I somehow missed my husband’s latest postings in his blog. Guess I’m not very awake lately. Anyway, the following quote from one of those posts immediately sent me scurrying off to post here:

If you don’t act with integrity all the time, where does it begin and end? Do you start acting honorably when you leave the house in the morning? On the drive in to work? When you clock in? Only after your second coffee? When talking to your own people? Existing customers? Potential customers? When you preface your words with “Simon says?” If you don’t display good character and integrity at all times, why should I trust that you’ll act uprightly when dealing with me?

Free-write on this topic, or apply to a fictional character–in any way that appeals to you.

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Write about the woman whose henna-tattooed and bejeweled feet appear in this photograph. Free-write about her, speculate about her personality, life, and marriage, or use her in a story.

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Incongruities can be great story starters, plot generators, and keys to characterization. According to dictionary.com, something that is incongruous is:

1. out of keeping or place; inappropriate; unbecoming …
2. not harmonious in character; inconsonant; lacking harmony of parts …
3. inconsistent

Things that are out of place make you question why? or how? For example, the other day I saw a fancy convertible. Its top was up, and a kayak was strapped to the top. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kayak or the like strapped to the top of such a car before, and it made me wonder what sort of people were driving that car.

Things that are out of place can also lend instant three-dimensional characterization to an otherwise flat character. A stoic, stern warrior who doesn’t like to show his emotions is nothing new, but what if when in bed with his beloved he finally smiles and laughs every bit as playfully and happily as she does?

Today, create or find an incongruity and use it to brainstorm a character or story premise.

Roleplaying games build character

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If you’re a fiction writer, pick or create a character that has a definable career he or she engages in. If you’re a non-fiction writer, use yourself in this exercise.

Imagine that your character commits the proverbial “career suicide”–he does something so ill-thought-out, foolish, or unintentionally blundering that it’s virtually determined to end his career. Perhaps at a party he accidentally spilled scalding hot coffee on the wife of the luminary he needs to impress in order to get a promotion. Maybe he said something scathing about a piece of artwork, only to find out his boss painted it himself. Depending on the career, the possibilities are almost limitless.

How does this come about? How does your character handle it? Tell the story of the mishap or its after-effects.

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How would your character react when put on the spot and asked to participate in something that would be funny but that would be done partially or largely at his expense? If you’re a non-fiction writer, how would you react to such a thing? Or how have you reacted to such a thing in the past?

Come up with a scenario and play it out on paper to explore your or your character’s reactions, emotions, and actions.

This exercise was inspired by the video of Brad Sherwood, Colin Mochrie, and Karl Rove rapping at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner:

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What does it mean to have an alter ego? Possibilities range from the ordinary, everyday “face” we put on when out in public, to the melodramatic secret identities of spies and superheroes–not to mention real-life undercover officers. What do you think of when you hear the term? How might you explore the concept of an alter ego in story or essay? How might having an alter ego affect a person?

Click through the thumbnail below for further inspiration if you like, in the form of an amazing photograph by Jiri “Bernie” Bernovsky:

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Click through the thumbnail below to look at James Hickey’s photo of “Radilina Dancing”:

After looking at the photograph for a long moment and taking in every detail you can, do one of the following:

• Write a poem centered on this image

• Free-write about the dancer or the dance
• Write about the dancer–who she is, why she dances
• Use the dancer as a character in a story
• Set a story against a backdrop of this dancer dancing
• Use the photograph in a story

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Click on the following thumbnail to see the larger version of the photograph “Raluca II” by photographer Mircea Bezergheanu:

Who is this woman? What is her home & family life like? What will happen to her tomorrow that will change her life forever?

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Imagine for a moment that a fundamental assumption you hold regarding your life is false. It’s a lie. You aren’t who you thought you were; someone close to you isn’t who you thought they were; a major incident or force in your life is something other than what you believed it to be. Write about this–what it would be, how you would find out, how you would react, how the secret was kept from you so successfully, and how the discovery would alter your life.

You can also apply this same exercise to a fictional character.

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Today’s topic is redemption. For your exercise, do one of the following:

• Free-write about redemption for 10-20 minutes. What does it mean to you? How does it enter into your life or the lives of those around you? If you prefer a more fiction-oriented approach, how does it enter into fiction? How can it be used in plots and stories, either well or poorly?

• Brainstorm, write, or begin a story with a theme of redemption.
• Write a character portrait of someone who seeks redemption.

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