Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

JocelynNano — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:39:11 +0000

So a thread in another forum brought up personality styles, and I'm curious if there are patterns of personality in different genres. I'm also interested to see if the forums are dominated by the personalities so often told that "author" is on their careers list. 1. So what is your personality type? (Myers Briggs - or others.) 2. A bit from your novel that you think reflects this (just so we don't forget about it.) I'm an ENTP. "The white borage fought valiantly beside its more heathen colours. The selection process, the eugenically developed race so fair of form, grew no less vigorously. As the first pink flowers were born aloft, they were dissolved by the stars that glowed in the moonlight. The shining whites mimicking the heavens whilst the pinks and blues disappeared in the shades of lunar grey. Only the clear cut continued to exist, while shadows of colour disappear into the brightness of the night." (I don't know if that's really an ENTP thing to write, but I'm too slack to find a more apt bit.)

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

Badly Drawn Girl — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:38:33 +0000

I'm curious - how do you find out which personality type you are? And what do the letters stand for?

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

maymay33 — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:25:32 +0000

1. I am ENFP 2. The main character of my story is the exact opposite of me. Probably ISFJ . He's introverted, he judges people around him, he's not very intuitive at all... And the narrative follows his thoughts so basically it was pretty difficult for me to find an excerpt. I chose this one because this is more or less how I picture a fun night going down. Here it is: “Chris, your move.” Jeff called to him. “Huh? Oh right. Raise.” Chris threw a few chips into the center. As soon as they hit the table, he realized he had thrown in too much. He knew there was no way he could win if anyone called his bluff. He stopped breathing as he waited for each person’s move. One by one they folded. “You’re so full of shit.” Jeff said, tapping his fingers against the table as he decided whether to make the call. After a few seconds he threw his cards into the muck. “A present.” Jeff announced. The rest of the table folded and Chris raked in the pot. “That was gutsy.” Kaitlyn said softly to him. He didn’t respond. After that hand the game exploded with action. Chris found himself in bigger and bigger hands, making bluffs and slowly but surely making a profit. After he broke Gordon, the trash talking began. Laughter, coarse insults, and a few incidents of spilled beer were the menu for the rest of the evening. Whenever he won big, Kaitlyn would jump and yell a bit in excitement. Whenever he lost, he would verbally assault the other guy for making such a stupid play.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

Fiona W — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:13:23 +0000

As a psychiatrist, I'm afraid I never found the Myers Briggs typology to be very useful—but maybe I just didn't spend enough time with it. I was also put off, I must admit, by the fact that I always score in the middle of at least 3 out of the 4 rating scales. For example, I'm both an introvert and an extrovert: it all depends on the situation I'm in—and so on with the other scales...I think of myself as protean, and that's how I score. Oddly enough—for a medical doctor with an abiding commitment to the scientific worldview—I find the personality typologies in astrology to be interesting. It helps that when I was 10 years old, I happened across a list of descriptions of the twelve sun signs that didn't have the birth dates attached to it. It was structured something like "Which do you think you are?" where you could flip the page over and find out which sun sign you really are, according to your birthday. I read the descriptions very carefully, and came to the following conclusion: my personality, such that I understood it at age 10, seemed to be scattered through several of the sun signs, but there was one sign in particular I really desired, in my heart of hearts, to be, and that was Pisces. I remember thinking, "Oh well, there's only a one in twelve chance that I actually am a Pisces." Well, given this buildup, it won't surprise you to hear that my birthday does fall in Pisces. ("Only if you ignore the precession of the equinoxes," my scientist husband always says. =laugh=) And later on I found out that my moon sign is also Pisces—so I am a so-called "double Pisces." As a psychotherapist, though, It's not the sun signs, moon signs, or ascendants per se that I found useful, but rather astrology's descriptions of how the four elements—Earth, Water, Air, Fire—play out in the human psyche. That would take a long time to explain; but most of you, I'm sure, have a basic grasp of what an "earth person" is like vs. a "water person," and so on. The basic typology is earth=body, water=emotions, air=intellect, and fire is complicated, but has aspects of soul/spirit, morality, and also ethical passion in it. At any rate, being a double Pisces, I'm as watery as watery gets, which means my psyche is ruled by my emotions. Since Jocelyn asked about our novels as well as our personality types, I will say that my main character, Elsa Weaver, is turning out, rather to my surprise, to be more of an earthy person: she is very grounded in the physical world, and her bodily (including all five senses) responses to that world, seem to be what her story is about. I've barely written a single paragraph, so far, about her emotions. I haven't thought about what sun sign she might be, but Taurus is a guess... I'm curious to hear if anyone else has found astrology interesting, useful, valuable in any way—and if you ever think about your novel's characters in astrological terms, be it sun signs or the four elements.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

Honeybadger12345 — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:53:54 +0000

I agree about the astrology thing. Those things usually end up being weirdly accurate. My family looked up all of their signs, and each one of ours pretty much described us in a nutshell, especially my sister's, a Leo, and mine, a Taurus. I find astrology rather interesting, especially due to the personal extent of its accuracy, so I often choose my character's birthdays depending on astrological sign descriptions, thus allowing my character's personalities to be mirrored their signs. My MC, for example, is a Taurus (and it's not just because it's my sign...well partly it is...). She craves stability, luxury, and honesty. However, her emotions and sensitivity also can easily manipulate her to the point where she deceives herself (at least in the beginning). Also, she is more right-brain than left-brain, and can be almost annoyingly stubborn about things. For me, astrology is the way to go.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

Oregon_Rain — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:21:41 +0000

I'm biting my tongue, but what does your birth and the location of the planet as it goes around the sun have to do with anything? I mean people today regard it humorously, right? They don't take it seriously? Also since I'm being pedantic I'll mention that right-brain, left-brain stuff is a myth. Modern neuroscientists have debunked this. There are some functions that are in one hemisphere more than the other, but there's nothing true to one side being cold and logical and the other being creative and free. Sorry, I'm tired of myths that persist like this.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

mjh2395 — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:24:40 +0000

There are a good deal of quizzes online - I don't know how realiable they all are, but it's worth checking out. I - Introvert E-Extravert N - Intuitive S - Sensing F - Feeling T - Thinking P - Percieving J - Judging

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

mjh2395 — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:26:29 +0000

I'm an INFP And my main character is probably too. At least the I and the P. My main characters are both super introverted so it's kind of about how they help bring each other out of their shells.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

Honeybadger12345 — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:42:27 +0000

I believe you misinterpreted the comments (or at least mine). First of all, I am merely a fifteen-year-old girl still waiting for my first psychology course next semester. I admit to knowing little about the lateralization of brain functions. I was just using it in the generic, figurative sense. If you haven't realized, it has become a rather popular term in the English language, whether scientifically factual or not. Numerous English expressions are in fact nonsensical and the like if taken literally. In regards to the astrology topic, I'm not saying I'm going to start strongly believing any prediction made about my future using the sun and the stars. I simply find astrology fun to analyze and read about, and the description associated with their respective signs often are fairly accurate, for whatever reason. Coincidence? Maybe. Who really cares? People who think these things are complete BS continue to read horoscopes and fortune cookies (which I realize are totally different and lack any thought process whatsoever). It's a simple fascination, and I personally consider it enjoyable to read. I like having my supposed personality analyzed, even if it's absolutely wrong. People are attracted to untrue and/or debatable concepts all of the time. What makes this any different? Sorry, I just wanted to make this clear.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

sarolee17 — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:11:50 +0000

You write very well for a fifteen-year-old. :)

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sarolee17 — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:15:27 +0000

I'm an ENFP or ENFJ (depends on the test). And I'm a Pisces. And I identify with the element of water. :) Strangely, my MCs are all pretty much introverts, and they are extremely rigid in their routines (most of my stories' cruxes fall on their routines being crazily disrupted).

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

Rob(literated) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 02:51:08 +0000

INTJ. Criminal mastermind type. " Cloud cover clearing, piercing sun. Rainy season ending, it all starts to heat up now. The poor masses swimming in baking cow patties and haggling over oranges from California and genetically modified rice seeds from Iowa. Container ships bringing the mercenary grains of missionary vultures. Feeding the great belly of the Indus with Frankenseeds and short-term planning. But again, who's to blame? At least they eat, and healthier. Better than the home in Cambridge. Nutritional counseling and SSI checks and EBT cards. . . and the residents opted for Doritos and Dinty Moore. No forced hands. Yesterday there was an old man on the road with a stick, yelling. To who, not sure. Saddhus and madmen are hard to tell apart in this place. No such thing as a DSM IV, no diagnosis, no cash cows for Pfizer, no loading up the confused with medications. No nothing, just rags and a stick and some begged rice, kindness of strangers: you never see anyone give and yet they must. Discretion. Religious office most likely." Brainy, judgmental, slightly hating humanity due to intuitive sense of right and wrong. Pretty typecast really.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

JocelynNano — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 02:54:25 +0000

I love a fellow mythbuster! I'm usually the one opening the can of science whoop-arse. ;)

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

JocelynNano — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 02:54:35 +0000

I had wondered if this thread would have a collision with astrology, not that there is necessarily anything wrong with that. I wonder if it's more about finding a "personality" to identify with than what particular type of test it is. I know was considered a pretty quiet kid, and it really did change pretty much the day I did Myers-Briggs - something about my styles blurb really resonated with me, a bit like finding a piece of clothing you really love. I can appreciate Myers-Briggs wouldn't necessarily work for everyone, but it's what they used at my school, and I loved doing it and getting the answer. For the record, I'm a Cancer, I always read the horoscopes even if they magazine is ten years old, even thought I don't believe in them. I consider them sort of like the comics most newspapers put them with, entertaining with occasional worldly insight.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

Fiona W — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 03:10:18 +0000

Your birth and the location of the planet don't have anything to do with anything. But that fact doesn't prevent the twelve sun sign personality descriptions from being interesting in their own right. The same goes for Tarot cards: they don't predict anything or have special messages depending on how the cards are dealt, but they do represent a system of mythology and lore that is not represented in any other form—so they reward close study.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

pointpergame — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:12:57 +0000

Introvert - extrovert? Well, I am reclusive, built myself a cave in the research lab where I worked for decades, with the lights all dim and a door that was uninviting from the outside. But if you put me on stage in front of a few hundred people, I turn into this amazing, I don't know...ANNOUNCER MAN! Hand me a mandolin or a Piano and I'll play without any hesitation or the slightest stage fright and you'll have to get out the hook to get me off. Then afterwards I just want to be left alone to curl up with "Island of the Sequined Love Nun" in the crotch of a tree and hope I never have to do that again. Feeling - Sensing? Left brain - right brain works better for me. I can manipulate learning experiences. I can force myself into R-mode in order to draw, for instance using the R vs. L concept. (a la Betty Edwards's book, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain"), but I'm not one kind of person or the other. My sister has NO RIGHT MODE, so she is one kind. But I don't know how to make myself "feel" vs. "think." If your learning modes and your everyday personality are stable and classifiable enough to fit under the umbrella of four or five letters of the alphabet, and you function to your own satisfaction, you are very lucky. And you and I differ considerably. It's a very good question, though. I look forward to hearing who other people think they are.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

Jonnie Comet — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:50:30 +0000

Honeybadger, I am impressed to find someone else who does this with characters! I sort of coined a mode of literary criticism in which one evaluates characters' behaviour and attitudes based on what is consistent with their signs. For example, Jane Eyre is a Taurus and Rochester a Cancer. If you know anything about those two, NOW read the book and it'll be obvious. Lizzy Bennet is a Sagittariius and Darcy is a Libra. Bingley is a Leo; Jane is a Libra. See? The fascinating thing about writing like this, whether you subscribe to astrology or not, is that you can get a ready-made character just by picking someone who works for what you need the character to be like.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

Jonnie Comet — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:12:30 +0000

Oregon, I think that for us the 'right-brain' vs 'left-brain' thing represents more the personality type than the actual physiological source of the thinking mode. At least for fictional-character study it does. I come from a family noted in the fine and performing arts which is full of 'both-brained' -- as in people who are not 50/50 artist and engineer, for example, but 100/100, meaning both (a very rare combination). Consequently the whole family has been studied by people in the know, in both medicine and psychology; and the artistic and technical accomplishments of the individual members speak for themselves. Though I heed astrology as a writer, just to use it for character types, as a classroom teacher in English I would never dare use it in the same way. It'd be judging. But some knowledge of the 'right/left-brain' dichotomy can be priceless in reaching certain students. I tend to excel with the right-brainers, precisely because of my own background, because I understand how they think. Most public-school teachers (about 80-90 percent, not including art teachers) are 'left-brained rules-followers'-- they judge rather than perceive and prescribe rather than listen. I'm not judging; that's a statistic that was taught to me. I tend to be the opposite and so kids who struggle under teachers who default to verbal communication gravitate to my classes and do exceptionally well. As for me I would say I am ENTJ; but I have to beg out of this just a little because of seeing the other side too well too! My excerpt is on the profile page. I don't know waht my current project says about my personality except that I am an optimist. I don't always write about characters that have my values, though many people suspect that I do, especially when the narrative is first-person. I began writing from a girl's POV just to quell that tag, that the story is 'autobiographical'. One of the challenges but also joys of authorship is being able to 'explore new worlds and seek out new civilisations', the freedom to make people be and do anything we choose. Though my heroes and heroines tend to have my sense of ethics at the end of the day (just because of the sort of themes I prefer), they certainly aren't all my personality type!

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

PowerUnit — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:59:47 +0000

http://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html I'm INTP, but I'll forget that by the end of lunch time. I like Einstein's ideas of flushing useless information from my brain. Unfortunately sometimes useful stuff goes down the drain with them.

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outolumo — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:35:55 +0000

INTJ - and that shows in my story. I'm having trouble find it soul (F) but it sure has it's plot logistics in place!

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Raquelin — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:07:40 +0000

I'm a drunken shark. Evidence: As if by divine intervention, the boat arched over a wave and the suddenly bouncing nose slammed into a low flying duck. The bird erupted into pink stained feathers with a surprised quack. Imogene blinked. Keely sat up to stare better. “Well.” Imogene said weakly, eyes still wide. “At least you’re not the duck?” Keely laid back down with a groan. “It’s a fucking sign.” “Whoa!” Silas yelped from elsewhere. “Did you guys see that? The duck just went boom!” A slight pause. “Whoa. There are like… feathers, floating in the water. And that’s a leg!”

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Fiona W — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:54:48 +0000

I am so enthused about this excerpt—woo hoo! (also a little giddy about hitting 30K just now)

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Honeybadger12345 — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 03:42:27 +0000

Poor duck...

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Raquelin — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 05:44:21 +0000

My ML: "Bonus points to whoever kills a [our rival region's mascot]." Me: "...Done." So really, that was about it. ;) Except that Silas did see the head a few minutes later, and it's been occasionally referenced because, hey, they saw a duck explode.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

robini — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:50:29 +0000

INTP--"The Architect". I hear from people who study brain functions, psychology, linguistics, and various cognitive sciences that that this Meyers-Briggs is really rather elementary and more of a "fun" test with about as much accuracy as any other popular personality evaluation--enneagram, astrology, whatever. For me, the last two letters vary with my mood... even being and Aries, Aquarius rising, changes based on the dates used and what minute my birth mother decides I was born... A personality hard to define with so few variables--but hey, don't we all try to figure it out that way at some point? And try to go back to it even! I'm rambling. I don't even know what I'm saying right now. I spend more time on forums than I do on my novel these days. Ah... December december...

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Bumble Bee — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:22:15 +0000

INTJ: If people came out here often, I might should change my hideout location. In a few minutes she stood, and walked in my direction. I wondered if she had seen me and headed off to the side, trying to be as quiet as possible. She heard me and looked around, but apparently didn’t see me. So I followed her as softly as I could, trying to stay just out of sight. She walked for a good mile without meeting up with anyone, so I concluded that she must be alone. I was confused more than ever now, and when she began to talk to herself, I listened in even though I knew that I shouldn’t. “So, I’m away. And now what? I don’t know the basics of survival out here, but maybe I’ll find someone who will help me in the next town… of course, then I’d be caught.” When I heard her words, I thought she must just be a rebellious teen, trying to run from school or her parents. But as she rambled, I realized that she was in the same situation as me, only far less prepared.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

JocelynNano — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 04:22:47 +0000

"Container ships bringing the mercenary grains of missionary vultures." Love it. I'm of to read your synopsis. :)

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

MrHeywire — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 05:36:43 +0000

ENFP. Low E, high N, high F, moderate P So far all introverted.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

MrHeywire — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 05:41:13 +0000

The world was still asleep in the suburbs early on that Saturday morning. Even the air was barely moving. The only sound was his own body song, the symphony forever playing within him. Today, the conductor, and indeed, most of the musicians were hungover, so it was not played with the same gusto and feeling it usually had. As he walked by houses and trees and parked cars, he began to feel strangely the wrong size. All of a sudden, his body felt a little foreign to him. At first he just felt the wrong size; slightly too tall. He felt like the world around him was slightly smaller than it should be. This was not the first time something like this had happened to him. There was that time he could have sworn that he had red hair until he saw his dark brown hair in the mirror. It was very strange. It was a feeling he hadn’t thought about for some time, but it had suddenly come over him today. He had no idea why it happened. It was like he was eighteen different people stuck in the same body, and every now and then others would float to the surface before sinking again, like blobs of wax in a lava lamp. He kept walking.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

Fiona W — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 09:28:07 +0000

OK, I took the test for the umpteenth time: today I'm INFP, but the only scale I'm tipped strongly on is Feeling over Thinking. And even that one's only 62%. The others are all slight or moderate, which is consistent with longer versions of the test that I've taken. Career choices: psychotherapist, writer. Yup, they have me pegged there. Michel de Montaigne: one of my heroes. Whenever I take the test, I always feel a tension between different roles I've inhabited—especially doctor & scientist vs. artist & writer. Why can't I answer "both"? I want to say to so many of the statements.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

Bewitched.Rhapsody — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:46:35 +0000

ENFP. I forget the details of my "ENFP"-ness. It suites me pretty well, though. I guess this excerpt is a good description of my personality. O__o Erm, well, how I see people for the most part. It's a story. Not a story. A short story. Maybe more of flash fiction. Oh, I don't know what it is. x3 It’s an old town place in the country, and it’s October. Cold rain is falling. Red and yellow leaves are playing in the wind. A man stands at a crosswalk, hands in worn jean pockets. He looks around before crossing the street. He flings his cigarette onto the middle of the road. It sits there, smoking on wet pavement. He thinks nobody’s seen him. A group of girls all bundled up in jackets walk down the sidewalk, talking and laughing. Bags and cell phones in hand. They’re all talking about school, gossip, likes and dislikes… Everyone on the streets sees them, but they don’t see anyone else. A Mexican guy, a young man, walks. A hoodie is covering part of his face. He doesn’t look people in the eye as he passes them – he looks slightly to their left. He always seems to be looking down. An old man carrying a broom and dustpan is outside, sweeping up something – litter and leaves. He’s wearing a light blue button up shirt. White hair and a bald spot. He looks happy to be there. A girl walks down the sidewalk, head up, completely open. She sees people, notices them, smiles at them and feels good when they smile back. She sees people and wonders. I wonder what sort of person you are? I wonder how you see things? I wonder what is going on in your life? I wonder…

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

outolumo — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:02:29 +0000

My guess would be that ENFP is the stereotypical LitFic author... See e.g. http://www.personalitypage.com/ENFP.html (Ok. INFJ and INFP come close.)

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VB-Demoiselle — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:12:01 +0000

ENFP. Also studied MA Depth Psychology... is currently writing "cure" into stories based on principles of Depth, Archetypal and Ecopsychology... <3 Adrienne

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VB-Demoiselle — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:14:03 +0000

yep....! more myth & symbolism is the way.....!

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Bewitched.Rhapsody — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 23:51:41 +0000

Yup, I've read that page before. ^_^

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

Fiona W — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:58:07 +0000

And yet when that site gives career recommendations: ENFP — first career listed is "Consultant" — "Writer/Journalist" is further down the list INFP — first career listed is "Writer"

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Lisa.Vail — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:55:51 +0000

ISTP... this one says, anyway. Mostly just an introvert. thaattt sounds about right, actually.

Re: Personality of Lit Fic Authors?

SkyeWriter.Imaginarium — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:03:03 +0100

ISFP I don't have a part in my novel that reflects it though... strange. I do have to say on the "most-suited" careers list, PT is on there, and heyyy. I'm in school for that already!