Mindfire
Istar
On second thought, these findings seem a bit suspect. I mean, there are writers out there with absolutely NO creativity who do some very deranged things. For example: He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-Lest-He-Spam-Us.
I don't even believe in politics, its just a conspiracy made up by the government Why's everyone afraid of Voldermort? He got his ass kicked by a baby.
I was actually referring to R-b--t St---k. (We're supposed to avoid using his name because he might show up and spam the forums again.)
I realise everyone is unique, just like everyone else.
Reminds me of a bit from the Monty Python movie The Life of Brian: A crowd of people saying in unison, "Yes, we are all individuals," and one guy speaking alone afterward saying, "I'm not."
Reminds me of a bit from the Monty Python movie The Life of Brian: A crowd of people saying in unison, "Yes, we are all individuals," and one guy speaking alone afterward saying, "I'm not."
According to anthropologists (my twin is one), "insanity" is entirely a cultural thing, and each culture has its own definition of what is or is not "sane." What most Westerners call multiple personality disorder, for example, may be seen in another culture as the person being occasionally possessed by the spirit of an ancestor - no big deal, just something that happens.
I love stuff like that. There's an author called Robert Rankin, writes some really funny stuff. One of theories in his books surrounds mob mentality. Individually, people are smart. As you you add people the IQ gets smaller until everyone becomes stupid.
I love anthropologists. They can be an endless well of creative inspiration. That sounds like a great world building component.
This is a large part of why I'm a hermit, more or less.
According to anthropologists (my twin is one), "insanity" is entirely a cultural thing, and each culture has its own definition of what is or is not "sane." What most Westerners call multiple personality disorder, for example, may be seen in another culture as the person being occasionally possessed by the spirit of an ancestor - no big deal, just something that happens.
Read Philip K. D i c k's Clans of the Alphane Moon. The moon was a psychiatric institution abandoned by earth. The inhabitants formed their own society, the clans based on psychiatric diagnostic groups. Then Earth decides it wants the moon back.
Thanks, will check it out.
The guy wrote a lot of interesting books (basis for movies like Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report, to name a few), and mental illness figures into more of a few of them. The author suffered from mental illness himself.
That definitely adds that awe of authority. I think its good when writers are able to draw on their experiences, good and bad. And it is a hell of an accomplishment to turn a negative into a positive. Will be good research for me too. My current MC suffers from mental illness.