Why Writing About Psychopaths Keeps Me Sane | CrimeReads

But even before our current challenges, I've spent my life perpetually flummoxed and intrigued by a broad array of actions taken by my fellow humans, ranging from the erosion of common courtesy to the commission of heinous crimes. I want to understand the psychology of the guy who abandons his shopping cart in the middle of a parking space and I also want to crack the psyche of the family man who slaughters his entire family.

Writing is how I process the world. Through absorbing what's around me and then turning my writer's lens on what I've observed, I explore my fears, anxieties, and confusion as well as promote my hopes, visions and desires for the world I'd like to see. Through digging deep to create complex, relatable, and empathetic characters, I help myself make sense of behavior that otherwise leaves me back where I began this article, shaking my head and demanding: "what the f*ck is wrong with people?"