Humanism In Writing

Reading the first chapter of The Great Gatsby re sparked my interest in the writing of psychology. Yes, you read that correctly, the writing of psychology. It's my personal opinion that an author's ability to break down and compose the human condition, at least when dealing with characters, is the most important factor in creating compelling prose.
This is not an easy thing to do however. Writing about the inner workings and motivations of characters' is tricky. The writer runs the risk of applying too many of their own idiosyncracies into the writing. Having a strange or abnormal way of viewing things, though creative when executed correctly, can alienate the reader and dislodge them from the world the author is trying to pull them into.
It's also important not to be too convoluted in your interpretations of humanism. It's rarely a good idea to fill your writing with complex ideas related to a characters psyche or motivations. it detracts from the potential deepness of the plot.

Non-fiction is Killing Me

In true blog fashion, I'm going to take some time to bitch and moan, and share my opinions as if they matter. Lets do this.



I hate non-fiction. Why? That's what I'm still trying to figure out. I have a few ideas that might be relevant however. Perhaps it is because my over imaginative mind is so over saturated with thoughts of the fantastical nature that when I'm presented with things grounded in reality my brain immediately dismisses it. This is not something I am proud of, I would like to be interested in non-fiction, as there is a lot to learn about. I am, however, finding it difficult to analyze these non-fiction writings in a thorough matter, even when I'm trying.
Another possibility is that these writings do not contain the narrative hooks I'm so accustomed to. The conflicts aren't ambiguous enough, more enemies are created than friendships, and much of it is irrational in retrospect-and that's all I can pull out of much of the writing.
I will persevere though. It would be selfish of me to expect a class to cater to my interests, and only my interests. Thankfully, some of the more philosophically based essays are catching my attention, which is much better than nothing.