![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Jan. 8th, 2006 04:43 pmI checked out the good ol' 808s at the Lynnwood library today, and was surprised and delighted to find that they had brought in new books on writing since last I reconnoitered there. I now have, to be gulped down in the last week (thank god!) before going back to school:
The Writer's Guide to Character Traits
Building Better Plots
Description (because lately I've been neglecting it in my worship of EXPOSITION)
The 38 (why 38?) Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes
The Romance Writer's Handbook (...please don't judge me)
The Better Part of Valor (Tanya Huff)
The Prize in the Game (Jo Walton)
and Patrick O'Brian's The Far Side of the World
So I sat down to "Character Traits" this afternoon. The blurb on the back seemed promising: "From soccer moms to serial killers, The Writer's Guide to Character Traits explores a range of personality types and provides the insights you need to make your characters come alive." It turned out to be more like a whirlwind Cliff Notes of psychology.
And depressing as all hell.
I could never study psychology seriously, I think. It appears that every interesting personality quirk I can imagine is really a 'problem' or a 'disorder.' People are grouped into personality types primarily by their negative traits. All of the exemplary stories are about people with miserable adulthoods, there is no such thing as a happy marriage, and it's all their parents' fault.
Of course, I'm an anxious, overly-competitive passive-aggressive compulsive, and probably sexually dysfunctional as well, so obviously my opinion of this book or of psychology in general shouldn't count. (Was that the passive aggression, or victim behaviors?) And sweet Constantine--well, he's obviously dependent, guilt-stricken, and socially inept, and add all of his post-traumatic--no. Stop! What is this? He just wants a freakin' cup of tea!
I'm done, I swear. But I'm refusing to read the second half of that book.
The Writer's Guide to Character Traits
Building Better Plots
Description (because lately I've been neglecting it in my worship of EXPOSITION)
The 38 (why 38?) Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes
The Romance Writer's Handbook (...please don't judge me)
The Better Part of Valor (Tanya Huff)
The Prize in the Game (Jo Walton)
and Patrick O'Brian's The Far Side of the World
So I sat down to "Character Traits" this afternoon. The blurb on the back seemed promising: "From soccer moms to serial killers, The Writer's Guide to Character Traits explores a range of personality types and provides the insights you need to make your characters come alive." It turned out to be more like a whirlwind Cliff Notes of psychology.
And depressing as all hell.
I could never study psychology seriously, I think. It appears that every interesting personality quirk I can imagine is really a 'problem' or a 'disorder.' People are grouped into personality types primarily by their negative traits. All of the exemplary stories are about people with miserable adulthoods, there is no such thing as a happy marriage, and it's all their parents' fault.
Of course, I'm an anxious, overly-competitive passive-aggressive compulsive, and probably sexually dysfunctional as well, so obviously my opinion of this book or of psychology in general shouldn't count. (Was that the passive aggression, or victim behaviors?) And sweet Constantine--well, he's obviously dependent, guilt-stricken, and socially inept, and add all of his post-traumatic--no. Stop! What is this? He just wants a freakin' cup of tea!
I'm done, I swear. But I'm refusing to read the second half of that book.
