Thursday, July 14, 2016

Novelists have a normal version of multiple personality: Are there a limited number of successful ways for their alternate personalities to be organized?

You might think that there were an infinite number of possible plots for novels, or that there would be an infinite number of ways for novelists’ alternate personalities to successfully collaborate.

But if there are a limited number of basic plots (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Basic_Plots) or dramatic situations (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirty-Six_Dramatic_Situations), why wouldn’t there also be a limited number of ways for a novelist’s alternate personalities to successfully work together?

To answer this question, you would have to find out how the alternate personalities were organized in a large number of novelists, and then see if there were a limited number of basic organizations. I don’t know when this will be known and done—or who will do it—but I think it would be possible. 

The results would be of interest to aspiring novelists and writing programs, who might like to have some frame of reference for this aspect of the writing process.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to comment (whether you agree or disagree) and ask questions (simple or expert). I appreciate your contribution.