My new novel “Conditions” (available on Amazon for pre-order) contains a character with mental health issues. Although this is a prominent part of the story I’ve kept it deliberately vague in the book for several reasons:
I didn’t want the story to be about one specific illness or condition and thereby reduce the character to a stereotype.
I am also not a health care professional or bonafide expert on the subject. The condition is part of the story and serves a wider purpose and message. I didn’t want to enter a lengthy discussion about medication, care facilities etc., lecture you or write a guide book. I mean to entertain and hope maybe to stimulate a thought process in my readers.
However, the character is based on several people with one and the same condition. Although I did some further research to make him consistent and believable I regard this aspect as almost secondary to the novel as a whole.
There are more issues being discussed in the book and my main character Charles is difficult for many reasons. His story is meant as a reminder to us all to embrace all aspects of a person and try to adapt so that we can live with what is challenging to us, whether it is part of a medical problem or not.
It’s okay to be different. I embrace the weird, the eccentric. I love oddball characters and have done so all of my life. It hasn’t always made my life and my friendships easy but it has kept things interesting and diverse.
As a quote from the book goes:
“Each and every one of us has their own weirdness, it’s just that it’s more obvious with some people than others.”
And another:
“Madness is a completely undervalued quality and I don’t understand why people should hide it to conform to some boring version of themselves.”
The book on Goodreads
It is available for pre-order on Amazon US, Amazon UK
Amazon Canada and Amazon Australia
OUT OCTOBER 16th
Life can lend us some interesting, unique, and even frightening characters. Well done Christoph.
Yes it can. I hope mine are not too frightening. They were great company during the process, though. 😉
I admire your efforts to bring so many important issues to light. Mental illness is still in the dark ages as far as awareness and acceptance goes. Thank you for writing about it.
Thanks Pat. I hope I’ve done the subject justice 🙂
I embrace different as well. You did an exceptional job with a compelling storyline that involves this issue as well as a funeral. After all, it’s the stuff academy awards are made of, isn’t it. You do such a great job writing about many difficult issues. I applaud you, my friend. ❤
It’s the stuff life is made of, and a much better life than some people think. ❤
‘Xactly. Life is never what we “THINK” it is but what we live. There’s a lot of richness in these deep, different, compassionate heart opening events/experiences that you write about masterfully. And I might add is how you appear to be living your life. A gift to know you. Love, Paulette
Good luck Christopher. As a psychiatrist I would have never ending discussions with patients and others about normality, but of course there isn’t such a thing. Of course we might be able to diagnose mental illnesses, but each person is an individual and illnesses will not manifest in the same way. And of course, psychiatry is very subjective. I think if we were all “normal” and we never had any ideas out of the ordinary there would be no inventions, no progress, and no comedy or fun… I hope to be able to catch up with your book soon. Sounds very interesting.
Thanks, of course you have an even closer perspective on it. I agree, nothing is ‘normal’, one of my characters says that, too, in the book.
🙂
Une proueese litteraire que celle là. Voir ce qui est bon dans l’homme au delà de ses défauts et de sa maladie.
Pingback: My editors: Post 2: David Lawlor | writerchristophfischer