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Emotions can motivate or imprison us. They have the power to bring out our best as well as our worst. Today we will take a closer look at pride, the eighth and final installment in a series of newsletters focusing on what it means to be human.
Throughout the process of writing this newsletter series I referred to The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. Please show them some love by buying your very own copy of this invaluable book here.
Welcome to the Short Stories Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your editor this week. |
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"There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. 'Good pride' represents our dignity and self-respect. 'Bad pride' is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance." ~ John C. Maxwell
We've all met them--the guy who thinks he's God's gift to women ("Of course you want to go out with me. Who doesn't want to go out with me? Look at me!"), or the girl who's a little too arrogant for her own good ("You're not serious? Why would I want to go to your party? I wouldn't be caught dead with you!").
There are two kinds of pride. The first, or healthy kind is defined [1] as "a pleasant, sometimes exhilarating, emotion that results from a positive self-evaluation." Then there's the unhealthy kind: hubris, arrogance, excessive pride, egocentrism, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder . This second kind of pride is what we'll be discussing today.
When I think of narcissism and pride, I think of Cersei Lannister, a fictional character created by George R.R. Martin for his series A Song of Ice and Fire (also known as A Game of Thrones.) She's the character you love to hate. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't love to hate her. I hate to hate her, and I can't wait for someone to put her out of my misery. She is a hideous concoction of wealth, power, entitlement, privilege, lust, contempt, pride, gluttony, deception, cruelty, vengeance, selfishness, secrecy, perversion, manipulation, hatred, and scandal. She is the repulsive embodiment of the seven deadly sins. As I wait with bated breath for book six, The Winds of Winter, to be released and contemplate the 3,219 pages and 1,770,777 words I've read so far (based on U.S. First Editions), all I can do is hope and pray Mr. Martin will find it in his great big, generous, incredibly-gifted writer's heart to assassinate that nasty hag once and for all!
But here's the uncomfortable truth: King's Landing, Westeros, and all the Seven Kingdoms would be a lot less interesting without Cersei Lannister. She is a resounding success; through her character George R.R. Martin has catapulted himself over what many writers consider to be their greatest hurdle: he's made the reader feel something.
It takes a brilliant writer (and a talented actress) to convincingly pull off a character like Cersei, but oh how delicious a narcissistic character can be when masterfully written.
Do you know someone who is arrogant? Do you have a narcissistic relative? Pay attention to their body language and take a few notes. Comprise your own list of words and phrases to convey pride, but in the meantime here are a few to get you started:
Physical:
 direct eye contact
erect posture
monopolizing conversation
wide stance
ostentatious behavior
Mental:
superiority
preoccupation with oneself
judgmental
sense of entitlement
skewed perception
Internal:
privileged and empowered
feels taller/bigger/stronger
fullness (chest, lungs)
grandiose sense of self-importance
contemptuous of others and their achievements
Have you written a story with a narcissistic protagonist? What about an arrogant antagonist? Has pride come before your character's fall, or does it propel her to new heights of achievement? Send me your stories and/or comments and I will include them in next month's newsletter.
I hope you've enjoyed this newsletter series as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Scroll down for the complete list of emotion editorials, and be sure to click here to purchase your own copy of The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi.
Thank you for reading.
Notes::
1. Lewis, M.; Takai-Kawakami, K.; Kawakami, K.; Sullivan, M. W. (2010). "Cultural differences in emotional responses to success and failure." International Journal of Behavioral Development 34 (1): 53–61.
"Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves." ~ Henry Ward Beecher
Part 1--"Shackled and Chained"
Part 2--"My Last Nerve"
Part 3--"Unbreak My Heart"
Part 4--"E is for Envy"
Part 5--"Imaginary Lover"
Part 6--"Soul Eater"
Part 7--"The Green-Eyed Monster"
Part 8--"Ego Trip" |
I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. Please do the authors the courtesy of reviewing the ones you read. Thank you, and have a great week!
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The following is in response to "The Green-Eyed Monster" :
dwarf2012 writes, "Thanks for this newsletter. I like to save them to have a list of how I can show the feelings my characters are having instead of telling." Thank you, Tessa! I'm glad you liked it. 
Kanish ~ we got this!  writes, "Wow, I did learn something new today. Thanks for that :)" Thank YOU! 
Mary Ann MCPhedran  writes, "This newsletter is awesome and an asset to my writing education. You describe each topic well and I hope to benefit from your writing in this newsletter. I enjoyed reading your newsletter." Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. 
Elfin Dragon-finally published  writes, "Jealousy is certainly no laughing matter. It can make characters do things, well, out of character for them. Sometimes they have to come to grips with their own darker natures before moving on and it can be a difficult thing to write sometimes. Most of us have felt some type of jealousy, but the kind which makes characters want to kill? Well, let's hope none of us have ever felt that kind." Yes, jealousy makes people lose their minds. I've never been jealous to the point where I wanted to hurt someone, but it's fun to read about. 
ladeecaid writes, "Very nice, Shannon. I hadn't really thought about the difference. I'm not sure if I have or would have used one for the other, but I will be thoughtful now if it ever comes up in my writing." Aw, thanks! And thank you for reading and commenting. 
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Short Stories: October 07, 2015 Issue [#7246]
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