Why does defining “Deviance” matter for writing?
I’m currently working on a rather long and intensive article on how we, as humans, perceive “deviance” (something that is different from relative “perceived normal”) and how this is a very different concept than true statistical difference. When most people hear the word “deviance” it strikes up images ranging from statistics classrooms to BDSM sub culture and scenes from Kubrick films. In many situations, “deviance” is nothing more than a perceived difference from a perceived average that any person’s brain is constantly on surveillance for as part of self-preservation thanks to a nifty organ inside our brains called the amygdala. Most people are able to logic with themselves enough to understand these basic concepts, but some can’t. “Deviance” is critical in writing and we, as authors, use it all the time to pick out which details in a scene are most critical to tell the reader about. We use this in horror all the time. We only want to talk about the deviant details - the ones the reader would pick up if they were standing in the scene. These sorts of details control the reader’s visceral responses through how reactive their amygdala and pre-frontal cortex areas are.
Now that you’ve thought about it that way.
Let’s do an exercise I did in 2011**.
When you look outside your window, what details pick up your attention?
On a rainy gray morning in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the damp November leaves gather around the storm drains in thick brown masses. A small child in a yellow raincoat and red rain boots splashes alone in these swirling puddles. Giggles echo off the ancient brick tenements, splashing inside my open window with the rain.
—November 2011
The details that were picked up were:
Sounds (giggles) that deviated from the background white noise of the rain
The dominant background colors, as well as the deviating colors that made the child stand out as a central figure.
The actions the child took (splashing) that would attract attention because it’s a deviation from the otherwise lack of motion and action in the environment.
Keep an eye out for my Medium article later on Deviance (it will be a lot different from this).
Take care and stay hopeful!
I am so thankful for you.
Lo
**the original version of this contained an embarrassing typo. For clarification, the date was November 2011 off of Maryland Ave in Shadyside, Pittsburgh, PA.