A Look Into A Mastermind Personality

This one could be seen as another companion piece, as I’ve mentioned the mastermind personality in the post about heist stories, too. However, I usually get diagnosed with a mastermind personality on internet personality tests myself (and, yes, I know they’re more about getting people to stay long enough so companies pay you for their ads), so I can give you a little look into the life of someone with that kind of personality.

Despite having a mastermind personality, I do not plan to conquer the world any time soon. Well, I’d be saying that anyway, wouldn’t I? It’s true, though, I have no aspirations in that direction. What I have, is a mind in constant overdrive, plotting every waking moment. And a huge problem with failure, my own more than anyone else’s. Believe me, I know why those supervillains have a tendency to kill underlings who failed them, despite that being a stupid thing to do.

A mastermind personality has good and bad sides, as all things in life. On the plus side, you have the talent to plot on the go and change your plans as needed. On the minus side, you never have a moment of mental peace during the day.

My mind is constantly working its way through lists and ideas and other stuff. Even when I’m watching TV or reading, it’s not only about the thing I concentrate on, the plotting continues in the background. The first thing I do in the morning after getting up, like most people, is going to the loo. And while I’m sitting there, my mind brings up my mental calendar, so I go through everything I know I have to do that day, from breakfast right up to the moment I go to bed at night. How much should I be writing? How far is my book? Do I have the necessary parts for the next chapter of the story? Do I need to go shopping? What will I cook for the rest of the week? Are special events coming up? When do I need to get my tires changed (summer to winter and vice versa)? When I go for a walk, my mind is plotting. When I brush my teeth, my mind is plotting. When I wait for a doctor’s appointment, my mind is plotting. The only rest it gets (at least as far as I can say) is when I’m asleep. I can’t say it’s tiring, because it’s normal for me, but it’s a constant hum at the back of my mind.

A good thing about my mind, however, is how it reacts in an emergency. I do not panic, never. My blood goes cold, my emotions take a backseat, and I start plotting what there is to do to solve the crisis. Until the crisis is resolved, my emotions stay missing in action. I get my nervous breakdowns after everything has been resolved - and usually in private, away from people. That might make me look like a cold-hearted bitch (which I’m not), but it does come in very handy in difficult situations, when crying and breaking down wouldn’t do me - or people who rely on me - any good.

I was never trained for this, it’s not an acquired skill set - I was born this way. I never realized I was any different until I was well into my teens. Until I realized that other people do really panic in an emergency and it’s not just something books or TV series use to make things more exciting. What makes my mastermind personality even worse, I think, is that I’m also an introvert. Introverts tend towards introspection and a lot of thinking. Running through possible scenarios when you have to meet up with people, for instance. Now couple that with being a mastermind and constantly plotting, anyway…

My greatest weakness, however, is not the constant plotting. You learn to live with that. My greatest weakness are my own failures. Humans make mistakes and I surely have made enough of them myself. It’s only natural and you can treat it as a learning experience. My mind knows that. My heart doesn’t. I take every mistake I make very personal. I find it difficult to forgive myself for not doing everything perfectly. It’s stressing, knowing there will be eventual mistakes and that I can’t avoid making them, while at the same time knowing I will feel terrible and as if my own life isn’t worth a thing when I realize I’ve made one. Now imagine I were criminally inclined and had the means to have other people who make blunders while acting out my plans killed. Now you know why supervillains act that way…

And it’s not just about real life. It even includes computer games and suchlike, where failures aren’t tragic and in many cases even part of the ‘trial and error’ tactics you need to employ. That’s why I love playing games like “Hitman” on one side, but tend to get all worked up about not making the kill as I intended afterwards. But it’s still a stress I put myself through willingly.

On the whole, I do like my personality - but then, I’ve never had another one, so I can’t compare. I like being able to do something in a crisis and to figure out what can or might or shouldn’t happen around me. I could do with less of a strong reaction to failures.

But why have I given you a look into my personal mind? Because it might help you, should you ever want to write a story with a mastermind personality in the lead (like a heist story). Masterminds have a few quirks to keep in mind, like that whole ‘cool in a crisis’ thing or the ‘taking failures personal’ thing. It might help you make your mastermind a little less ‘too cool for you’ and a little more reliable - or, at any rate, give them enough spinach to go with the candy. Because, believe me, the mastermind personality comes with enough spinach to keep you healthy.

If you want to write a mastermind, make sure to give them a tendency to brood every now and then, to go silent and not react much to the situation around them. That’s what happens when their mind takes the forefront and runs scenarios and plans past them. Make them react strongly to mistakes which have something to do with them, no matter whether they make them or whether a minion (or, in a heist scenario, a colleague) makes them. Make sure that they don’t panic when things go south. Masterminds don’t panic, because their emotions get locked away until the crisis is over, not because they’re too cool to. It’s an instinctive reaction. Until the crisis is over, they react, they plot, they plan. Afterwards, if you wish, give them a breakdown, make them lock themselves away and rage or cry or whatever you think they should be doing to release the tension - that very much depends on their disposition. I know I do both raging and crying - sometimes even at the same time.

A mastermind personality is not as clean-cut as some people think and even though some clichés are true, they can come off as much more human, if you keep in mind that they have both good and bad things coming from their personality. As everyone does.