creative writing I want to uncover the changes that are occurring, individual’s experiences, and even the threats to this field. I also appreciate post about the history of fiction. Accounts of former authors, if these are realistic and true, bring me back to earth. Writing plays, poetry, short fiction or novels has often been a precarious and exhausting career.

Despite the number of people that merge using social media and learning this is not the same as social learning. According to Albert Bandura social learning happens when people observe others and model their behavior on what they see and hear. While much of social learning research concerns observing live people and imitating their actions, social learning also occurs from what one hears about others or sees on media. Bandura proposed that in order for someone to model their behavior on others, there had to be a payoff – something that the others gained – such as acceptance into a group. Also, social learning did not necessarily have to result in change of behavior. For example, even if I didn’t want to behave like people in a specific Facebook group I might still want to observe what they have to say.

So what does this have to do with learning on social media. First, people certainly imitate the type of content posted. I first created a Facebook page assuming it could be used to communicate with other professionals in education and creative circles. If someone voiced a concern or grievance there was a lot of sympathy, but no solutions. Many posts were copied and occasionally something was new. The personal posts that I saw on Facebook were a reflection of what people wanted their lives to be. By observing others, we start comparing ourselves. If our lives are boring, we use it to create drama. We would all like to have the kind of creativity and fame as authors in which others follow the minutia of our lives, but we don’t.

Photo by K.N. Listman

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Writing with Kennings

Posted on January 20, 2026 by knlistman

Creating imagery can be confusing. Ancient literature is difficult not just because of archaic words, but also figures of speech that are strange to our ears. These ancient authors were attempting to help the reader see the action. For example, if you translate an early English text, such as Beowulf into completely modern words, students would still stumble over old idioms such as whale road, sail road and swan road. All of these describe the sea. Huge whales and sailing ships travel the ocean, and I suppose the occasional brave swan could be found floating on waves not far from shore. Are our highways, freeways, and interstates any less confusing than whale roads, sail roads and swan roads? For us these types of roads may conjure up distinct images, but in reality they overlap. 

Beowulf also has a person called the breaker of rings, I could see somebody hacking gold rings apart. Could this be a thief preparing his latest heist to be melted? Actually he is a leader, such a minor king or chieftain. Chances are that he obtained these gold rings by legitimate trading more often than he did by attacking villages and stealing their goods. The breaker of rings doesn’t have to be a sneaky thief. Leaders are also called givers of rings as well as breakers of rings. I suppose a more successful king could have obtained enough gold to give his followers entire rings rather than breaking them into parts to have enough for everyone.

Those figures of speech called kennings make it difficult to read words written thousands of years ago. But can you imagine someone from the eighth century reading ordinary writing today? Even if we never mentioned modern inventions such as airplanes, automobiles, computers and TVs, we are constantly using idiomatic phrases. “Hit the road” means to travel and “hit the sack”” means to go to bed, but it sounds like we are slamming our fists into the pavement or the mattress.

Older languages are often more complex than the simplified grammar of our day. Many people fail to realize that the difference between thee and ye is the number of people indicated by these pronouns. Thee refers to one “you” and ye is used when referring to multiple people. Ye is like the southern idiom “y’all” or the northern version “you guys.” However, some of those giver of rings thought that they were big stuff and insisted on being called by the plural ye. If you think of thee as a polite term, you are wrong. It is the familiar and equalitarian version of you.

Learning to understand figures of speech from another time and place is one of the steps to understanding diverse worlds. Our own kennings fill our conversations and writing with phrases that we find familiar. It is hard to see these as not ordinary. So, you can improve the otherworld feeling of histories, fantasies and science fiction stories by developing your own kennings.

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