Hello, folks.
Today I got some questions aimed at people who make a psychological analysis of your characters. To be honest, I've never talked to another writer who enjoys this writing modality. As my project is a complete psychological thriller, I'd like to hear good tips from members who appreciate this genre.
How do you build a character's subconscious?
How do you share your character's thoughts through his acts?
What use to be an inspiration to your character's personality, and why?
(If some member shared any work based on this genre, leave the link below your answer. I'd love to read).
Great Expectations and Tess of the D'urbervilles are good examples of how a dramatic event, change in circumstance, and change of setting shape a characters personality and outlook.
Hi T.O.
This question really requires quite an in depth answer and I'd have to go away and think about it some more.
However, when I read it tow books immediately sprang to mind:
Night Train To Lisbon by Pascal Mercier
New Finnish Grammar by Diego Marani
They are both incredibly well written studies of human psychology.
Mercier's book tells the story of a Swiss language teacher who heads to Lisbon to delve into the life story of a Portuguese aristocrat and scholar. His spontaneous adventure is completely at odds with manner of living up until that moment and the book charts his personal journey and cathartic adventure with great delicacy and insight.
It is a masterly portrait of human frailty and strength, and is beautifully written
Marani's book tells the tale of a doctor who is trying to help a patient who has lost his memory. The patient, a sailor, is mistakenly thought to be Finnish and he is brought back "home" to be reacquainted with his country and its language.
It is an extremely well crafted tale of identity and self discovery - and of the many aspects of life that go into making up our personalities and identities. As a psychological study, it is excellent.
So perhaps reading some books that are good examples of well crafted psychological studies can help you somewhat? Neither of these books is a thriller. They are both, slow and intimate in nature. But they offer invaluable insights and I highly recommend them :-)