>>> Item number 12648 from WRITERS LOG9305C --- (85 records) ----- <<< Date: Wed, 19 May 1993 11:10:45 JST Reply-To: WRITERS Sender: WRITERS From: Mike Barker Subject: TECH: tit for tat [being a short diversion on a method of inducing ideas and spurring the elusive muse into a more rapid pace... or at least some locomotion.] (shouldn't that be spelled loco notion? - tink) Having drunk deep of the valuable wit and wisdom of this group (perhaps "being drunk on" would be more accurate - though I haven't touched a drop of alcohol), please allow me to return the favor with a bit of invaluable advice (invaluable meaning worthless? or beyond price? you judge. hum. 4K - about 80 cents? Alright, I've got 80 cents, do I hear a dollar, who'll give me a dollar...:-) If you have the chance, take the T.A.T. (Thematic Apperception Test). However, take care. Let me explain. The T.A.T. is a psychological profiling tool. It is quite simple in administration. The subject (that's you, if you get a chance) sits down and is given paper (blue books, that kind of thing). This may be as part of a group. Then a series of pictures are shown. For each picture, the subject has 15 minutes (30? I'm not sure anymore) to follow the directions. That is where there may be a problem. The pictures, incidentally, are wonderful. Sometime I intend to track down a set to be framed and installed where I write. For example, one is the back silhouette of a figure with a rope above and below the figure. Is the figure male or female? Adult or child? Clad or unclad? Going up, down, or merely holding onto the rope? Where is the rope? What is happening? The ambiguity of the picture is almost total, allowing the subject to read into it quite a bit, which in turn (theoretically) allows the psychologist to read out quite a bit. For, you see, the directions are that the subject should write a story about each picture. No further amplification is given of the instructions, and I, at least, presumed they wanted the most marketable, interesting story I could come up with. I suspect this was NOT a particularly good decision, although it kept me awake. It also resulted in me being the only member of my group that consistently begged for more time with each picture, and that practically got down on the ground entreating the psychologists to give me a copy of my test books. (They refused, although they seemed surprised at the request. Perhaps their testing didn't tell them of my interest in writing?) Ah, well. There are quite a few pictures in the series, and I thoroughly enjoyed the time dedicated to developing and quickly writing at least a sketch of a story for each one. (I took the test over 15 years ago, and still have fond memories of that short block of time spent dreaming up and writing down stories at a furious pace.) So, if you have a chance, go take the T.A.T. - or at least bootleg a copy of the pictures and administer it to yourself. (In case you're wondering - at one point in college, I had the opportunity to have a fairly complete psychological profile done for free, and grabbed it. So for one week, in addition to classes and work, I took a battery of tests including the T.A.T. Later I had a reading by one of our modern-day witchdoctors, which was interesting. I've often wondered just whose research project I took part in. Or maybe they use this method to calibrate and double-check the tests against each other?) If nothing else, pick up a book of photographs or other art, carefully avoid looking at the titles (cut them off if the pictures are from magazines), and then tell yourself a story about that frozen moment. Who are these people? How did they come to this moment, and where are they going next? Simple enough? Try it! (Does that sound as though I'm prospecting for addicts, hunting another sucker for the gambling game, or otherwise soliciting you to take a chance with your sanity, wealth, or health? I suppose trying to get you writing could be considered in that light... what the heck, why don't you come up and try it sometime?) mike (yer assignments are due before the end of the world. please use the correct format and be sure to put your names on your papers, as there will be no chance for later revisions and may not be much time to track you down after wars...>:-) [horns, don't you know?]