Using psychology to deepen your writing

I’ve long been fascinated by psychology and what it has to say about the possible variations in human behavior. I considered a double-major in psychology while I was in college but eventually decided to pursue other interests instead. Still, I explored many texts on the subject, and I would often consult those texts when writing short stories and coming up with character ideas. Unlike psychiatry, which seems to use medication to subdue not only seemingly irreversible mental conditions but some types of temporary problems as well, psychology appears to attempt to get at the root of issues through analysis of the human condition.

I used my own observations and personal beliefs regarding human nature when writing some of the stories included in Portraits in the Dark, and I also researched and read texts by various types of psychologists. At times while creating some of these characters, I needed to step outside of of what I thought was a normal course of action in order to figure out what the characters would or would not do. Some were easy–who hasn’t been annoyed at some perceived negative behavior or slight? Who hasn’t thought “what if…”?

But when it came to the decision-making process, I needed to be able to study how far certain decisions can go. Everyone has to make decisions and everyone makes mistakes, but some are more extreme than others.

For instance, in “Fine Print,” the character wavers between accepting an offer that he knows has dire consequences and living a life that he finds difficult to stomach. On the surface it is an easy enough decision but when other factors are included, the “correct” path isn’t the most desirable. Throughout the story there are clues to what type of man he is and why he would do the things he does–his decision is not just based upon a whim or upon what would be my own personal choice in such a situation.

Every day we are confronted with making decisions, how to approach this or that situation. And every day, in the news or in our personal lives, we find unanswered questions. Why did he or she do this, why did something turn out the way it did? How will this turn out, what should be done here? Without the aid of some fortune telling device, it is impossible to know how something will turn out with 100% accuracy. In “Darkened Sky,” the main character is confronted by the decisions that others have made, with deciding if those choices are options for her, or if she should take another route in life. She can’t forsee her future, but she gains some insight by the choices others have made and how she reacts to them. How she chooses is of particular importance being that she is a teenager and the situations in her life contain much danger for someone her age.

There are decisions that need to be made behind everything that goes on in life. Of course, in Portraits in the Dark, the characters and situations are taken to the extreme–bloody deaths, dealing with the supernatural, horrible creatures, surrealism. But there are also the real life quiet horrors of knowing that one decision can possibly have a huge and lasting impact on one’s life and the lives of others, of dealing with situations that one has little control over but must still learn how to navigate.

One reader commented to me that a story he read in Portraits in the Dark, “Fine Print,” changed his outlook on where his life was headed and made him question whether or not he was going in the right direction. I was glad that what I decided to include in the story had such an impact on him, even though he didn’t go into detail about his situation. That is one type of reaction that I think as writers some of us hope for–that our work will connect on some level.

How we view the world, our experiences, how we deal with things, even our genetic make-up can give us some clues as to what we, and others, will do when confronted with such questions. By exploring psychology, we as writers can use our natural abilities to make the characters real. Of course, there is a balance between enhancing the story with psychology and basically creating characters that are straight out of a text-book. Psychology, while helpful, doesn’t cover all of what a human being is capable of; nor does it cover writing style and storytelling ability.

But creating that written world can sometimes allow us to do what we can’t always do in real life–see why others truly act how they act, do what they do. And sometimes what our fictional characters do can leave a lasting, lingering impression on the mind of the reader.

PORTRAITS IN THE DARK ON AMAZON.COM

Lessons about having confidence

A few weeks ago I was interviewed for The Writing Show. I have to say that I am not normally very nervous speaking in front of a crowd, though I can be a fairly quiet and even shy person at times. However, I’m confident in who I am and what I do. Even when I was a kid and participated in things like school plays, the butterflies were small if at all present. Events that I’ve attended to promote my book have not fazed me in the least.

But I was nervous about this interview. No amount of preparation beforehand calmed my nerves–not my knowledge of the subject matter, not my love of writing, nothing. When it began, I felt as though my mind was just an empty space, as if I had not heard of any of the authors mentioned in the interview, never read any of their works, in fact as if I had not read a book or wrote a sentence in my entire life. I could feel myself rambling on, repeating words and phrases over and over again. As the interview progressed I relaxed somewhat, but I would compare the level of relaxation to moving a mound of dirt from a mountain.

In hindsight I would say that I second guessed myself because it was my first on-air interview. I wasn’t sure that my familiarity with the topic would be enough. I’ve read a number of works by the authors discussed, including the ones that some of the questions stemmed from, and, of course, I’m familiar with my own work and beliefs about writing. But rather than just letting myself be, I put so much emphasis on these thoughts: ‘My first on-air interview! Oh my God, what if I sound like a complete moron? Who am I to tell anyone how to write stories? What if I sound like some crazy, arrogant person that doesn’t even know what she’s talking about?’

I don’t know of any writer that has not felt at some point or another that their writing was inadequate–whether it’s the first sentence of a new story or the last line of a novel. Not to toot my own horn, but I think my collection of short stories is pretty good. I like it, and others seem to like it as well. That doesn’t make me a master writer but I do have things to say, ideas to explore, a vivid imagination, and I do my best—whatever that happens to be at a particular time—to make sure that I use any writing talent I have and skills I’ve learned to get the work onto paper.

After the interview I asked Paula how she thought it went. She said it went well and to not worry if I think I sound terrible because most people think they sound bad when they hear themselves. As far as I know, this is true—I haven’t met anyone that thinks they sound good when they hear themselves or even see themselves on recordings. Sometimes that feeling is warranted, but most often it’s not.

Besides being nervous, I did have fun and in hindsight I’d say it went better than what I feared it could be. Maybe I did sound awkward at times, and while I didn’t get across everything I wanted to or—in my estimation—didn’t illuminate as much as I would have liked to the particulars of writing short stories, the essays and methods of the authors mentioned, or even my own work, I feel the interview shed some light on the various topics and presented a little piece of who I am and why I write. Enough to at least interest some that are dedicated to writing, reading, learning, etc.,. There’s room for improvement, I think, but I’m pretty sure that the lessons I’ve learned from this first interview will help me in the future. I know I won’t be as nervous about any on-air interview that I may have in the future.

I’ve also re-learned a lesson, re-solidified a belief, that the best thing is to just be. Trust in yourself and your given abilities, and don’t worry so much about external factors. We’re only human, we make big as well as small mistakes and don’t always know what’s ahead, but in just doing things to the best of our abilities, being the best of ourselves that we can be from moment to moment, and then letting go of expectations we can achieve more than if we worry ourselves to exhaustion.
Nancy O. Greene
http://www.portraits.bravehost.com
http://writingshow.com/?p=241

The Writing Show Interview

The Writing Show recently interviewed me about short stories, the process of writing them, and my book Portraits in the Dark. The host, Paula B., and I also discuss a few of the greats–such as Raymond Carver, Flannery O’Connor, T.C. Boyle, and Edgar Allan Poe–as well as some of their methods and theories on writing short stories. I had a lot of fun doing it and hope listeners enjoy it as well.

You can view the page and listen to or download the interview here:

NANCY O. GREENE INTERVIEW

While you’re at it, click the link to go to Portraits in the Dark on www.barnesandnoble.com!

Portraits in the Dark at Barnes and Noble