Hey, it’s NaNoWriMo day #8 so let everything go to hell!
We’ve all had those days when things keep going wrong–and wrong–and more damn wrong!
The events might be big (getting fired from your job) or small (someone cutting in front of you when it’s your turn to order your latte).
At some point we feel so cornered we explode and let loose our rant!
Maybe we’re alone and maybe we’re not. Maybe we’re ranting in someone’s face. Hopefully we’re not threatening anyone with bodily harm. Confession: I’ve pulled over in my car so I could rant without censoring myself and without endangering others.
Depending upon who we are we might raise our fist and shake it at Zeus or implore the goddesses for mercy or blame ourselves or blame Mercury in retrograde or just yell at everyone else who gets in our effing way!
When we feel pushed to the edge–our emotional hot-points activated–our social “masks” fall away and we expose some of our deepest beliefs. Do we see ourselves as victims? Do we fantasize revenge? Do painful emotional wounds rip open? Do we say things we want to take back? Do we escalate with glee? Do we end up on the verge of passing out? Or do we try to ward off a panic attack by breathing into a paper bag?
BTW, if one of your characters is a psychopath or a malignant narcissist imagine her getting pushed to rage but staying totally cool and controlled…scary thought.
If you’ve ever walked past a harried guy in a suit screaming into his cell phone or a woman dressed in rags pushing her shopping cart and spewing “word salad” you’ve probably had that uneasy feeling of hearing and seeing more than you should.
But at one time or another we all rant–because we’re human and our emotions boil over.
Of course the same is true for the characters in your story. So the next time you sit down at the monitor or the page, let your hero break loose! Find out what’s pushing her to the edge, what’s breaking her heart, what’s threatening to break her open! And do the same for your antagonist and anyone else you need to know better.
Happy writing and ranting!
Sure do know those days when everything goes wrong! I need to try this technique with my heroine.