7 Books to Understand Your Characters Psychology

By Jacqui Murray Characters have to be believable. If your character is a mathematician, he has to think in numbers, connect everyday actions to formulas, dress like a nerd. If not, readers put your book down. Its not enough to tell us he works for the NSA analyzing numbers or the Army Signal Corps. You have to make us believe this guy can save the world with his cerebellum. If youre not that guy, how do you convince readers s/hes real? Traditional wisdom says two things:

interview people watch people

Those are goodespecially for your main characters. In fact, you probably cant create a protagonist and antagonist without interviewing those who have walked in their footsteps. But what about the dozens of other characters who wander through a scene, playing bit but important parts in your plot? Here are some great books that will allow you to color them with a consistent brush:

The Man Who Thought His Wife Was a Hat by Oliver Sachs. Any of Dr. Sachs books will give you insight into creative, fascinating psychoses that people live with. Can you imagine looking at a scene and not being able to put it together as a cohesive picture? All you see are bits of red and pieces of animals? A character in the early stages of that psychoses might be a fascinating addition to your story How Mathematicians Think, by William Byers. They dont think like us. I have a brilliant friend whoI kid you nothates graphs because they distill the information for him. Hed prefer the raw data so he can come up with the connections. If youre including someone like that in your plot, this book will make sure you include ambiguity, paradox and other brilliance in your characters thoughts and actions. Anatomy of Motive, by John Douglas. If you write mysteries, this book will help you explore what makes criminals who they are. Creating Character Emotions by Ann Hood. She explains how to write compelling fresh emotions for your characters. Much of this lies in the show-not-tell truism; she explains how to show hostility, hate, etc., rather than saying the words. Please Understand Me I and II by David Keirsey. This is a personality style determinant. Very detailed, but highly relevant for analyzing your main characters temperament, character and intelligence.

Writers Guide to Character Traits by Linda Edelstein. This includes profiles of human behaviors and personality types. That way, you can keep your character within the required parameters. Body language. There are so many great books and websites on this. I have many posts on descriptors and character traits that will get you started (see my blog, WordDreams). Dont miss this detail. If your character doesnt show those tells that every human on the planet does, s/he wont be believable. No one speaks only with their mouth.

If you have favorite books on this subject, share with us. Id love to hear about them!

Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughters journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything and Technology in Education. Currently, shes working on a techno-thriller that should be ready this summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher. Follow me.