I Love Research!
Contributor
Written by
Densie Webb
September 2010
Contributor
Written by
Densie Webb
September 2010
My recent WIP involves a stalker, specifically a celebrity stalker. Until recently, all I’ve known about stalkers is what I see on television and read in the papers. Like me, you’re probably familiar with the most famous cases–the ones that ended in death, like Rebecca Schaeffer and John Lennon. Then there are the ones who barely escaped death, like Theresa Saldana. And there are the ones who are fodder for jokes like David Letterman’s stalker who has broken into his home more than once. Then there are those with an unwritten ending. Just this month, Leonardo DiCaprio filed court papers against a woman who claims to be his wife and, in her alternative reality, is carrying his child, who happens to be Jesus Christ. You can’t make this stuff up. But aside from the shockingly bizarre behavior of these stalkers, I wanted to try to get inside their heads–as much as that is possible–before churning out an embarrassing cardboard cutout of a character. A good friend of mine is a psychologist. She pointed me in the direction of a couple of books on the psychology of stalking. It’s becoming a field of study unto itself. Some of it is taking a while to gel in my mind. Psychology is what you call a “soft science.” Making a diagnosis is not like deciding whether or not you have pneumonia, where the diagnosis and treatment are pretty clear. The definitions, delineations of diagnoses and treatments for stalkers often blur. I minored in psychology in college, but that’s as close as I’ve come to understanding how this stuff works. I went online, of course. Dug up a few research articles on the topic. Went on Amazon. Ordered a couple of laymen’s books on celebrity stalkers. Even found Leonardo DiCaprio’s court papers online, complete with copies of the stalkers bizarro “love notes” to him. Then I decided to check out some stalker movie classics. One of my favorites that I haven’t seen in years, is Play Misty for Me, with Clint Eastwood. I’m picking it up today for a “screening.” I want my stalker’s life and character to be revealed in part via therapy sessions, so I’ve been watching past episodes of In Treatment, the HBO series about a therapist and his patients. None of his patients are stalkers–at least not in the episodes I’ve watched, but it does give a feel for the atmosphere and the rhythm of psychotherapy sessions. I’ve been there myself, but it was long ago. I need a refresher. In the end, only a small fraction of what I’m reading and watching will make it onto the pages of my book, but I’m soaking it all up. Coming to my own conclusions about my character's sick motivations and deciding how her alternate reality will unfold and affect those around her. And I’m having a freakin’ blast! 0.000000 0.000000

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