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Author Archives: knlistman
What kind of deviant?
Authors are well aware that readers favor the rebel who follows a different drummer or stands defiant before the crowd. Social psychologists and sociologists have actually done a good deal of research on groups’ reaction to this kind of person. … Continue reading
When characters will not conform
The social psychologist Solomon Asch is famous for his experiments on how peer pressure affects our perceptions in 1950s. According to Asch if all those answering before the research participant selected the same incorrect answer approximately 76% of the people … Continue reading
Posted in Group psychology, Literature, Writer's resource
Tagged creating interesting characters, defiance, descent, deviance, difference, groups, J. Jetten, M.J. Hornsey, non conformists, rebels, rogues, S.E. Asch
1 Comment
Writing like you talk
When reading a professional author’s discussion thread, I noted that more than one person assumed the trick to creating a unique writer’s voice was “writing like you talk.” There is some truth to this if you are a good verbal … Continue reading
Posted in Style and voice, Writer's resource
Tagged problems with writing like your speak, tone, vernacular, Writer's voice
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Characters and cohorts
In fiction most protagonists like most people are not complete loners. Interactions with their cohorts make up a good portion of novels, so creating these peers takes a bit of thought. What enables a real-life group to be innovative in business also makes … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Group psychology, Literature, Writer's resource
Tagged cohort, doppleganger, Foil, group diversity, maintaining status quo, work groups
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When characters confuse
When Edgar Allen Poe published “Murders in the Rue Morgue” in 1841 the murder mystery was a relatively new genre. He wrote a few more of these increasingly popular detective stories before leaving behind his own mystery. In 1849 he … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Writer's resource
Tagged MO. signature aspect, modus operandi, motivations, motive, signature behavior
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When characters collide
Consider the possible basic conflicts in fiction: man against environment, man against man, man against society, and man against self. In most plots the conflicts are between people. Even in Robinson Caruso and Castaway, tales of man surviving in isolation, … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Literary devices, Writer's resource
Tagged antagonist, character, conflict, hero, modus operandi, motive, Protagonist, villain
1 Comment
What makes a character, a character?
Recently I was following a thread of writers discussing how to find names that make characters memorable. Honestly, I believe that writers should be looking at the reverse situation. It is the skillful creation of a character whose strengths and … Continue reading
What makes a classic, a classic?
When a person refers to classic art, you automatically assume it is the style derived from classic Greek art. This style is associated with city-states on a small Greek peninsula beginning about 500 B.C. and ending 323 B.C., at the death … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Education trends, Literature, Poetry
Tagged architecture, art, Classic, empire, Harold Bloom, Literature, Shakespeare
1 Comment
Delusion and Imagery
Imagery is one of the harder to pinpoint concepts in writing. What exactly is the difference between describing something in detail and creating imagery? This concept is not always easy to explain. So I looked at what some experts in the … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Poetry, Writer's resource
Tagged advertisement, communication, imagery, language, Marshall McLuhan, Noam Chomsky, poetic devices, poetry, politics
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Write about what? 