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When I was a kid, I think about twelve, I heard my parents
and neighbours laughing in the kitten. I entered to discover that they were
listening to a cassette tape of a comedian telling jokes—as comedians tend to
do. After the neighbours left I got my hands on the tape and played it for some of my
friends. We listened to it several times. I don’t think any of us, as kids, fully
realized that through, and between, those jokes we were learning some basics in
psychology from psychologist
Dr.
Murray Banks.
I still have that tape and have listened to it many times since. I even
played it for some of my students during my first year as a writer-in-residence
with Now Hear This!’s magnificent S.W.A.T. (Students, Writers, And Teachers)
program.
I have no idea how much this recording has influenced me or my writing
but trying but understanding the psychology of your character, the reason they
do what they do, is important in understanding them as it is important in
understanding yourself.
The other day I decided to do a search for Dr. Murray Banks on-line and
was pleased to discover that someone had posted his recordings on Youtube.
