​Psychology is a powerful tool to use in fiction. Even if your characters aren’t human, giving them human traits and struggles will allow your readers to connect with them on a much deeper level. In this blog post I’ll discuss the value of using psychology in your writing, the best way to go about researching, and most importantly, what NOT to do when including mental illness in fiction.

Disclaimer: I’m not an expert. I hold no degrees, wrote no thesis, and have limited life experience with many of the topics I mention here. I have done what any good writer does when confronted with the need to include something in a story that they aren’t familiar with: research.

My interest in using psychology in fiction started when I wrote my first published novel, Woven. Without giving you too many spoilers, one of the characters has a magically-induced form of Dissociative Identity Disorder, known more commonly (but incorrectly) as Multiple Personality Disorder. People with this disorder show dramatic shifts in personality and identity, and every aspect of their being is affected: temperament, dialect, memory, physical ability, intellectual knowledge, and even gender.

Psychologists now believe that DID largely occurs in individuals that were abused as children, and the mind literally splinters, or dissociates, in order to keep from being damaged by living out the memory of the trauma. Re-integration of the personalities allows for the divided individual to acknowledge each split inside them and become one, if they choose, or at very least live more harmoniously. That’s DID in a nutshell. There are a lot of stigmas associated with the illness, plenty of ways to incorrectly portray it, and fortunately for me, plenty of real-life stories to sift through as I wrote this character in my book.

I even found out while writing Woven that a family member was diagnosed with this mental illness. She’s also a writer, and she agreed to read Woven once it was finished. To paraphrase her words, there were parts of the story that were so real they were difficult to read because she identified with the character so completely. In other words, I nailed it. She loved my book, and her response validated all the research and effort I had put into compiling it.

So what does knowing my experience do for you? Let’s start with talking about what adding or deepening the influence of human psychology can do for your story and those that read it.​

I wrote my first children's play in high school. It was about a little boy who found a watermelon and imagined it was a dinosaur egg. A nosy neighbor girl insisted it was a 'plain ol' melon' which caused the boy to doubt his sense of imagination. In a final climax, the two fought over the fruit and in the scuffle lost control as it rolled down a hill. The girl gave up on it, but when the boy finally found the cracked rind, he was able to find value in the 'ruined' melon by imagining the dinosaur inside had hatched and he resumed his game to find it.

My theater teacher chose my script to be performed in class. As I watched two actors portray the children, I realized the magic of script writing. The actors enhanced my story by adding vocal inflections, movement, and props. They used my creativity as a point to jump off from and created something all their own. 

Now, I'm writing a full length musical. It's a bigger task, but the rewarding memory from high school keeps me chasing the dream. I've been working on this collaborative project for over a year now and I am amazed at how often script writing skills reflect on my career as a novelist. Here are a few reasons why I think you should try writing a stage play.

I love reading. Unfortunately, I’m an embarrassingly slow reader and I don’t have as much dedicated downtime as I used to. As a result, my to be read pile is dauntingly high. When I do read, though, I come across some beautiful books, and the books I read with my children have really captured my heart the last couple of years. 

I love reading with them as part of our bedtime routine, to wind down after a long outing, or simply as a good way to connect with those sweet little hearts. I cannot express my gratitude for the authors that have created such heartfelt stories that allow my kids and me to learn and grow together. Surprisingly, the things I learned while reading with my children also applied to my writing!

​I have three beautiful kids, ages four, two and one. From the moment the sun wakes them up and their sweet voices pull me out of bed, to the last little moments where they peek out of their rooms before falling asleep, I am their everything. My time is all wrapped up in them and their needs most of the day. Except for writing. I knew that I would be the best mom for them if I had at least one thing for me. So, 4 years ago, during my down time I started writing because it was something cheap and gratifying I could do for myself. Since then my love for it has grown. Part of what I love most about it is that there's so much to learn! 

I might not have been in a stage of my life that was ideal for formal education, but I used the tools I did have to learn tools that would help my writing get better. During dishes, laundry, showers, and driving; any time I could reasonably listen to or watch something on writing, I soaked it in.

Many of you find yourselves in similar situations. Maybe you have a demanding day job, you’re a full-time student, or you're stay at home parents. You have precious little time to yourself, and no luxury of taking formal classes. Lucky for us we live in the mighty age of the internet where YouTubers, bloggers, and podcasters alike reign supreme. For those who have the desire, there is no end to the things that can be learned.
So, here are just a few of my favorite online resources for writing that have made those spare moments worthwhile.  

1. Jenna Moreci 

Your potty mouth, tell it to you straight, writing coach, Jenna Moreci is the science fiction and fantasy author of Eve The Awakening, and The Savior’s Champion. She’s an independently published author with a background in business which has given her writing career a successful edge that she shares with her audience. Her videos go into depth about her publishing process and other writing tips, and the Cyborg Queen pulls no punches. 
I've found these three videos to be especially helpful:
​CreateSpace vs IngramSpark: Which One is Better for Selfpublishing
How To  Write With A Full Time Job
Tips For a Successful Book Cover
​

The enormous crowds. The television and radio interviews. And, of course, the money. I know of few writers that don't dream of being as famous as J.K. Rowling, Brandon Sanderson, or Stephen King. We long to discover our books on bookstore shelves and hear about book groups discussing our carefully crafted novels. 

Writing is a highly romanticized career. Like many artistic careers, those who do end up in the spotlight make it seem ideal to be a published author. Once you've published, you have it MADE. And yet, my first year as a published author has made it clear that this isn't an overnight gig, and most of it is far from romantic.

Accurate, much? Yes. As I'm typing this, I'm sitting on a rocker chair in my (let's be real, messy) bedroom while my kids are having a dance party in the living room. My inspirational piano playlist is punctuated by gleeful (and not so gleeful) screams, the toilet flushing, and music from the Trolls soundtrack. It's pretty rare that you'll find me at the library or Starbucks with a paper cup at my side, headphones in, pounding out golden word after golden word. And yet, this is how writers are thought of and often portrayed in the media. 

Writing to produce a short story or novel is hard work. A LOT of hard work. And most of it is done in isolation. People often ask me how long it takes for me to write a book. I tell them that it depends on how much takeout we eat and whether I have a babysitter during the week or not. This is the reality for me as a homeschooling mom of four (almost five!) kids. "Woven" took me four years to go from concept to published. It's sequel, "Bound", comes out next month, 13 months from concept to publication. I've written a few short stories and novellas in that time as well, and started several projects. So, you can see that the timeline really varies depending on my life, my priorities, and the project itself.

Besides dealing with less-than-desirable creative atmospheres and life-interruptions, there is a host of tasks a published author has to complete in order to maintain even a modicum of success. I wasn't so naive before I published to think all I had to do was hit "submit" and my publisher would take care of everything. I had been to writing conferences and I thought I knew what to expect, but nothing could prepare me for the myriad of hats I've had to wear in the past year. Allow me to give you a glimpse.

​Writing presents a unique dilemma compared to other jobs. There are few markings of success by which to judge ourselves on along the road to publishing.

​ I worked at Starbucks before I had my first little one. Every day I knew exactly what needed to be done, and when. In the morning iced teas and coffees required prepping, grinders needed filling, and pastries were stocked with a set number of goodies, each placed in an enticing display. In other words,  there was a clearly defined checklist, and when the list was accomplished, it felt good! Then there were the drinks. To this day I still can put my body through the motions of making a Frappuccino. Fill the Blender with ice, three pumps of white mocha, three pumps of “Frappuccino Sauce” and milk. Then I blend, pour, and finish with a beautiful crown of whip cream. I knew when I did it right because it looked beautiful, and the customer was happy (well…most of the time). 

​ Unfortunately, writing isn’t like that, is it? Sometimes I trick myself into thinking that it is. I will happily create a checklist of chapters, scenes, and themes and feel that same sense of satisfaction as I check them off after a productive writing session is over. I try to quantify my work by setting out to write a certain number of hours or words in one sitting. 

In every book marketing article I've ever read, they discuss social media platforms. The number one suggestion is to avoid getting overwhelmed by trying to run your book marketing on ALL the platforms. Pick two or three that come most naturally to you and use those. For me, Facebook is number one. I like words, and Facebook lets me use lots of words. Pinterest is second. I technically have a Twitter and Instagram, but if you want to hear from me those aren't the platforms to follow me on.

​Facebook and Pinterest are relatively easy for me to use, I enjoy using them as part of my every day life, and there wasn't a big learning curve for me. I'm still getting used to some of the features for advertising, something you can utilize on both Facebook and Pinterest platforms. ​In this blog post I'm focusing on using Pinterest to generate ideas, to outline and plot your story, to develop characters, and even to edit and publish books. 

Having a Pinterest Board or Section for different stories, characters, and/or topics related to writing helps keep me organized and gives me the perfect place to browse when I'm in need of inspiration specific to my story. It also gives me great images to use (with credit given where known, of course) for promotion, marketing, or just random tid-bits for my biggest fans. It's fun for fans to see what images or bits of lore inspire the stories they love, so definitely take the time to pin things that help you write your novel. You may end up needing it some day!