Now, I've never read Cain's book, so I don't know what she's advocating there. Being in college, people simply show you insightful videos they've found online at any given point of the day to procrastinate writing their research papers. Here, we are just going to talk about the video and its concepts.
Though I've never read the book, I found this video intriguing. In my experience networking with other writers, 9 out of 10 times those fellow writers will be more introverted than extroverted. This does not (as the video points out) mean they cannot function in crowded social settings. It does mean that, eventually, they need to be on their own.
And this makes sense. To be a writer you have to be okay with silence and solo time. You have to be able to close your door to the rest of the world and sit with your laptop for a while, writing...alone. For most of my writing friends and me, this is the highlight of our day. We get a break from having to act social, and instead we get to ponder our plot lines, characters, and the mysteries of the universe.
So, after you're done watching the video, nodding along because, "Yes. My parents did apologize for my shyness when I hid in their necks instead of greeting perfect strangers," and "Yes. I do hate small talk about the weather when I'm trying to focus on what is happening in this meeting," consider what this means for yourself and your stories.
For you: Stop trying to conform to what others expect of you all the time. If you're naturally extroverted and love socializing, then do what makes you happy and find people to be around. Be bold and don't apologize for it. If you're naturally introverted, don't feel like you're obligated to be social every day, all the time. If you want to sit at home at night and watch movies, do so. Don't let the peer pressure get to you. Tomorrow, when you're rested, there will be something else to do with friends. It'll be better on the psyche and projects of both personality types in the long run when they act and think at their own pace.
For your stories: Contemplate what your character feels. Is she naturally introverted or extroverted? How does this complicate things? Remember that there is no pure introvert and no pure extrovert - we all fall somewhere in the middle with both personalities mixing within us. If she meets or is forced to interact with a character of the opposite personality, what conflicts arise?
Knowing how your characters act when they are alone and when they are around people will bring depth to your story. When you know the innermost desires of your character, you can portray him the way he will naturally act (bringing believability to your writing). Make sure they stay consistent, though. Just as no one chooses to be more introverted or extroverted, your character cannot change his personality from scene to scene. If he is an introvert, even if he decides to come out of his shell more often, he will still need alone time to recharge. If he is an extrovert, that alone time may prove intimidating or boring. These same rules of nature apply to his author as well. Be yourself, and make sure your characters do the same.
(I got this video from dwlFilms. Their YouTube channel can be found here )
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