Obsession

Obsession is a force to be reckoned with. There is no feeling a person can have that is more powerful than obsession. But how do we capture obsession, that we may portray it in our writing?

The first thing to do is understand our target. What is obsession? How does it come about? What does it do and how does it change us?

Our first question should really be our last question, because in order to say what obsession is, we must find out everything else. For starters, let's say that obsession is a state where a person only thinks about one thing. That thing is also known as 'the object of affection'. These objects can be anything defined as a noun, but are usually people, things, or practices. For example, a man could be obsessed over a woman, a car, or music.

I can't say for sure what causes an obsession. I expect there are several ways that a person might get an obsession. However, from what I have seen, an obsession usually forms when a person several unfulfilled needs and the object of affection fulfills all of them. People are the usual objects of affection because they are so multifaceted; they have a lot of parts to them and each one can fulfill a different need. A car can't really fulfill a lot of needs, though you can be obsessed over a car by deluding yourself into thinking it fulfills several needs.

Sometimes, a person only has one unfulfilled need, but is is a significantly large one. Any object that fills that gap can also become an obsession. This is where a car is more likely to become an obsession. When you are so desperate for the ability to go where you want when you want, you will be equally grateful to the only thing that has given you what you needed. The car then becomes the sole, shining light of your life, at which time, you learn and memorize every single aspect of that car because you are so amazed that it can do what nothing else in your world can do.

That desire for knowledge is one of the key signs of obsession. Obsessed people usually gain an encyclopedic knowledge of their object. They know every physical quality, its history, everything it can do, and how everything works. Now, it is perfectly possible to know a great deal about a subject without being obsessed with it. An obsession is not thinking about something a great deal; what makes it an obsession is not being able to think about anything else. When every conversation, every area of discussion invariably leads to the object of affection, that is a strong sign of obsession.

If you want to capture the essence of obsession, get out of your head and get into theirs. If you are thinking rationally, you will never be able to predict obsessed people. They're inherently irrational. However, if you can understand that every thought gets directed toward their object, then you can really easily predict them. The biggest trick I've found is to remove doubt. A person with a passion will have a thought like, "I probably shouldn't do this, but I just can't help myself." The obsessed do not have thoughts like these. They are so sure of the power and glory of their obsession that nothing can ever go wrong.

That is the real essence of obsession: a fantasy land where nothing can ever go wrong. If you can paint that picture with your words, you can show a man possessed.