CANDORVILLE by Darrin Bell
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Friday Free Association Chain
The word is........
BASKET.
First commenter free associates with the above word. Second commenter takes the first commenter's word and free associates, and so on.
Remember -- FIRST thing that comes to mind. GO!!
If you haven't taken my Personality and Plotting Survey, PLEASE DO SO NOW!! (2 minutes, tops.)
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Character Clinic: Bradley Morgan and Gender Identity Disorder
If you haven't taken my Personality and Plotting Survey, PLEASE DO SO NOW!! (2 minutes, tops.)
Today's character on the couch is courtesy of E.S., who is writing a literary fiction novel about 20-year-old Bradley. Bradley was physically and sexually abused at the hands of his father from the ages of 5-18. He's in a relationship with Curtis, who is supportive, but Bradley has an aversion to sex and often has nightmares/sleep terrors when sleeping alone. Also, Bradley likes to wear women's clothing, mainly at home. Sometimes he feels more comfortable when he's cross-dressing.
E.S. wants to know: Bradley feels like everything he owns and everything he does is marred in some way by his father. How can Bradley take his life into his own hands and escape the hold his father always had over him to make his life feel like it belongs to him, not his father? How can he stop being as utterly terrified of his father as he is and work up the courage to let himself be genuinely happy with his life and who he is? Also, what steps should he take with regards to his aversion to sex?
E.S. -
What you've got here is a homoerotic character-driven novel, but without much plot. You've raised some incredible issues that literary fiction could help shed light on, and I wish you well with it. But what I didn't see from your intake form for Bradley was much of a plot, so while you've got this angst-ridden anti-hero or sorts, I didn't read much that you are planning on doing with said angst-ridden anti-hero.
He's coming from a traumatic, shame-filled past, and his current narrative or life script is focused on how he felt as a young child. The regression he shows at night (almost child-like, needing to be held, etc) might be evidence of this, as well as a PTSD reaction, due to the fact that the abuse most likely happened at night. Bradley is going to need some therapy at some point in this novel to address these issues. It's unlikely that his relationship with Curtis, no matter how supportive, is going to be all he needs to "get past" his past.
As for getting past an aversion to sex, many sex therapists suggest to couples to try sensate focus. The link I've included goes into detail as to how a therapist might structure sessions, so I won't do that here. Needless to say, this is a therapeutically very popular way of handling aversion or discomfort for couples.
You mentioned that you think Bradley might have Gender Identity Disorder. I wanted to take a moment and hijack this mini-assessment to share with my readership a little more about this disorder and some other terms closely related.
Gender Identity Disorder can be exhibited in children or adults, with minor differences in what to look for. Basically, someone with GID might state over and over their desire to be the other sex. Males want to wear female clothes, and vise versa. These individuals generally embrace the stereotypical aspects of the opposite sex, such a man doing all the cooking and cleaning and a woman doing yard work. (Sorry! I said stereotypes.) And FYI, the American Psychology Association is looking to change the criteria for this disorder...and a few others...when the DSM-5 comes out. Check it out here.
However, I'm not sure that Bradley fits all the criteria for this particular disorder. Does he essentially want to be a woman? I realize he's attracted to other men, but that wouldn't preclude him wanting to a woman. Cross-dressing is just that, dressing in the clothes of the opposite sex. Taken to the most extreme, this could include one wanting to be a transexual, (someone who at the far end of the spectrum wants to undergo surgery to make the outside of their body match with the inside). But it could just be that Bradley is a transvestite - someone who cross-dresses (although cross-dresser is the preferred term). Another caveat would be if Bradley gets a sexual enjoyment from dressing in the clothes of the opposite sex. Then it would fall under a transvestic fetishism.
This can actually get pretty confusing, with all these terms! And trying to figure out which are politically correct, etc, can be overwhelming. If you have additional questions about this, just ask below.
Hope this has been helpful E.S.! Good luck to you.
Today's character on the couch is courtesy of E.S., who is writing a literary fiction novel about 20-year-old Bradley. Bradley was physically and sexually abused at the hands of his father from the ages of 5-18. He's in a relationship with Curtis, who is supportive, but Bradley has an aversion to sex and often has nightmares/sleep terrors when sleeping alone. Also, Bradley likes to wear women's clothing, mainly at home. Sometimes he feels more comfortable when he's cross-dressing.
E.S. wants to know: Bradley feels like everything he owns and everything he does is marred in some way by his father. How can Bradley take his life into his own hands and escape the hold his father always had over him to make his life feel like it belongs to him, not his father? How can he stop being as utterly terrified of his father as he is and work up the courage to let himself be genuinely happy with his life and who he is? Also, what steps should he take with regards to his aversion to sex?
E.S. -
What you've got here is a homoerotic character-driven novel, but without much plot. You've raised some incredible issues that literary fiction could help shed light on, and I wish you well with it. But what I didn't see from your intake form for Bradley was much of a plot, so while you've got this angst-ridden anti-hero or sorts, I didn't read much that you are planning on doing with said angst-ridden anti-hero.
He's coming from a traumatic, shame-filled past, and his current narrative or life script is focused on how he felt as a young child. The regression he shows at night (almost child-like, needing to be held, etc) might be evidence of this, as well as a PTSD reaction, due to the fact that the abuse most likely happened at night. Bradley is going to need some therapy at some point in this novel to address these issues. It's unlikely that his relationship with Curtis, no matter how supportive, is going to be all he needs to "get past" his past.
As for getting past an aversion to sex, many sex therapists suggest to couples to try sensate focus. The link I've included goes into detail as to how a therapist might structure sessions, so I won't do that here. Needless to say, this is a therapeutically very popular way of handling aversion or discomfort for couples.
You mentioned that you think Bradley might have Gender Identity Disorder. I wanted to take a moment and hijack this mini-assessment to share with my readership a little more about this disorder and some other terms closely related.Gender Identity Disorder can be exhibited in children or adults, with minor differences in what to look for. Basically, someone with GID might state over and over their desire to be the other sex. Males want to wear female clothes, and vise versa. These individuals generally embrace the stereotypical aspects of the opposite sex, such a man doing all the cooking and cleaning and a woman doing yard work. (Sorry! I said stereotypes.) And FYI, the American Psychology Association is looking to change the criteria for this disorder...and a few others...when the DSM-5 comes out. Check it out here.
However, I'm not sure that Bradley fits all the criteria for this particular disorder. Does he essentially want to be a woman? I realize he's attracted to other men, but that wouldn't preclude him wanting to a woman. Cross-dressing is just that, dressing in the clothes of the opposite sex. Taken to the most extreme, this could include one wanting to be a transexual, (someone who at the far end of the spectrum wants to undergo surgery to make the outside of their body match with the inside). But it could just be that Bradley is a transvestite - someone who cross-dresses (although cross-dresser is the preferred term). Another caveat would be if Bradley gets a sexual enjoyment from dressing in the clothes of the opposite sex. Then it would fall under a transvestic fetishism.
This can actually get pretty confusing, with all these terms! And trying to figure out which are politically correct, etc, can be overwhelming. If you have additional questions about this, just ask below.
Hope this has been helpful E.S.! Good luck to you.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Importance of Family of Origin for Characters
If you haven't taken my Personality and Plotting Survey, PLEASE DO SO NOW!! (2 minutes, tops.)
Unless you’re writing young adult novels, authors don’t always give a lot of thought to the intricacies of an adult hero or heroine’s family of origin. After all, if she’s already left home when the book starts, what’s the big deal about her mom and dad?
Below are five questions from the family APGAR assessment (acronym explained later) that will measure important concepts about your character’s family of origin. I’ll explain why these concepts are important, even for adult MCs.
Click here to read the rest of my article for Christian Fiction Online Magazine.
Below are five questions from the family APGAR assessment (acronym explained later) that will measure important concepts about your character’s family of origin. I’ll explain why these concepts are important, even for adult MCs.
Click here to read the rest of my article for Christian Fiction Online Magazine.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Character Clinic: Cian
If you haven't taken my Personality and Plotting Survey, PLEASE DO SO NOW!! (2 minutes, tops.)
Today's couch time features Cian, a 22-year-old aristocrat from Kay's paranormal dark romance. He was raised as the "good son" of the monarchs of Seelie Court. His younger brother Crevan was exiled, believed guilty for murder, and Cian followed him into the mortal world. They have a love-hate relationship. Cian is angered by the human world and turned to drinking, which is killing him, preventing him from returning to Seelie Court, and turning him abusive. He's no longer immortal, and has a mortal girlfriend Raven who practices magic who stays with him despite the fact he's a "wreck."
Kay wants to know: Why did Cian turn to drink in the first place? Why does he have a human girlfriend when he hates humans? Why did he not just return to the Seelie Court before he became an alcoholic? Why does he stay with his brother? Why did he leave the Court in the first place? Will he forgive his brother eventually?
Cian -
Most people drink or do drugs to self-medicate the pain in their lives. It's one thing to get drunk at a party or two, but quite another to turn to the drink as a regular way of coping with life. Looks like you're doing the latter, and you have to ask yourself what are you trying to drown? What fear fades or dies altogether when you're drinking? Do you feel invincible while you drink? Does it remind you of being immortal?
As for Raven, you are in Rome, so you're doing as the Romans. I think it's a great lesson that readers will identify with...but to have him struggle with his initial impression of humans and his attraction to her. No one people group is all good or all bad...and he's in that nebulous gray area, which I think is totally feasible and relatable.
Not sure why you didn't return before you became an alcoholic. Probably something in there about your brother, huh? Needing to protect him? Do you feel some sort of guilt about why he was exiled? Could that have prompted you to follow him in a self-imposed exile? Guilt can be a strong motivator. Guilt and anger, but anger is a secondary emotion...and can be caused by guilt. If you had some under current of involvement in your father's murder, let's say...quite by accident, even...then that would be all the motivation you'd need to follow him from Court. You'd be assuaging a guilty conscious.
For fun, I'd have you attend a futuristic/paranormal 12-step group. I'm sure the steps could be tweaked to fit the time period and environment. That could be pretty fun and provide some comic relief to your dire situation. Alcoholism isn't funny, yet it is treatable. Do you think Raven's magic is a way to "heal" you? Just curious....it sounds like a fascinating story. You are a case study in why people do what they don't want to do and can't do what they want to do, which has been a problem around for loooong time.
Hope you enjoyed your time on the couch! Let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
Today's couch time features Cian, a 22-year-old aristocrat from Kay's paranormal dark romance. He was raised as the "good son" of the monarchs of Seelie Court. His younger brother Crevan was exiled, believed guilty for murder, and Cian followed him into the mortal world. They have a love-hate relationship. Cian is angered by the human world and turned to drinking, which is killing him, preventing him from returning to Seelie Court, and turning him abusive. He's no longer immortal, and has a mortal girlfriend Raven who practices magic who stays with him despite the fact he's a "wreck."
Kay wants to know: Why did Cian turn to drink in the first place? Why does he have a human girlfriend when he hates humans? Why did he not just return to the Seelie Court before he became an alcoholic? Why does he stay with his brother? Why did he leave the Court in the first place? Will he forgive his brother eventually?
Cian -
As for Raven, you are in Rome, so you're doing as the Romans. I think it's a great lesson that readers will identify with...but to have him struggle with his initial impression of humans and his attraction to her. No one people group is all good or all bad...and he's in that nebulous gray area, which I think is totally feasible and relatable.
Not sure why you didn't return before you became an alcoholic. Probably something in there about your brother, huh? Needing to protect him? Do you feel some sort of guilt about why he was exiled? Could that have prompted you to follow him in a self-imposed exile? Guilt can be a strong motivator. Guilt and anger, but anger is a secondary emotion...and can be caused by guilt. If you had some under current of involvement in your father's murder, let's say...quite by accident, even...then that would be all the motivation you'd need to follow him from Court. You'd be assuaging a guilty conscious.
For fun, I'd have you attend a futuristic/paranormal 12-step group. I'm sure the steps could be tweaked to fit the time period and environment. That could be pretty fun and provide some comic relief to your dire situation. Alcoholism isn't funny, yet it is treatable. Do you think Raven's magic is a way to "heal" you? Just curious....it sounds like a fascinating story. You are a case study in why people do what they don't want to do and can't do what they want to do, which has been a problem around for loooong time.
Hope you enjoyed your time on the couch! Let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Personality and Plotting Survey: Does One Influence the Other?
I've created a brief survey to determine if personality influences writing methods in any kind of statistically significant way.
Please RETWEET this post and get the word out! The more writers who can take the survey, the better the results will be. The first two questions are required, and will open up the rest of the survey depending on which you selected, Plotter or Pantster. Plotters, don't answer the Pantster questions on page 3...just click submit.
Thanks everyone!
Please RETWEET this post and get the word out! The more writers who can take the survey, the better the results will be. The first two questions are required, and will open up the rest of the survey depending on which you selected, Plotter or Pantster. Plotters, don't answer the Pantster questions on page 3...just click submit.
Thanks everyone!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
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