I’m a good person, right? An ethical person? I hope to leave the world a little better than I found it. But I’m a writer. Of fiction, mostly. Plot thrives on conflict. I can’t write only about characters who are virtuous. Interesting people are often mean, selfish, calculating, or outright evil. I need to write from the internal perspective of my creations. These include criminals as well as normally imperfect human beings, who unintentionally inflict pain and unhappiness on themselves and others.
How to create believable characters, who are not just stereotypes or caricatures? How to, in the most extreme case, inhabit the mind of a murderer, a thief or a sociopath?
This is when I confront my own dark side. I coldly examine my most vicious thoughts and worst impulses. Didn’t a murderous rage sweep through me when the dry cleaner closed the door in my face just as I came for the outfit I needed for tonight’s anniversary dinner? Wasn’t I wracked with jealous envy when my friend signed a big contract for her newest book? Didn’t I entertain a delicious revenge fantasy and imagine the downfall of the editor who rejected my latest attempt with a few harsh words?
I use these emotions to connect with my character's world-view. What actions might spring from it? .Sometimes I need to take to these to the extreme in order to identify with my character. And a visit to the dark side can be very exciting, vicariously satisfying in fact. WRITE ON
...such great insights...no wonder 'Crimson Ice' on amazon is such a great chiller!!!
ReplyDeleteI find that writing can be a great way to exorcise those inner demons. You get to do things on paper you only wish you could do in real life! When there is a lot of turmoil in my life my writing veers toward the darker side, but I am FINE with that.
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