Better Living Through Fiction

[notjenschiz]

I was reading a good fantasy book the other day, and I noted that the hero had incredible willpower. Then I realized that, for a fictional character, having willpower is as easy as writing "He had incredible willpower." Of course, a good author will spice it up a bit, show-not-tell, but it all comes down to words

Comments

more about willpower

[notjenschiz]

Two other interesting studies about willpower:

1) Psychologists found that those who believed that stamina was a function of mental effort displayed more stamina than those who believed it was a result of physical capacity.

2) They also found that those who believed themselves to be either exceptionally good OR exceptionally evil displayed more willpower:
http://mentalhealthnews.org/good-evil-acts-can-increase-physical-abilities/841389/
“People perceive those who do good and evil to have more efficacy, more willpower, and less sensitivity to discomfort,” he says. “By perceiving themselves as good or evil, people embody these perceptions, actually becoming more capable of physical endurance.”

[jimkeller]

It sounds like you're working on a variant of what the new age / pop psych folks call "creative visualization" ... in your case using an auditory visualization (the narrator) instead of a visual one. Maybe you can call the technique "creative audiolization" -- remembering to trademark the phrase first so that you can make money on the back end any time some self-help guru recommends it to the less visually oriented. :)

[notjenschiz]

Jim- good comparison. I think the concreteness (writing it instead of merely visualizing it) is an advantage. Also the past test instead of future tense seems to help me.

[freudinshade]

It's basically a form of what is clinically called "Narrative Therapy", though I'm not sure I've seen it used quite that way. Definately visualization/guided imagery techniques are commonly used, but that's usually preemptive. And Narrative Therapy is usually about rewriting our past narrative.

[rsheslin]

I wish I could remember where I read it, but there was this cool essay about how to improve goal-setting (and attaining) by structuring it as an exciting narrative. You would visualize (or write, or whatever) your goal as a quest, define various obstacles to be overcome, etc. within the framework of Hero's Journey or whatever.

I like your will-hack. I may try to incorporate some form of it....

[rowdy_phantom]

And suddenly her sore throat went away. She could talk like a normal person again and go back to work.

Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?

(Illness should be subject to will power. "Damnit, flu, respect mah authoritay!")