So, this is my first time here. I am having a problem and need some pointers/ideas. I'll give you the setting and what I am trying to do, and what I am trying to avoid. Setting: This is Epic fantasy/tragic love story. A young girl is captured by slavers and locked in a cage in a dark/quiet room. The only contact she has from any other human is once a day for feeding and occasionally to be tortured. She is in this cell for a long time (not sure how long yet.) What I am trying to do: At some point during this bondage she develops another personality or a break in her personality to help her cope. I want it to not be revealed to the reader right away that it is not a separate person. What I want to avoid: Cliche Tyler Durden. I don't want to use the character as a stand in for one part of her psyche like the one is tough trying to pull through it and one is vulnerable. Any ideas how to do this without being too cliche, or even alternate ideas in place of this without changing the setting would be awesome! Thanks in advance!
This is definitely something difficult but not impossible. Breaks in personality often are something that the main personality is unaware of. So, if you took it from this angle you could come up with something around it. If you set the story up by character instead of by chapter, so instead of chapter one you'll have the character's name you could literally set up two different stories through two points of view. That way people would literally think it is two different characters. Personalities do tend to name themselves and have their own lives, so it's very possible if something like this were to occur.
I would say that you should write in third-person rather than first. The latter would give too much access to the characters thoughts, and so make it a lot harder to hide. As their only interaction is once a day - or more if being tortured - you should not find it that difficult. I would suggest you start with vulnerable, as that would be the natural human reaction to being dumped into that situation. Then have the tough survivor personality show up during a torture session. Or to shout and rage at an empty cell after one about being weak. Then just have that side show up a little more often over time. It will seem hidden due to the fact you may well toughen up over time. Then you just widen the fracture slowly.
