This whole month dealt with our more unpredictable characters. So, let’s think about their reckless feeling ways, and the choices that sound completely chaotic but actually have control in them. The outcomes are inevitable, the path there is the ride.

A very basic writing example is that your character stops to change a tire. This is a normal fact of life, and a set up all in one. Bland but there, just another day. But if you were changing that tire and a dog was loose and accidentally threw a stick at you before barking at you, that’s a bit more memorable, and depending on the wording, comical even. This dog does not stop you from completing the task, but has made the scene more engaging. And dealing with the dog after that is progression. You could end up finding the person you were supposed to meet while trying to find the dog’s home. If it’s a stray, you might have found your new best friend.

It’s the start of an unforgettable story, simply because the unpredictably had too many outcomes (mean dogs bite, after all) but that turned into the purpose of your story.

In Red Letters, my main lady is reserved for a lot of reasons. She is social but distant, mysterious in that open about everything but herself way. So when she is in control of a room, it feels normal, like any other bar world. But her staff and friends? Not all of them are logical. Some do what they do BECAUSE she is so calm. Getting her to react is the name of the game, and they do it with things that seem reckless, chaotic, and potentially dangerous. But they are not the villains. They enjoy being seen as wild, yet everything is safe and no one will get hurt. In most cases, the ones in the crazy situation even volunteer to be a part of the show. I mean, it is interesting to say the least, when your head of security is also kind of known as the biggest safety risk in the room. But that’s just a personality and an entertainingly random thought process, not an actual harm thing. The lines blur, but you don’t doubt that the chaotic agents would step up and save the day. Some would just do it their own comedic way.

So yes, the goals are all the same, the reasons differ, and that makes the personalities pop off the page, same as the scenes they are in. What are some scenes you remember reading that you couldn’t guess what the outcome was, but you saw the purpose of it?