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Category Archives: Psychology
When do the ghosts show up?
According to my friends I read depressing books, such as Cry the Beloved Country and Crime and Punishment, and actually enjoy them. What kind of books do I avoid reading because I find them depressing while others seem to relish … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Creativity, Literature, Psychology, Trends in books, Writer's resource
Tagged edgar allen poe, fictional monsters, Henry James, horror
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Emotionally intelligent characters?
Readers may seek out stories with a hero with greater than average athletic ability and high intelligence because they are drawn to the larger than life character who is strong or ingenious. However, when a reader asks for a character … Continue reading
Writing Sarcasm
The difference between satire and sarcasm makes the first one easier to express in writing. I can take a well-known trope and push it to an unreasonable extreme to create a satirical story. However, delivery of sarcastic lines often requires … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Laughter and humor, Literature, Teaching writing skills
Tagged parody, sarcasm, Satire
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When Writing is a Race
I’ve always envied authors who write quickly. Many of them pull ideas from their own life. Sometimes, when I finish reading a good novel I feel like I’ve met some of the characters, because the author has actually met the … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Psychology, Teaching writing skills, Writer's resource
Tagged writing rapidly
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How likeable does a character have to be?
We often hear it is absolutely necessary for your protagonist to be likable. I take this advice not just with a grain of salt but with a huge chunk of sodium chloride. One of my very dislikable characters (according to … Continue reading
Obnoxious characters
Creating villains is much like creating protagonists. They are people with depth and a history. A villain follows discernible motives just like the hero does. Only at some point in their life, villains take an ethical shortcut to get ahead. … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Group psychology, Literary devices, Literature, Mental health, Trends in books
Tagged heros, Jane Eyre, villians
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A new definition of literacy
A child of mine made a joking statement that if we wanted to raise the level of writing we needed to lower the number of people who are literate. The supposed logic behind this suspect claim is that the books … Continue reading
Posted in Education trends, Fiction in education, intelligence, Literature, Trends in books, Writing trends
Tagged classics, genre, Literacy, Literature
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“Crazy” characters
If you want to write fiction involving mentally ill characters in a realistic way, to show how and why they no longer think clearly, you must get to know real people with real psychiatric disorders. There are many places that … Continue reading
Posted in Characters, Literature, Mental health
Tagged mental illness, psychotic, Psychoticism
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How funny am I?
Traits that are found in people who are considered humorous include: adaptability in communication, desire to make a positive impressions, orientation towards feeling/emotions, and being able to see the irony in a situation. There are advantages to being considered humorous; … Continue reading
Posted in Laughter and humor, Writer's resource
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Writing satire
Having a fondness for satire, I savor that kind of humor. But, many readers stumble over it. I introduced my children to the pleasure of reading satire when they were young. While in grade school, my daughter delighted in the annotated … Continue reading
Posted in Emotional intelligence, Writer's resource
Tagged alice in wonderland, through the looking glass
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