Writing Exercise #7: Asking Why

Shannon Dittemore is the author of the Angel Eyes trilogy. She has an overactive imagination and a passion for truth. Her lifelong journey to combine the two is responsible for a stint at Portland Bible College, performances with local theater companies, and a love of all things literary. When she isn’t writing, she spends her days with her husband, Matt, imagining things unseen and chasing their two children around their home in Northern California. To connect with Shan, check out her website, FB, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest.

People are one of the best writing prompts out there. A day of people watching will give you endless story ideas if you're diligent to bring a pen and paper, and are willing to ask yourself, "Why? Why did they just do that?"

"Why is she wearing pipe cleaners on her head?"
"Why is his cat on a leash?"
"Why is that couple arguing?"
"Why is that kid's leg in a cast?"
"Why is she crying?"

But beyond the simplicity of people-watching, the individuals around you often prove to be puzzles that need a little solving. Have you ever had someone in your circle do something outrageous and you couldn't quite figure out why? Maybe it was just something small, inconsequential. And maybe it stuck with you because it seemed so out of character.

What about people who make news headlines? Have you ever wondered, "WHY? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?"

Sure you have. We all wonder. The people around us are often mysteries, but the truth is that most of the time, people act in a manner which makes absolute sense to them. Most people don't wander around doing random, aimless things. Actions, even ludicrous ones, are often nothing more than the next step on a road started some time back. Today, we're going to explore this a bit.

Here's what I want you to do:

Use your noggin and think back. Can you zero in on a moment where you were completely baffled by another person's actions? Think, think, think! Once you have the moment in your mind (and yes, it's okay to embellish it!), I want you to work backward and develop a list of plausible reasons for that person's action. Do me a favor and change the person's name, okay? We aren't trying to embarrass anyone. On the contrary, this exercise should show that there's often more to an action than we can can easily see.

Set it up like this:

 

Action:
Tom shows up to a wedding wearing smeared clown make-up, muddy boots, and carrying a wrench.

Because:
-He's a professional clown and was on his way to a gig when his car broke down. He walked a mile looking for help but the church was the only thing open on a Saturday.
-He's a debt collector for the mob. He was throwing his five-year-old daughter a birthday party when he got word that a sneaky debtor had returned to town for his sister's wedding.
-He's the groom and he's late. He fell asleep after a rowdy bachelor party and his best man took advantage--dressed him like a clown and super-glued the wrench to his hand before dumping him on a park bench to sleep it off.

Okay, my example is silly. But think you can do something similar? It takes a bit of brainpower, but it's good for you to consider the whys behind the curious actions you see out there.

Remember, when you participate in our exercises, you're automatically entered into a drawing where winners have the opportunity to submit a question for our next Go Teen Writers LIVE video panel. We'll have another one for you very soon. Details here.

Now do a little people watching and get to work!