Consider, for example, Sue Kaufman’s Diary of a Mad Housewife, which looks at the existential anxiety of a frustrated and bored suburban housewife. Or Laurie Halse Anderson’s middle grade novel, Speak, which focuses on a young teen’s severe depression following an acquaintance rape, and the ostracism that followed. With social isolation, your character often suffers alone, and in silence.

You could have the social isolation result from situations, as in these two examples, or from personality disorders, such as the serial killers you find in many thrillers. Think about it: After a mass shooting, how often have you heard the neighbors talk about how quiet and well-mannered the killer was? Quiet. Well-mannered. Alone. Isolated.

Whether you’re writing about physical isolation or social isolation, the conflicts that cause the isolation or result from it can be laden with drama and thematic heft.

The post #12 Isolation: Social Isolation, Part Three appeared first on Jane Cleland.