I bring up mental health a lot here. Usually, it’s in regards to the topic itself and not connecting it to writing. Well, I’m going to switch that up here. Wednesday and Friday are going to be some 7 Tip lists for depression and anxiety in fiction while today is going to be more of an open forum. The question:
Do you think mental health issues should be avoided or tackled in fiction, especially genres like fantasy?
Personally, I think it depends on the author. You can’t force someone to include a subject or trait that they aren’t comfortable with. They might know enough about the mental issue to use it, which means research is needed. It could also be that they are afraid of offending a sufferer with an incorrect depiction or to trigger something. Since we are talking about a sensitive situation, it’s totally understandable that one would feel this way. Honestly, I don’t think it’s fair to attack an author who tries and fails to depict a mental health issue even if they were being a jerk about it. Respond with a rational criticism and try to educate if possible.
That also brings me to the other side of the spectrum that I’ve seen. Some authors will take the more sensational version of a mental health issue for dramatic effect. Anxiety-riddled heroes who can barely get out of the house. Depressives who cry every time they speak and are covered in self-inflicted scars. OCD is a term that is flung around so casually that it loses all meaning to some people. Don’t even get me started on dissociative identity disorder, which used to be split personality disorder . . . Mostly because I’m still not 100% sure on how to work this one. Anyway, these extremes can exist in reality, but they aren’t always the case. To make it look like this is the only way it can go can be upsetting to those who suffer in a different way. Especially when your depiction causes readers to expect those extremes in sufferers, so they doubt the words of anyone suffering in any other way.
This really is a delicate topic to add into your stories. With fantasy, I think there are magical ways to cushion the blow or explain why it isn’t widespread. Kind of a big cop out there, but it’s something. At least with the more severe mental illnesses because you have psychics, casters, and healers out there. One thing that is a dangerous tactic here is to use mental health issues as ‘curses’. It’s pretty easy to do and comes off like a good idea when it’s in an outline stage. The brave hero is sudden afflicted by anxiety or depression or a phobia or OCD or any number of things. Yet, this can backfire and come off as insulting because it makes the conditions appear evil. They’re not.
As I continue writing, I’m considering adding some mental health issues into my stories, but I’m still twitchy on trying. There is going to be an addiction subplot in one book series, which stems from severe grief and depression. I don’t know if this counts since it’s a deep sadness with a source and not a depression with no clear catalyst. Anxiety is one that I might consider more because I have a better idea of that one. I guess another reason for me personally is that I really want to maintain the escapism and heavy topics like this can shatter that illusion if you’re not careful. They won’t be the main focus of a story, so they’ll be there as subplots or character traits. This kind of prevents me from tackling the really heavy ones because those need a lot of attention and focus.
Anyway, what do you think about this topic? Also, if anyone ever wants to write up a guest post on a specific mental health issue then feel free to ask for a spot. Awkward request, but I feel like I’m limited in experience and knowledge here.
For those who don’t know, Escargot are snails that people eat. I’ve never tried and I don’t really want to. This is the main food I think of when I think of ‘gross’ things people eat. I know I shouldn’t judge, but it’s hard here. Then again, people judge me for eating calamari because they think squid is gross. There are other ‘gross’ foods in my mind as well:
Frog legs
Cow tongue
Liver
Haggis
Tarantulas
Ants
Monkey brain
Cavier
Gefilte fish
The list can keep going. Yet, I know there are big audiences for all of what I mentioned here. Otherwise, people would know that they’re edible. They would have disappeared from the global menu long ago. It all got me thinking too.
What is a food that you find gross and others love?
What is the strangest food you have ever heard of?
Last Saturday, I made the goal post about the life event and tried my best to explain without going into details. I needed to vent and it was the only thing that really happened that week. Once I saw that audience interaction was really low by the end of the day, I felt I either made a mistake or very few cared. Even some of the people who like right away were missing, which caused my already anxious mind to spiral. I deleted the post and forgot to put up a replacement, so my posting streak ended at 3, 177 days. At least according to WordPress even though I haven’t stopped.
This week wasn’t that exciting because work and life took over. The first half of the week was hot, which culminated in a field day in 90+ heat. It was grueling and we did our best to have fun, but it was draining. Didn’t help that the next day plunged into the 50’s by morning, so my body was rocked. Allergies, exhausted, stress, and who knows what else made me a zombie for a day. Managed to physically recover enough to avoid using a sick day and dragged myself into this 3-day weekend. By the way, it’s supposed to rain from noon today through noon Monday.
Been running the household this week, so chores and cooking were all on my shoulders. I figured out the air fryer to make fried raviolis. Did sausages too, but the rest ended up being take out due to exhaustion. To make up for it, I’m cooking some big dishes this weekend and will have them for leftovers. That or they’ll be lunches, but we’re off Wednesday too for Eid. I still want to try making air fryer quesadillas, which I bought the ingredients for. Groceries are still so expensive. I’m trying to make it last by eating smaller portions . . . Yet, I still can’t lose weight, but that’s cortisol levels.
Writing hasn’t left the research stage because I realized the picture I saved doesn’t actually work for what I want. So, Coven of the Gray is paused while I scour psychology sites for inspiration to create the 13 members. I keep finding lists of 13, but I can never tell if they’re legit. One was for psychological factors for proper mental health, which were only found on a single site and some books by the founders. Another site showed there are only 13 mental illnesses, which I could already tell was wrong. I tried looking into the hierarchy of needs too, but that list is either too short at 6 or too long at 20+. With the rain and my son having homework, tomorrow will probably be more research. Unless I stumble onto something today, which is possible since I keep coming so close.
Next week might be more productive since there are only 3 days of school and then we hit the weekend. Hoping I can make it though because I’m really running on mental and physical fumes. Desperately trying not to take a mental health day, but it’s starting to look like it’ll be a physical crash at some point. Probably won’t happen this week due to the breaks, but it depends on if the life event starts wailing on me. Given the weather, they might have nothing better to do than poke at me from long distance. Really hope this mess is over soon, but not looking likely.
Nothing else is really going on. Been slowly working my way through a long anime when I have the energy. My son and I are trying to think of a movie or two to watch this weekend when we need a break. One of them might be ‘Short Circuit’, which was a favorite of mine as a kid. I think we both need comedies. He’s been under a lot of stress with school, college prep, SAT prep, and a Super Smash Bros tournament. He took second place after winning the last tournament. So, he had a victory this week. I merely survived to struggle another day.
Goals of the week:
Cook dinners. (Restaurant Style Chicken Lo Mein, Sweet & Sour Meatballs, Air Fryer Quesadillas, Macaroni with Vodka Sauce.)
Finish Coven of the Gray research.
Finish September blog posts.
Sleep in when possible.
Watch movies and anime with son.
Puzzle!
Pokemon Go when not raining.
Clean bathroom, kitchen, floors, and mow the lawn . . . At some point.
Many people talk about there being an association between mental illness and creative genius. When you look at the list of those with both, you kind of think there is something too it. On the other hand, it could be that everyone has some mental illness, but those who become famous are more willing to talk about it. That or they’re more likely to publicly succumb to their situations. Hard to tell, but it’s probably a case-by-case situation. Here are other artists who have claimed to have mental health issues, which either fuel or are curbed by their art:
Zelda Fitzgerald- Author (Bipolar)
Yayoi Kusama- Artist who lives in a mental institution (Hallucinations, OCD, anxiety, and depression)
Syd Barrett- Musician (Schizophrenia and/or Drug Use)
Ntozake Shange- Playwright/Poet (Depression and Bipolar)
Leo Tolstoy- Author (Depression)
Ernest Hemingway- Writer (Depression & Bipolar) F. Scott Fitzgerald- Writer (Alcoholism, depression, and anxiety)
Francisco Goya- Painter (Depression, Hallucinations, and Paranoia)
(Not as joyous as I thought before I read it again. My anxiety used to be so bad that I would have full body spasms or partial ones. These were entirely at night after I was jolted awake by my sleep apnea plus anxiety. Hasn’t happened since late 2018 . . . In conjunction with another life event, which I won’t mention in public. Weird.)
Interesting sensations
Beyond my self control
I feel a key turning
At the skull’s squishy base
Random bouts of blinking
Joined by thoughts
Of my brain’s misfiring
Staring into space
Pondering why I stare
Yet unable to break away
I sense a fraying
At the edge of nerves
Seconds before a spasm
One hand twitches
As if conducting songs
While the other is a lump
Hanging dead at my side
Is this the physicality
Of my plunge into madness
Has my mind already gone
And left my husk behind
In its feeble attempts
To continue on
(Going WAY back to November 14, 2018 for this one. Ironically, I was touching on this subject within weeks of my divorce kicking off.)
Yahoo Image Search
As I said on Monday, this can be a very sensitive topic. So, I’m going to try to rein in the urge to crack jokes as much as I can. Still, this is a 7 List, which tends to have a few guffaws. Let’s get right into it.
Research. This is hands down, without question, rule 1, the most important thing when it comes to writing a character with a mental illness. Maybe you have personal experience or helped a loved one through an issue, which can help. Yet, many people don’t have the specific hands-on knowledge of whatever they are going to use. This means you read up on the mental health topic and, if possible, talk to experts or sufferers to learn more.
Not every villain needs to suffer from a mental illness. We seem to think that this gives them more sympathy because ‘they could not help themselves’. In reality, the author can perpetuate the stigma that those who suffer from mental illness are inherently dangerous. You can offset this with a hero who suffers or simply don’t make it clear or note that the villain has an issue. Those are simpler, riskier versions that not doing it in the first place though.
You don’t always have to make the mental illness a big deal. It can be a secondary personal situation for the character. Otherwise, the main plot might get overshadowed or hampered by you putting more attention on this one thing. Now, this isn’t to say it should be ignored completely, but you should only make it the main focus if it’s the main obstacle of a story. For example, an adventuring party could be on a quest to slay a dragon. The priest suffers from OCD, which gives them specific habits that can cause some problems. Yet, the audience will turn on the character and story if they repeatedly impede progress. So, it needs to remain a personal hurdle.
Make sure you know the terminology. This could just be me having a pet peeve, but I do get irked when depressed is used for sad. Yes, people with depression can be sad, but it’s not the same. Many times, you don’t even know the source of the sadness. If you need to use the term then you should make sure the degree of sadness meets the weight of the term. Same goes for anxiety even though it does get dicey with the word ‘anxious’.
Try to avoid characters doing psychoanalysis on their friends unless it fits their personality. You can’t always do this because sometimes dialog is how real people can come figure these out. I mean, that’s what therapy is. At the very least, you can minimize it and have them figure things out then move on.
Jumping off #5, be careful with how you have the other characters respond to the one with mental illness. If they dote on them too much or act with horror then that can weaken all of them. There can be a period of confusion, fear, or other negative emotions, but this should be an obstacle instead of the norm. Eventually, they need to accept or cast away the character instead of always acting like they’re in shock. The former has an interesting example, which is the character Brick Tamland from the Anchorman movies. Played by Stever Carell, he does appear to suffer from a mental health issue, but nobody treats him any differently. It’s done to the point where he’s just one of the gang and his ‘oddities’ are part of the social norm. This is a comedy and might not be the perfect example, but it does work as an ideal.
Not every mental illness can be removed completely. It can be inspiring to have a character take on such a challenge and come out ‘cured’, but that’s fairly unrealistic. It is much more common for people to get a handle on these issues and find a way to live with them. This can be medication, therapy, change in living situation, or other coping mechanisms. As the author, you have to decide what they will do and how it will work in the story. After all, it’s kind of difficult for a warrior to get a handle on their OCD when they’re in the middle of a battlefield or on a quest. The stereotypical ‘snap out of the illness’ might have dramatic effect, but it almost never happens. I’d say total fiction, but there could be one case out there somewhere.
Here’s an excerpt from Chasing Bedlam. This was the second installment of my dystopian Rated-R action series. I still have fond memories of writing these tales and should be happy that I wrote 4 of them. 2 were published and 2 were put on the blog with one having to be locked away. It would be nice to return to the Shattered States one day, but it does feel strange to write about a world where the USA has been cut off from the rest of the world and fallen into ruin.
(Originally posted on November 12, 2018. Another from way back before the chaos.)
Yahoo Image Search
Not sure this will be a long post because this is a delicate topic that everyone seems to have a different opinion on. Using various mental illnesses is common in fiction. Many of us can name at least one story where a character has a diagnosis of some kind. Sometimes it’s done with care and the other times it’s done rather bluntly. Yet, how often is it done correctly?
I remember seeing various shows and movies where they tried to show someone was autistic or schizophrenic. The former was usually done the extreme and the other repeatedly showed up as the reason behind a person committing murders. As a society, we tend to look at all of these things as a hindrance and a portal to abnormality. Many artists take that and run to the darker side of human nature. Seems only recently that people are pulling back and showing characters who have these issues and are proving that one can live a full life with them. Still, they do seem to be the butt of jokes such as Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory. Comedy can be a bridge to get the audience to consider mental illness, but it can’t always get them the entire way to understanding.
For myself, I don’t use a lot of mental illness in my stories. (Boy did that change.) I’m too nervous about getting something wrong and pushing the stigma that continues to create trouble. I might touch on depression and anxiety since I have a better understanding of that. For example, Quest of the Brokenhearted utilized my experience and thoughts on severe depression. Kira hit that point where she didn’t want to die, but didn’t care if she did. I’ll admit that I’ve been there in the past. It was fairly easy, and oddly cathartic, to do this since I had experience. Most authors don’t have that to work with when they try to make a character with a mental health issue. So, research is definitely a necessity.
So, I’m going to open the floor since this is a complicated topic and I’m always on the fence about it. Don’t want to say anything as if it’s a rule even though Wednesday will have a list of tips that are done in a tongue-in-cheek style. What does everyone else think about writing characters with mental health issues? Do you have any advice or experience doing this?
Plants can’t move, which means them easy targets for hungry animals. Yet, they aren’t defenseless. There are tons of weapons scattered about the Plant Kingdom to help them survive.
Bark– Some plants have this hard, armor-like outer covering to protect their softer insides.
Thorns/Spines/Burs– Basically, their leaves, stems, or seeds have pointy protrusions. This makes them dangerous to touch and even worse to eat. Most animals that try may get a bite, but they’ll suffer for it.
Chemical– Some plants release toxic chemicals that range from painful burning to terrible taste to lethal poison.
Symbiosis– Some plants have relationships with insects and animals in exchange for protection. For example, a plant might be home to ants, who keep harmful insects away.
Waxy cuticles– This thick layer helps protect against UV radiation, some insects, and various pathogens.
Closing Stomates– This tactic is when a plant closes it’s stomates (pores) to prevent diseases from getting inside.
Thigmonastic Movement– This is when a plant, or part of it, will curl away or ‘move’ at the slightest touch. Mostly, it seems to be a plant closing its leaves to protect its sensitive bud.
Mimicry– Plants have evolved to resemble other objects such as rocks. So, they hide in plain sight.
Carnivorous Plants– Venus flytrap is the most common example. They eat insects that could be harmful, which also gives them nutrients.
Legends of Windemere 