Obsession

Every time I read a book by Laurie Halse Anderson, I learn something important about writing. I recently finished Wintergirls, and it has me thinking about character obsession.

In Wintergirls, Lia’s obsession with weight loss almost results in her death, so I’m going to rate that a 10 on the obsession scale. She thinks constantly about food and counting calories. Her behavior (getting people to think she’s eating and gaining more than she actually is) mimics the mental obsession.

In some books, at least at the beginning, the protagonist’s life is Brownian motion. The main character is buffeted by whims of fate and doesn’t act to change that. I’d rate that a 1 on my obsession scale. The example that jumps to mind is Prom, also by Laurie Halse Anderson. When the novel starts, Ashley likes her boyfriend, her family and friends, but isn’t concerned about much else.

Wintergirls taught me to look at character growth in terms of obsession. I’m going to spend the next few days analyzing the protagonist in TAoCBS, ranking his mental and behavioral obsessions and calculating how they change.