Multiple personalities and self-conflict

by John Clark Jr.
(Medford, New York, United States of America)

I am attempting to create a character with multiple personalities in my novel. Do you have any advice on how to characterize this person and how to generally use him in any given part of a story?


ANSWER

One way to come up with ideas about how to handle the character(s) is to read a number of other books that also use multiple personalities.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you can't read these books in case you inadvertently copy something. While that is possible, it is your job to be sure you don't copy.

It is important to know what has already been written so that your work will add something new, and not merely replicate what has already been written.

Good Reads lists a number of books that deal with multiple personalities. Check here:

And Sybil is a classic that leaves a lasting impression. This would be a good one for seeing how the author moves the character between her various personalities, and how the voices differ.

Having distinctive voices for our characters is always a challenge, but when the voices all belong to a single character, it is even more important to make each voice unique.

This should be an interesting project with many opportunities for internal conflict. Have fun with it and think of each personality as a separate character, each with different goals.

The fact that the characters have different goals is what makes the multiple personality so interesting.

Again, you might analyze Sybil and other books to see how other authors have managed that aspect.

Good luck!