The Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Main Characters

Authors

Chris AbouzeidFollow

Abstract

You put your heart and soul into your main character. You present him/her to your workshop or agent or editor, and you get: “He just isn’t likeable,” “I couldn’t picture her,” “Didn’t seem very believable.” Aaaah! That character was you, or some version of you, or just a character you happen to really, really like. How could people think he’s a jerk? How could they think she was vague, inconsistent, unbelievable? Yes, you could put bricks in your pockets and walk into the nearest river. But before you go all Quentin (Compson, not Tarantino) on us, consider this. Your character isn’t defective. He just has a condition that’s interfering with his success. In other words, a character disorder. For mental health issues, clinicians use The Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). But where do you go for help with character disorders?

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s)

Recommended Citation

Abouzeid, Chris (2020) "The Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Main Characters," The Review Review: Vol. 1: Iss. 1, Article 33.
DOI: 10.33972/trr.58
Available at: https://repository.gonzaga.edu/trr/vol1/iss1/33