I’ve often gravitated toward exploring characters with mental illness, probably as a way of trying to offer myself a path through the labyrinth. -Your words....Mine> I find that I write to help me process through the mental things. a Kindred spirit indeed
Great work, James! So much of this resonated. Regarding stories about depressed characters, what are your thoughts on "The Depressed Person" by David Foster Wallace?
Thanks, Will!(: Man, I just checked it out, that was a great read. I think it works really well by leaning into the absurdity of the exhaustive lines of thinking and the endless inner monologuing. It’s another thing I’ve wanted to write about for a while—the added layer of excruciating self awareness that can come with depression. How much energy goes into noticing the patterns, lamenting them, hating them, and ultimately struggling to do anything about them. It was humorous but also had an edge of horror to it that kept it exciting in this contained form. Thanks for the recc, it’s got me Thinking a lot!!
That one stuck with me for a long time. The character comes off as so annoying but I also see myself in her a lot and things happen and fold over themselves in that story in a darkly hypnotic way. Anyway, you’re writing on depression made me think of it, glad you checked it out :)
I’ve often gravitated toward exploring characters with mental illness, probably as a way of trying to offer myself a path through the labyrinth. -Your words....Mine> I find that I write to help me process through the mental things. a Kindred spirit indeed
Great work, James! So much of this resonated. Regarding stories about depressed characters, what are your thoughts on "The Depressed Person" by David Foster Wallace?
Thanks, Will!(: Man, I just checked it out, that was a great read. I think it works really well by leaning into the absurdity of the exhaustive lines of thinking and the endless inner monologuing. It’s another thing I’ve wanted to write about for a while—the added layer of excruciating self awareness that can come with depression. How much energy goes into noticing the patterns, lamenting them, hating them, and ultimately struggling to do anything about them. It was humorous but also had an edge of horror to it that kept it exciting in this contained form. Thanks for the recc, it’s got me Thinking a lot!!
That one stuck with me for a long time. The character comes off as so annoying but I also see myself in her a lot and things happen and fold over themselves in that story in a darkly hypnotic way. Anyway, you’re writing on depression made me think of it, glad you checked it out :)