Research is a big part
of writing a story, and our focus this week.
Watch for stories from
authors Lise Horton,
Ursula Renée and Anna DePalo.
But there is an entirely
different avenue to explore when researching, as a writer; one that is
important across the board, for every story we write.
That is research into
the human condition. The science and psychology of mankind, like society and
sex, which can help you establish powerful characters, with identifiable goals,
motivations and conflicts; and history and sociology exploring social
structures, communities, how taboos work, etc.
This type of research is
ongoing. There’s always something new or more to learn than can add another
kernel of nuance and detail to your storytelling to make it as immediate as
possible for your readers. Ensure that your world and characters are such
readers can empathize and identify with your heroes and heroines. To guarantee
that they read as “real”: flesh and blood, living, breathing, yearning “humans”
and to make sure your world is driven by familiar rules and logic.
For example, how much
time do you devote to the study of human physiology, neurobiology, psychology
and sociology when you craft your stories? We research sex and relationships,
certainly, to ensure honest portrayals of what we write: love. But there are
more discoveries that can add richness, and astute detail and, at the same
time, be created to be read with the greatest impact.
Then there is the actual
ACT of reading. How much thought do you give to the experience of a reader’s
reading of your novel when writing? Not just the craft questions like plot,
pacing, grammar and myriad other details: Do you think of how readers read? How
the physical act of viewing words becomes recognition and how they engage, and
are translated in, a reader’s mind?
In past workshops I’ve
discussed the fact that the average reader “hears” the words she is reading,
and how that knowledge can help author craft successful passages by choosing
and arranging words to maximum effect.
In another workshop on the five senses, I pointed out the difference in
the way scent is interpreted by our brains from touch, sound and sight; scent
is the one sense that links the sensory experience with memory and feelings,
making scent an exceptionally powerful sensory detail to use.
Two articles in The New
York Times, “Your Brain On Fiction” by Anne Murphy Paul (Sunday Review sec.,
3/18/12) and “The Brain On Love” by Diane Ackerman (Sunday Review sec.,
3/25/12) offer amazing theory and research.
In Paul’s article, for
example, the choice of descriptive words being read alters the neurological
response in a reader. Words that invoke touch sensations, “rouse the sensory
cortex”. “The singer had a velvet voice” evokes a more potent response than
does “the singer had a pleasing voice”. Words like lavender and cinnamon and
other scent descriptors elicit a response not just from the expected areas
where language is processed, but other areas devoted to scent interpretation.
And a final observation indicates that the brain “does not make much of a
distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real
life”.
In addition to the
physical, there are the social implications. One psychologist uncovered that
“there was substantial overlap in the brain networks used to understand stories
and the networks used to navigate interactions with other individuals”, and as
readers we “identify with characters’ longings and frustrations, guess at their
hidden motives and track their encounters with friends and enemies, neighbors
and lovers”.
Beyond the understanding
of a reader’s physical perception, there is also the psychology and sociology
of love, sex, romance and human relationships to explore.
Articles and books on
these subjects can prove wonderfully enlightening for a writer who seeks to
imbue her human characters with as much complex subtlety as possible, while
engaging her readers on every level, from the conscious to the subconscious.
In addition to the
straightforward books and articles on psychology, personality, sociology,
sexuality, here are a few titles to add to your library that are specifically
geared to authors:
Angela Ackerman’s The Negative Trait Thesaurus, The Positive Trait
Thesaurus, and The Emotion Thesaurus (for writers);
Writer’s
Guide to Character Traits
by Dr. Linda Edelstein
Bullies,
Bastards and Bitches: How To Write the Bad Guys of Fiction by Jessica Morrell♥
JOIN
US TOMORROW FOR
Getting
Your Facts Straight: Importance of Research by Ursula Renée
No comments:
Post a Comment