My most challenging book EVER - Writers Forum

Storm Eagle · 04-26-2008, 03:39 PM

Ok, so recently, I have taken a little side project on the Quill, and it's written in first person. The main character? A psychotic person who has killed 4 people, but only charged for the last three because they never found out who did the first. This book will be interesting. Any tips here? I'll post it ASAP, but that may be a while.

seigfried007 · 04-26-2008, 05:18 PM

Well, other than first person may not be the best option--particularly depending on how your psychotic runs.

The first section in my sci-fi series was in the third-limited of a psychotic and I got more than a few comments by people who simply couldn't read him (even after I toned some of it down). In long-fic single POV, I'd say it'd be downright unbearable for most readers. Obviously, feel free to write it for yourself, but I know from experience that the human mind requires a break from psychotic POVs (they're troubling and hard to figure out sometimes, which exhausts even a fan of the piece.)

One thing I will ask is why write a pychotic killer from first POV--or at all?

rumpole40k · 04-26-2008, 07:06 PM

I have to agree with Seigfried on this. the psychotic POV works best if there is a "normal" POV with which to compare it against. It also tends to be most effective in small doses.

Katastrof · 04-26-2008, 08:53 PM

What about American Psycho?

rumpole40k · 04-26-2008, 08:56 PM

The POV in A.P. , if I'm remembering correctly, was more akin to someone slowly going psychotic. Still you had the framework of the secondary characters to provide the contrast. Personally, I think the psychotic POV worked in the movie version, but didn't work nearly as well in the book.

CodeRed · 04-26-2008, 09:22 PM

I've read American Psycho a couple of times, and Bateman was pretty well psychotic from the get-go; but the doses were expertly measured, and his mental state disintegrated over the course of the novel. The contrasts mainly came from his little obsessions with things like business card colours, and those chapters on Genesis and the like.

It can work over a long novel, obviously, but is extraordinarily difficult to pull off - you certainly will need to do a fair bit of research to even begin to be able to write from the POV of someone who is psychotic. Also, you need to know the difference between psychotic and psychopathic. (Patrick Bateman would actually fall into the psychopathic category, I believe).

starseed · 04-27-2008, 10:15 PM

I think I would sort of like to read a first person psycho story.
Does this person know they are psychotic?
Do they enjoy killing but know its wrong and have terrible guilt, or are they more sociopathic and just do what they feel with no regard to anyone else?

Either way I find it interesting. I'd love to hear more. I live for disturbing stuff.

seigfried007 · 04-28-2008, 09:49 AM

Psychotics and psychopathics are completely different.

Psychotics have a break with reality--they hallucinate, have disorganized thinking and are generally confused (or, more to the point, we think they ought to be)

Psychopaths suffer 'chronic immoral or antisocial behavior'. They're not pschotic at all and, chances are, won't feel too guilty.

In terms of killing people, either can do it. Psychotics kill people they presume to be a threat or for some other 'hunh?' reason. Son of Sam was psychotic though I wouldn't define most serial killers as being so (he also straightened out pretty well on med, which doesn't happen with psychopaths, ime).

Both would be difficult to write and would need beaucoup de research--otherwise, they'll come off as nothing more than American Psycho slasher flick rip-offs. They have ot be mad as human as they are inhuman or deranged.

Mark Carter · 05-20-2008, 01:47 PM

Well, based on the "write what you know" theory I guess you should go out and kill 4 people ASAP. This will put you in fairly close harmony with your main character and allow you to write about murder in first person. Your novel will be more convincing that way and thus create better sales. You may become a best seller and even get a movie deal. OTOH, you may be caught immediately. If so, you'll have plenty of time to write the novel. Either way, you'll get lots of publicity and be set for life.

Damian_Rucci · 05-20-2008, 01:59 PM

If I were you I would do some serious research on this. Make sure you can get inside of the characters head!

mi is happy · 05-20-2008, 05:50 PM

There was a book write from the killers POV. I can't recall who wrote it right now, but yours sounds very similar. It could work, but you may get slammed with copy write laws.

lin · 05-20-2008, 06:19 PM

Quote:

the psychotic POV works best if there is a "normal"

Says who?

If he can pull it off, it should be great. There's no like statues about this shit. Come on, people.

Mike C · 05-20-2008, 07:00 PM

First person psychotic will only become 'too much' if you write a 2 dimensional character.

lin · 05-20-2008, 07:46 PM

Because any psycho worth his lithium salt is at least 4 dimensional. Maybe much more.