Science Fiction

BLOG SESSION

July 2017

Today's Blog Session is going to go over the topic of How to write Science Fiction - creating imaginary worlds!

Science Fiction Writers create imaginary worlds.  These might literally be new worlds, for example, an invented planet, or a new species of animals.  Or it could entail our world in the future, or a future world with some innovations (for example, that humans have evolved to breathe underwater).

The way things work in your imaginary worlds will be based on actual science.  So it's important for you to be familiar with the scientific principles and inventions that are related to your creation.  For example, if you're writing about humans living on a planet with zero gravity, then you need to know the effects of zero gravity on the human body and the kind of technology that would be needed to compensate.  If you write a novel that takes an existing scientific discovery one step further, then you have to understand the actual discovery.  Research is an important part of Novel Writing, and you should definitely keep that in mind.

As a Writer, you also have to figure out the exact rules of your imaginary worlds.  And you have to follow your rules. 

If humans have evolved to breathe underwater in Chapter 1, your heroine can't drown in a swimming pool in Chapter 3.  If your robots write poetry but not fiction, then you can't throw a novelist robot into Chapter 8.  Or if you make these exceptions, you'd better have a convincing explanation for your reader. 

The issue here is maintaining your reader's trust and what is called suspension of disbelief.  That means the reader is willing to pretend along with you -- if you say that humans can breathe underwater, then the reader will take your word for it.  To maintain this suspension of disbelief, you have to let readers know what kind of reality they're in and then follow the rules of this reality consistently.  If you start out with an ordinary detective novel and then throw in someone breathing underwater in the 6th chapter, then your readers are going to have a reaction like this . . .

"What in the world?!"

The imaginative spell is broken.  You've pulled out the rug from under the reader and startled the reader out of their imagination journey.  The same thing happens if you change the rules halfway through . . . 

"What in the world?!"

Just remember, once you've lost the reader's trust, you may not be able to get it back again.  Pity on you if you do not keep your focus on your reader when writing.

PREPARATION WORK . . .

Map out & Research

Part of your preparation work for your Novel is to map out its worlds for yourself in great detail.  You should decide:

• The history of its worlds (if your novel is about a new version of our own world, then figure out how this new version came to be).


• The geography (if different from the current world).


• What possibilities does it offer that aren't offered in our current world?  What are the limitations, things your characters can't do?


• How does everything work in this new reality?


• How all of these factors affect the way your characters think, feel, and react to things.  For example, if you have invented a world where people live to be 1000 years old, then characters will take a longer view of the future.  And maybe a 10-year space flight will seem like no big deal to them.

You don't have to tell your readers all the rules or present them with an extended fact sheet in the first chapter.  But you do need to let readers know enough to feel oriented and understand what's going on.  And you definitely have to know the rules yourself so that you can follow them.  This also allows you to work out logical problems and contradictions before you start writing.  Maybe your book is going to be about a mutant race of half-humans, half-birds, but you also want your characters to breathe underwater.  Neither humans nor birds breathe underwater, so how will you explain this?  Decide the details ahead of time.

In Our Next Blog Session...

Top Tips on Writing Science Fiction

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Until we meet again in the next Blog Session,

Peace, Love & Light,

René

© Copyright - René Allen - JULY 2017 - All Rights Reserved

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder

BLOG SESSION

JUNE 2017

We're back with another enlightening Blog Session!  If you were here for our last Blog Session, then you have written in your Journals and completed your Empath Journal Assignment.  If you missed our last Blog Session, you can catch up by just scrolling down to view it, or by clicking on the link in the far right-hand column.

Everyone was encouraged to complete the Empath Journal Assignment, which consisted of the following . . .

Empath Journal Assignment:

Write with empathy about your "self".

Tips:  Be aware of your feelings;

Use understanding as you explore your feelings;

Capture your thoughts as they appear while you write;

Be sensitive to both your thoughts and emotions;

Finally, Empathize with your "self "

Hopefully, you were able to complete the Empath Journal Assignment, and found out a little more about your "self ", and also discovered a little more about "empathy".

We are about to enter into an area of mental health that we had mentioned in a previous Blog Session, and promised to have a discussion about. . . 

Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder

What is Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder?

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) is listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic & Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR) as a Cluster C (anxious or fearful) Personality Disorder.

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) is defined by exhibiting at least four of the following:

1. Preoccupation with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost.
2. Showing perfectionism that interferes with task completion (e.g., is unable to complete a project because his or her own overly strict standards are not met).
3. Excessive devotion to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships (not accounted for by obvious economic necessity).
4. Being over conscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or values (not accounted for by cultural or religious identification).
5. Inability to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value.
6. Reluctance to delegate tasks or to work with others unless they submit to exactly his or her way of doing things.
7. Adopting a miserly spending style toward both self and others; money is viewed as something to be hoarded for future catastrophes.
8. Shows rigidity and stubbornness.

It is important to note that while a person may exhibit any or all of the characteristics of a personality disorder, it is not diagnosed as a disorder unless the person has trouble leading a normal life due to these issues.

A formal diagnosis of OCPD requires a mental health professional to identify 4 out of the above 8 criteria as positive.  Some people with OCPD may exhibit all 8.  Most will exhibit only a few.

Every relationship between a Personality-Disordered Individual and a Non Personality-Disordered Individual is as unique as the DNA of the people involved.  Nevertheless, there are some common behavior patterns.

Following are descriptions of characteristics and behaviors which may be observed in an individual who suffers from obsessive compulsive personality disorder.  This list includes direct traits which occur in OCPD sufferers and co-morbid traits from other related personality disorders which may also occur in an OCPD sufferer.  The list below contains descriptions as observed by family members and partners. Examples are given of each trait, with descriptions of what it feels like to be caught in the crossfire and some good (and bad) ideas for coping.

Characteristics & Traits

Please note that these descriptions are not intended for diagnosis.  No one person exhibits all of the traits and the presence of one or more traits is not evidence of a personality disorder.  For a list of traits used in clinical diagnosis of OCPD refer to the OCPD DSM Criteria.

These descriptions are offered in the hope that non-personality-disordered family members, caregivers & loved-ones might recognize some similarities to their own situation and discover that they are not alone.

(Please click on the links to read more about each trait).

Alienation - Alienation means interfering or cutting a person off from relationships with others.  This can be done by manipulating the attitudes and behaviors of the victim or of the people with whom they come in contact.  The victim's relationships with others may be sabotaged through verbal pressure, threats, diversions, distortion campaigns and systems of rewards and punishments.

"Always" & "Never" Statements - "Always" & "Never" Statements are declarations containing the words "always" or "never". They are commonly used but rarely true.

Anger - People who suffer from personality disorders often feel a sense of unresolved anger and a heightened or exaggerated perception that they have been wronged, invalidated, neglected or abused.

Avoidance - Avoidance is the practice of withdrawing from relationships with other people as a defensive measure to reduce the risk of rejection, accountability, criticism or exposure.

Blaming - Blaming is the practice of identifying a person or people responsible for creating a problem, rather than identifying ways of dealing with the problem.

Catastrophizing - Catastrophizing is the habit of automatically assuming a "worst case scenario" and inappropriately characterizing minor or moderate problems or issues as catastrophic events.

Circular Conversations - Circular Conversations are arguments which go on almost endlessly, repeating the same patterns with no real resolution.

Denial - Denial is the practice of believing or imagining that some painful or traumatic circumstance, event or memory does not exist or did not happen.

Depression - When you feel sadder than you think you should, for longer than you think you should - but still can't seem to break out of it - that's depression.  People who suffer from personality disorders are often also diagnosed with depression resulting from mistreatment at the hands of others, low self-worth and the results of their own poor choices.

Entitlement - Entitlement or a 'Sense of Entitlement' is an unrealistic, unmerited or inappropriate expectation of favorable living conditions and favorable treatment at the hands of others.

Hoarding - Hoarding is the practice of accumulating items to an extent that it becomes detrimental to quality of lifestyle, comfort, security or hygiene.

Hysteria - Hysteria is inappropriate over-reaction to bad news or disappointments, which diverts attention away from the problem and towards the person who is having the reaction.

Manipulation - Manipulation is the practice of baiting an individual or group of individuals into a certain response or reaction pattern for the purpose of achieving a hidden personal goal.

Mood Swings - Mood swings are unpredictable, rapid, dramatic emotional cycles which cannot be readily explained by changes in external circumstances.

No-Win Scenarios - No-Win Scenarios and Lose-Lose Scenarios are situations commonly created by people who suffer from personality disorders where they present two bad options to someone close to them and pressure them into choosing between the two. This usually leaves the non-personality-disordered person with a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" feeling.

Objectification - Objectification is the practice of treating a person or a group of people like an object.

Panic Attacks - Panic Attacks are short intense episodes of fear or anxiety, often accompanied by physical symptoms, such as hyperventilating, shaking, sweating and chills.

Passive-Aggressive Behavior - Passive Aggressive behavior is the expression of negative feelings, resentment, and aggression in an unassertive, passive way (such as through procrastination and stubbornness).

Perfectionism - Perfectionism is the practice of holding oneself or others to an unrealistic, unsustainable or unattainable standard of organization, order or accomplishment in one particular area of living, while sometimes neglecting common standards of organization, order or accomplishment in others.

Projection - Projection is the act of attributing one's own feelings or traits onto another person and imagining or believing that the other person has those same feelings or traits.

Proxy Recruitment - Proxy Recruitment is a way of controlling or abusing another person by manipulating other people into unwittingly backing you up, speaking for you or "doing your dirty work" for you.

Push-Pull - Push-Pull is a chronic pattern of sabotaging and re-establishing closeness a relationship without appropriate cause or reason.

Ranking and Comparing - Ranking is the practice of drawing unnecessary and inappropriate comparisons between individuals or groups for the purpose of raising one's own self-esteem or lowering someone else's sense of self-worth relative to a peer group.

Selective Memory and Selective Amnesia - Selective Memory and Selective Amnesia is the use of memory, or a lack of memory, which is selective to the point of reinforcing a bias, belief or desired outcome.

Sabotage - Sabotage is the spontaneous disruption of calm or status quo in order to serve a personal interest, provoke a conflict or draw attention.

Selective Competence - Selective Competence is the practice of demonstrating different levels of intelligence, resourcefulness, strength or competence depending on the situation or environment.

Splitting - Splitting is a psychological term used to describe the practice of thinking about people and situations in extremes and regarding them as completely "good" or "bad".

Thought Policing - Thought Policing is any process of trying to question, control, or unduly influence another person's thoughts or feelings.

Triggering -Triggers are small, insignificant or minor actions, statements or events that produce a dramatic or inappropriate response.

Tunnel Vision - Tunnel Vision is the habit or tendency to only see or focus on a single priority while neglecting or ignoring other important priorities.

As promised, we are going to discuss how people with Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) have the capacity to experience great emotional depth because of their hypersensitivity.  You'll find that discussion in our next Blog Session.

And we will also discuss the difference between Empaths and Highly Sensitive People.

Be sure to join us!

~ See you back here shortly Friends ~

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

© Copyright - René Allen - JUNE 2017 - All Rights Reserved

Notes:  Movies Portraying Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Traits

These movies portray individuals with the closely related Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

As Good As It Gets - As Good As It Gets s a 1997 romantic comedy starring Jack Nicholson who portrays an obsessive-compulsive author and Helen Hunt, who plays a waitress who has to deal with him.

Mommie Dearest - Mommie Dearest is a 1981 biography of Hollywood Actress Joan Crawford, played by Faye Dunaway, who, according to the account in the movie, exhibited Obsessive Compulsive, Borderline and Narcissistic Traits.

Sleeping With The Enemy - Sleeping with the Enemy is a 1991 psychological thriller starring Julia Roberts, who tries to escape from her abusive husband, who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder.

The Aviator - The Aviator is a 2004 drama film starring Leonardo DiCaprio based on the life of aviation pioneer Howard Hughes, a successful inventor, film producer and aviation pioneer who exhibits a number of severe obsessive-compulsive traits.

The Balancing Stones Sculpture Writing Project - FEBRUARY 2017

 

Writing Project in progress . . .

It is a new day, and we are back to our Writing Project.  Hopefully you have printed out the Balancing Stones Sculpture and chosen your first stone and placed the word that resonates with your soul about the path you are focused on in relation to your writing.

Remember, there are nine stones.  We are focusing on the first stone that you've placed your word on.  Your stone may be different from the one I picked.  And, of course, the word you have chosen may also be different from the word that I chose.  This is what we will each need to do next . . .

Taking my example from yesterday --

Pull out the copy of your Balancing Stones Sculpture that you printed out, with your first stone, named _____________.  (Fill in the blank with your word).  Place the word that you chose on the stone that you picked.

My first stone that I chose is pictured above with the word that resonates with my soul at this time -- "Novelist".

Now, take out your notebook, and write down the word that you chose for your first stone.  Your paper should be titled, Writing Project - Month of February 2017 - Balancing Stones Sculpture.

Using another example, let us say you chose the word, "Short Story Writer" -- On your printed out paper of the photo of the Balancing Stones Sculpture, you will write "Short Story Writer" (or the word you chose) on the first stone that attracted your attention.

After you have written down your word on the first stone that attracted your attention, you will then turn to your notebook, and you will write down your word once again.

Following your word, insert the definition of your word from  your mind (simply put).  For example, the word I chose is "Novelist" -- Definition:  The writer of a Novel.  

On the next line, write the definition of your word from the Dictionary.  For example, using my choice word:

Novelist:  a person who writes novels (Merriam-Webster)

On the next line of your notebook, write down the first known use of the word you chose.  For the word Novelist, the first known use of it was in 1728.

Now, here is where our Writing Project gets interesting.  Keep in mind the word you chose for your 1st stone, the placement of where that stone is on the Balancing Stones Sculpture, and the year that your word was first used.

Go back to the photo of the Balancing Stones Sculpture, and write the year of the first known use of your word on the stone to the right of the first stone that you picked with the word of your choice on it.  Like so . . .

If the stone you picked happens to be a stone hanging on the end, place the year your word was first used on the stone to the left of the stone where you've written your word.  Write the year down on your photograph as instructed.

As you go to sleep this evening, keep in mind the word you chose, and the year that your word was first used.

We will continue tomorrow with our next step. . .

[Remember to follow along with this Writing Project, because we are going to make good visual use of those nine (9) stones in relation to your Writing, and you'll be amazed at what you learn about yourself!]

You are welcome to leave comments here on the Blog about this Writing Project . . .

Peace, Love & Light,

By René Allen

© Copyright - René Allen - 2017 - All Rights Reserved

 

By René Allen

 

Today is June 8th, 2016

 

Attention all Authors, Novelists, Writers, and Poets ~

If you haven't noticed, we are six months into the year.  Summer is upon us, and if you aren't careful, you'll look up and find those Autumn leaves dancing around in your front yard -- or in your Living Room if you happen to leave the front door open.

 

Here's the question for today...

Why does the notion of "Abstract Ground Work" matter?

Whatever it is that you seek to accomplish starts by laying the ground work for that fantastic vision that you have twirling around in your soul.  Your vision is twirling around in your soul to remind you that you need to pay close attention to the details that will assist you in making your vision a reality.  And that vision that you have is nudging you, or in some cases pushing you -- to get it in gear to unpackage the "gift" within you.

Have you ever felt butterflies when you focus on all the things that you really hope to do, miss doing, or can't seem to make manifest in the present moment?

Well, well, well...

Here's a gentle reminder ~ The Art of Writing is a "gift".  Abstract Ground Work is about snapping yourself into action whether your body is willing and ready or not.  It makes no difference if your mind is in a state of flux.  Abstract Ground Work does not care, and frankly is fertile if you find yourself in a flux state, so to speak.

All you have to do is get your materials in order.  Get your tools lined up.  Place your diagram in front of your face.  Whenever you find yourself whirling around or flip-flopping around from doing to not doing, excited, and then dropping down into the doldrums, then you need to get busy with your Abstract Ground Work assignment.

For the sake of schematic simplicity, by all means, be sure to ignore the various complications connected with time, which require some tedious but perfectly feasible elaborations.  Stalling and/or procrastinating is quite tedious you know.

Simply use abstract symbols to lead your mind to what it is that you are seeking to accomplish.  If you want to write a Novel, get your notepad and sketchbook out and start working on the ideas rolling around in your head for the design of your Novel Cover.

If you happen to be a Poet, but you can't seem to get your poetic juices flowing, then you need to relax and allow your internal poetic charm to come forth.  Poetry has a charm, and it rarely likes to get comfortable with uptight people.

Abstract Ground Work and Advice for today...

Just Write.....

Peace, Love & Light,

By René Allen

© Copyright - René Allen - 2016 - All Rights Reserved