I will share my jargon equifinality and multifinality

Here's a quick post for those of you with a fondness for cool words. It's sort of relevant to writing. I mean, if you want to avoid one-dimensional, predictable characters, this could be one way to think about their development.

OK, honestly, this post comes from the realm of DUH, but I hope the concepts are still fun to think about. They were fun to draw pictures of. #nerd

Equifinality: the same outcome can result from multiple predictors, stressors, pathogens, or developmental paths.

In other words, there's not one obvious path  or set of experiences that will lead to whoever your character is. In fact, for characters, usually the twisty, less-traveled roads are more interesting to readers.

Multifinality: One factor can lead to any of several outcomes, depending on the person and the context.

In other words, early experience doesn't lock a character in to a particular outcome, life choice, career path, ambition, passion, etc. Be creative. Flexible. Don't go for the obvious or easy.

And ... all my energy has been spent writing psych evals this week, so this is all I've got for you today. Can you apply these concepts to your characters? If you have characters from similar backgrounds, how do you craft their development along different paths? What kinds of things do you consider? And if you have characters who arrive at the same place in life, how do you vary the paths they took to get there?

Or, if you don't want to think about that, can you at least agree with me that the words are delightful?

Today is Sisterhood of the Traveling Blog day! Please go visit Lydia, who is posting on the question: How would you personify your muse? Here's the link to Laura's answer from last week.

Churn Baby Churn What I Do When Ive Lost My Writing Mojo

This month's Sisterhood of the Traveling Blog question came from Laura: "What do you do when you lose your writing mojo?"

Laura's response can be found here, and Lydia's response is here.

The thing about mojo ... it's all about your thoughts--both the ones you can access and the ones you can't.

Mojo Jojo says, "Now, if you'll excuse me,
I have a manuscript to take over."

And what I mean by that: You can't have mojo 24-7.  (unless you're this guy-->)


Nonstop MOJO is just not possible. Even if you're the type who writes every day, some days are going to be ON, and some days are gonna suck in any number of ways, for any number of reasons. Sometimes you might have a number of days like that in a row.

When that's happening, you have two tasks:

1. Let your brain do what it needs to in order to get you ready for that next blast (or trickle or flow or whateva--we're all different) of productivity. Let things churn. Be at peace with the churning.
2. While your ideas are churning, DO NOT fall victim to your Sneaky Brain (my post about what it can do to a querying writer is here, and my post about how to put it in its place is here).

That "churn" is what your brain does in the background while the rest of you is busy getting on with life. It has to happen. There has to be a space where you process and digest all the stuff you're thinking in the foreground, and you can't do all that systematically and deliberately. It's messy. Sometimes it takes a bit of time.

What interferes with this awesome process are those thoughts from your Sneaky Brain. You know the ones.

• This isn't churning; this is writer's block. You have it. You. Have. Writer's. Block. Writer's! Block!
• You will never have another good idea again. And that's because you suck. No, really. You do.
• This is the only book you'll ever write, and if you don't figure this out, your writing career is OVER.
• You see all those other writers out there? They've had ten ideas in the time it's taken you to polish off that plate of onion rings.
• Your brain is flat and you've just reached the edge of it. Prepare to fall into the abyss of NO MOJO!

Now imagine your poor, brilliant brain, churning away, and then WHAM! It gets attacked by these sneaky thoughts. It's like throwing a rock in those gears.

Knowing that, this is what I try to do, and it's what I'd tell anyone who asked: When you have times when you're less productive, or not productive at all, let it happen.

Don't panic. Let things churn. Just because it doesn't feel like something's happening doesn't mean there's nothing happening. Sometimes it means the opposite.

But when you get sucked in by the Sneaky Brain's shenanigans, it gets harder to relax and let yourself go along. You get anxious. You get depressed. And those gears might get gummed up--you might end up sabotaging yourself, and your churning could turn in to a full-on slump. So you have to kick those sneaky thoughts away--don't let them interfere with whatever your brain is doing to get you back on track.

Concretely, here's what I do when I have no ideas, when I feel uninspired, and when the words are not flying from the tips of my fingers: I read. I open my eyes and pay more attention to the world. (I read) I listen more carefully. I reach out to my friends. (I read some more) I listen to music. I try to relax, and I remind myself my brain is churning, and that it's a pretty good brain, and that, when it's ready, I'll be ready, too.

On a related note, Kim Harrington, the author of CLARITY, had an excellent post on writer's block this past Monday (and she quoted me, which made me blush and go all giggly). She has thoughts on how to push through tricky writing problems by having a quiet mind.

What about you? When you lose the mojo, how do you think about it? Are you prone to panic or peace? If you've recovered from a time of mojolessness, how did you do it? Do you think you've ever made a patch of mojolessness longer by falling victim to the Sneaky Brain?

Oh! And while you're here, please enter my id's giveaway so it doesn't give me a headache with all its whining. What's in it for you: a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card or a 10-page crit, your choice. You have until tonight at midnight (EST) and winners will be announced Friday--when I'll also start answering some of your fabulous questions!

I Have Ruined Your Nice Meme

I was recently tagged by the illustrious and maniacal Greenwoman and also by the glamorous and mesmerizing Anita Howard on a "meme" that's been making the blog rounds lately.

I don't know who cooked this meme up, but the questions are vaguely bizarre...maybe even sinister. For example, the meme asks "When was the last time you ate chicken meat?" Why chicken meat? Why emphasize the "meat" portion of it? Why not "chicken claws"?

I do not wish to know when any of you ate chicken meat, much as I love you. Please keep this information to yourselves in future.

I decided that, rather than answer these questions, I am going to investigate the meaning behind them, track down the author of the meme, and make sure she or he is escorted to a suitable home where they can care for those with damaged minds.

But I don't have time for that! So instead, I'm going to switch these questions up, dog. And ask a whole set of new and inane memish questions! And visit them upon you, and your children, and your children's children!

Are you a rutabaga?
No.

When was the last time you ate lion meat?
During that safari which went so horribly awry in 1989.


Upload a heartwarming picture of something that makes you smile.

I actually no likee clowns. This is a joke! Why are you hiding in the woodpile?

If you could go back in time and kick the crap out of someone, who would it be?
Why, that bully from 9th grade, Jujyfruit Assbat!


Name one habit that makes other people plot your demise.
I sometimes hammer nails into people's heads without the slightest bit of warning.


What song would you like to be playing while you are kicking the crap out of someone?
Pink's "So What," or maybe Tchaikovsky


Where da muffin top at?
The muffin top is ineffable, and cannot be found by human hands.

How many goats, stacked atop one another like Yertle's Turtles, would it take to reach the moon?
1,564,768 and 1/2 goat

Describe yourself using obscure Latin words.
Cupiditas Pullanus: Little horse with a party spirit!

Why does evil exist?
Stop right now! This meme is hurting my brains! It's not even a real MEME because I just made it up. It would be a meme if it was actually all over the place and viral, like a bad STD, like that other "chicken meat" meme. People are insane!

What the fuck are you thinking right now?
I'm wishing I had not uploaded that photo of the clown.

Tag 11 blogger friends, or some other random number that suits you. Ha! You can't say "no tagbacks" because I just made up new rules! BOO YAH. Make up your own rules or be enslaved by another blogger's.

1. Justin Holley
2. Cherie
3.  Greenwoman
4. Bethany
5. Tracey Hansen
6. Kalen
7. Mary
8. Angela
9. TS Welti
10. Mrs. Kim
11. Anita


Pick a funny nickname for number 1. 
The Woolly Mastodon.

Make up a rhyme about number 2.
Cherie, Cherie, I sing of thee!
Your name rhymes with that of  J. Holley
and also with that of T.S. Welti!


Where would number 3 hide in the event of the apocalypse?
In the henhouse, in her goat pants.

Where does number 4 purchase her pants?
 She doesn't wear any pants!

What would number 5's favorite dance move be?
Anything that involved not wearing pants.

If number 6 had a war cry, what would it be?
I am Kalen
Hear me roar
I am a fucking awesome writer
And an ac-tor!


Tell number 7 you love 'em. Come on! It won't hurt to say you love 'em!
Aw, gorsh, Mary! I loves ya!


If you and number 8 pulled a prank together, what would you do?
I love the prank with the bucket of water above the door. It's a classic. Come on, Angela. Yes?

Number 9 is fine because...
She's an author! Check out this interview for her new book, The Fifth Specter.

Tell a little story about number 10.
Me and Mrs. Kim go way back. Check out her foodie recipes! Once, she brought salmon mousse on a hike.

Number 11 dreams about...
Insects and faeries and ghosts. Tonight, she will dream about a vast ship on an ocean, and the water filled with sprites, and the moon dancing on the waves. She will not dream about that awful clown. This I wish for her.

EOB I Owe

I'm going to get away from mental health issues a bit on this post to let readers in on some characteristics of the current United States health system of which some may not be aware.

Imagine that you were fed up with managed care health insurance, that you were fairly young and healthy, and that you were quite affluent.  Say that you still had the choice to opt out of health insurance altogether and pay for your health care as you go - but before you do, you decide to compare the prices of different medical procedures, labs tests, and radiological procedures like MRI's at different doctors' offices and laboratories. 

How would you go about finding out who was offering the best deals and who would be overcharging like a mad auto mechanic with a young girl who knows nothing about cars?

So you call up a lab and find out what a certain MRI costs (these are real numbers): $2635 at one facility.  However, an insured friend just had the procedure at that very same lab, and, being of a suspicious sort, you ask to see the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your friend's insurance company.  You are shocked to see that your friend's procedure only cost $2077!  This includes both what the insurance company paid out and your friend's copayment.

You say to yourself, "What the f*@#$!!!"

So you take another look at the EOB.  When you look closer, you see something on there that says that indeed the MRI "costs" $2635, but your friend and his insurance company only have to paid $2077.  The EOB also brags about something called "Network Savings" of $558. 

Look how insurance companies are working for you to hold down medical costs!  You begin to wonder how come your friend's insurance premiums go up by double digit percentages every year when doctors, hospitals, and labs seem to be getting paid less and less for the most common medical procedures.  Gee, I wonder who's pocketing all that extra money? 

So you call up two more labs, tell them you have no insurance, and find out that they also supposedly charge around $2600 for this MRI.

What is really going on is that $2635 is a sort of list price, but that no one with insurance pays list price.  The people with NO insurance routinely pay a much higher price for the exact same procedures at the exact same locations.

Your blood starts to boil. You think that maybe doctor visits are different, so you call up various medical specialists, ask the cost of an initial evaluation for a specific complaint, and lo and behold, you find exactly the same pricing schemes.

Next, you next try to call some doctor's offices and demand that they give you these procedures at the same discount that the insurer gets, but every single one says no. 

Somehow you get a doctor on the phone and corner him, and ask him why you can't have the evaluation at the discount that the insured patients get.  He won't tell you why, and yet he still refuses.

OK, so here's the real explanation of benefits:  All doctors have a high list price for any given procedure or exam.  The number is nonsense, however, because most of their practice is insured patients, and none of the insurance companies pay list price. 

Although there is some room for negotiating prices between managed care and providers, if you started collecting EOB's from different doctors for the same procedure, you will find that all the different insurance companies get approximately the same discount.  Also, the insured patients and their insurers when combined are all paying about the same price for the same procedures.

So why don't the doctors just lower the list price and give the same deal to all the insurance companies as well as the uninsured?  I'm glad you asked.

When negotiating with an insurance company, doctors who want to be one of the preferred providers for that company are forced to agree to the discounted price.  The insurance companies offer essentially nothing in return other than the doctor being listed as one of their preferred providers, who cost the patient less to see than an "out-of-network provider."  Out-of-network providers cost insured patients more out of pocket than do in-network providers, but often still not the list price offered to the uninsured.

If the insurance company finds out that a physician offered an uninsured patient the same discount, they then start to demand a similar discount off of the price they agreed to pay the doctor when the doctor first signed up for their panel, while completely ignoring the fact that that price had already been discounted.

However, if the doctor offers the same discount to get on another insurance company's preferred provider list, the first company has no trouble with that all.  Perhaps they offer one another professional courtesy.  The fact that they all offer approximately the same remuneration for specific procedures seems to indicate that the different companies get together to fix prices. 

And yet somehow they do not seem to run afowl of anti-trust laws.  However, if doctors get together to insist on a minimum amount of remuneration that they would accept for a given procedure, the Justice Department threatens to charge them with violating anti-trust laws!

It is supposedly illegal for one doctor to merely ask another doctor how much the second doctor charges for services.  And yet somehow doctors are supposed to divine what fee is "reasonable and customary" when they set their "list price" for Medicare and insurance companies.  Of course, it is easy to get the data indirectly.

If the doctor decides to lower his or her list price, the insurance company will demand the same percentage discount off the new price.  Hence, the doctor has an incentive to keep the list price as high as possible, and gets  punished if he or she does not.  So much for beneficial effects of the highly vaunted "competition" in the "free" private insurance market.

To get back to psychiatry for a moment, the insurance companies has used this state of affairs to ratchet down the price of psychotherapy, so that doctors earn a lot more money for just prescribing psychiatric drugs and doing nothing else.

So if you are uninsured and would like to pay up front cash for your medical care, you will be fleeced like a helpless little sheep. And you can thank your politicians for this state of affairs.

How I am responding to negative reviews Every single one of them

Today we have a break from the Sanctum blog tour, and the last week has passed in this huge blur, so I wanted to take this post and reflect on something.

Sanctum has received its first negative reviews.

And now that I know how it feels, HERE IS HOW I RESPOND:

First, allow me to introduce my brains:

SMART BRAIN

 

SNEAKY BRAIN

(for the purposes of this dialog, please picture them 100% more brain-like)

Sneaky Brain: OMG someone left a critical review. This is awful. So awful. It’s the worst thing ever.

Smart Brain: Whoa whoa whoa. Catastrophizemuch? First, WTH are you doing, reading every single review? Haven't we talked about this? And second, what's so awful about it?

Sneaky: Okay, well, I was curious about how the book would be received. AND NOW I KNOW AND IT IS AWFUL. I'll bet more and more of these negative reviews will come pouring in. The floodgates are opening!

Smart: Um. You're overgeneralizing. Breathe. I'm going to ask you some questions, 'k?

Sneaky: I don't exactly have lungs here.

Smart: Jeez. You know what I mean. Anyway, did you actually expect that every member of the reading public would like your book?

Sneaky: Well, I hoped--

Smart: You are a brain, are you not? You might have hoped, but you know there's not a book on this planet that has 100% 5-star reviews ... unless those reviews are fake. Do you want people to think your reviews are fake?

Sneaky: *horrified gelatinous shudder*

Smart: And next: When other authors' books get a few 1- and 2-star reviews, do you decide their books are bad?

Sneaky: Well, that would be stupid. Of course not. I mean, THE HUNGER GAMES has close to 25,000 1- and 2-star reviews. And that book is awesome. As indicated by the approximately one million 4- and 5-star reviews it has. But SANCTUM will never have that many reviews. So this isn't the same.

Smart: Oh, hello double-standard. And wait. What proportion of Sanctum's reviews are positive?

Sneaky: *checks the latest GR stats* Over 80% so far? But I've always been a straight-A student. You know that.

Smart: So if your performance isn't perfect, you're a failure? That's some excellent polarized thinking right there.

Sneaky: Well--have you read those reviews? One of them called the book a waste of money!

Smart: And here we go with filtering. Are you going to ignore over 80% positive reviews and only pay attention to a few negative ones?

Sneaky: No, I'm just saying those negative reviews stick out to me. Like a needle. In my tender, succulent brainself.

Smart. You're minimizing the importance of those fabulous reviews. That's sad. Because lots of smart people have said awesome things about Sanctum, and you're giving their voices less weight than those of the few who didn't like it. That's a bit disrespectful, don't you think?

Sneaky: Hey! I don't mean sound that way. It's just: those negative reviews give me a bad feeling. If I had a stomach, I'd feel like I'd been punched there. How did this all go south so quickly? I thought things were going well!

Smart: So if you're feeeeeeeeling bad, that means things really ARE bad? Emotional reasoning FTW! Or should I say: FTL.

Sneaky: Yes, but it's hard to stay positive when someone says your main characters were boring and annoying, and that your dialogue is poorly written. They basically said I'm a bad writer! I can't believe I screwed up this book so completely! I brought this on myself! I knew I should have stuck with my day job!

Smart: GAH with the personalization. Once again I'll remind you that lots of other folks have said the opposite about your characters, dialogue, and writing, and they've also said your book touched them deeply. Also: this isn't the last time others will say bad stuff ... but that doesn't change the book or what you've accomplished. Nothing can change that now.

Sneaky: But I want everyone to love me! I want to be perfect!

Smart: I say this with love, but: you deserve to be eaten by a zombie.

 And there you have it. Smart Brain wins on points. Moving on.

[If you want to read more about the Sneaky Brain and the Smart Brain--how one trips you up and the other can save you--take a moment to read this post. And maybe this one. Or just ... have a nice day, okay? I like you.]

Occupy Till I Come Depression Engaging in Constructive Activities

In the previous article I explained that we must not let depression isolate us. We need to spend time with close family or friends and join a caring Christian community.

In this article I discuss something else that played a significant role in helping me to cope with and recover from depression. The diary entry below reveals something that helped dull depression’s intensity:

28th Feb 1990 –
But those two weeks haunt me.
They do not make sense.
The first one ended after eight days,
But I knew it was the eye of the storm.
Sure enough, two weeks later – blam!
And this second week lasted six intense days,
And it never finished.
It is still going, nine weeks later.
But it is not as bad as it was then.
But that’s probably because I’m busy at work.
As soon as I start to look, I start to sink and say,
“What’s happened to me.
I can’t believe what’s happened to me.”

As mentioned previously, severe depression had left be bedridden for six days as terrifying fears immobilized me – a phase that only ended when my parents returned from a week’s holiday. My mother had bundling me off that bed and busied me with menial chores around the home, as well as providing me with much needed support.

Two days later I had to return to work. My mind was still lost in a miry pit of churning fearful thoughts and I did not want to work, nevertheless, I refused to shirk my responsibilities and risk losing my job. So off to work I went, and as you can see from the diary entry above, being busy at work dulled depression’s intensity.

That is an important aspect of coping with and recovering from depression – keeping ourselves gainfully engaged in constructive activities. This could be a full time, part time or casual job. If this is not possible, we could volunteer to help a charity, such as the Salvation Army or an opportunity shop. We could even volunteer to work in the church office a couple of days a week, or help a family member who runs a business.

Regular work gives us purpose, a routine and keeps our mind busy on things other than the fearful thoughts that demand out attention whenever our mind is idle.

I know that this can be hard to do, but Jesus is there to help us take this step.

‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ Philippians 4:13 KJV.

My wife and I used to visit Chika Honda, a Japanese lady, in the Deer Park Metropolitan Women's Correctional Centre. In October 2000, the government took over management of the prison. While this transfer of management was being implemented, the inmates were placed in a state of lockdown where they could not leave their self-contained units. Chika asked our church to pray that the lockdown would be ended as soon as possible so that she could go back to work in the prison’s workshops. Being stuck all day in a unit with other inmates with nothing to do was unbearable, whereas the job gave her a sense of purpose and achievement.

A special note here - we must be careful not use such activities to run from the causes of our depression. It is imperative to seek help from a Christian counselor or therapist to deal with the issues and fears that caused or are associated with depression.

Let us now read Luke 19:13, where Jesus is seen giving gifts to His servants.

So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. “Put this money to work,” he said, “until I come back.” Luke 19:13

This ‘money’ represents the gifts which God has given us. Putting these gifts into action is another activity that assists with the recovery of depression. To focus on God, and on the needs of others, is a healing balm all of its own.

Acts 20:35 “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Before depression destroyed my life, I had been an assistant pastor and a church musician. Ten months after my descent into depression, when it was clear I was on the road to recovery, my counselor pushed me back into ministry. At her advice, I started with something small – playing the piano in a home group. A few months later I started teaching Sunday School too. After I recovered from depression, I became even more involved using my spiritual gifts in serving the Lord.

Let us take another look at Luke 19:13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. “Put this money to work,” he said, “until I come back.”

Along with spiritual gifts, God has also given us natural talents, in areas such as sport, music, writing, painting, gardening, and so on. When God created us in His image, He also placed in us the desire to be creative. So let us also develop and pursue the talents and hobbies that God has given us – they are a gift from Him.

One of the greatest pieces of advice that helped me in the early days of severe depression came from a friend who had been down that same route. He said, “Find anything that you enjoy, and pursue it. Just try to have fun.”

“Have fun, when I’m like this?” I thought to myself, yet I pressed on and embraced his advice. I bought a computer, played engrossing computer games, and over the next five years wrote three novels and pursued other hobbies too. I also joined a gym. These hobbies helped to keep my mind productively occupied and were a significant factor in breaking my mind’s habit of thinking fearful thoughts.

My friend Sherry Castelluccio, who suffered from severe post-partum depression after the birth of her daughter, offers this advice – “Are you bored at home? Pick up that hobby you put down. Are you lonely? Call that friend you haven’t spoken to in months. You will both be glad you did. Is your body physically sick? Go sit outside in the sun for a few minutes. Find the one thing that makes you smile and drink it up. Surround yourself with children, rent a comedy, finger paint. You are here because God put you here with a purpose. Find out what it is, make it your ambition to find out what you can do to bless others. I have found that the fastest way to bust Satan in the teeth is to do something for someone else. It puts a stop to the feelings of sadness and makes you feel alive and full of purpose, all at the same time. Make yourself laugh. It’s the simplest, most inexpensive cure there is and the most readily available. It changes your whole outlook.”

I have always loved the way which the King James Version translates Luke 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, “Occupy till I come.”

What wonderful advice - keep ourselves productively occupied until He comes. So let us work as we are able, serve God with the spiritual gifts He has given us, and pursue engaging hobbies. Keeping occupied with such productive activities can be of great assistance in helping us to recover from depression by taking our focus off depression’s fears and symptoms that try so hard to immobilize us.

(All verses from the NIV unless stated otherwise.)

Download an ebook on depression, ie, this blog's articles.

(All verses from the NIV unless stated otherwise.)