Tempting Matters

Temptation is so much a part of daily life. It started in the Garden of Eden and is constantly being dealt with by every person today.

Never been tempted, you say? Think more deeply and you'll come up with more than a handful of times you were tempted.

Temptation doesn't have to have the magnitude of a nuclear bomb. It can be a teaspoon of ice cream for a diabetic, a sip of beer for a 14-year old who's under peer pressure, a love affair with a married man/woman.

Temptation is a desire, a feeling. In Ronald Tobias' book, Twenty Master Plots, to be tempted is "to be induced or persuaded to do something that is either unwise, wrong or immoral."

There are 3 ways we can handle temptation:

- indulge it (and regret giving in to it later)
- resist it (and give in to it eventually)
- think deeply about why we shouldn't do it (and come to the conclusion that it's either something we really want or really don't want anyway)

However way we choose to handle a temptation, there is always a consequence.

Based on what you've read above, create 3 versions for any (or all) of the given situations below -- one where the character gives in to the temptation, one where he/she resists it, and one where he/she thinks deeply about why he/she shouldn't give in to it. What happens? How does each story version go?

a. A woman is promoted to manager. On her first top-level meeting, the owner wants his pet project approved. The other managers agree, but the new manager has reservations. She thinks it will cause the company financial problems in the long run. She is pressured by the other managers to "go with the flow," approve the project and deal with any consequences later.

b. A college student crams for a crucial exam. He is tempted to cheat on examination day. He cannot afford to fail the exam because his scholarship depends on it.

c. A 10-year old is tempted to "invent" a best friend she left in her old school when she goes to a new school. She thinks she'll fit in more quickly if she tells stories about the "cool" things she and her best friend did.

d. A father, after his wife dies from giving birth, is lost and doesn't know how he'll take care of his child. He is tempted to leave the baby in an orphanage.

e. A coach conducts a trial for new team members. One of them is the son/daughter of the coach's long-time enemy. The coach sees this opportunity to get back at his/her enemy by rejecting the son/daughter even if he/she is one of the best among those who tried out.

If fiction isn't your style, try listing 5-7 temptations you faced last month. Explore what might have happened if you did the opposite. (If you gave in to the temptation, what might have happened if you had resisted it?)


Copyright (c) 2004 Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ

Shery created WriteSparks! - a software that generates over 10*million* Story Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks! Lite for fr*e - http://writesparks.com
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What do your characters think?

Got one (or two) of your characters stuck? Don't know what to do with him/her? Is he/she getting too boring or predictable? Want to know more about his/her personality? Or maybe you have a story forming in the back of your mind but you don't know what to do with it just yet; you have a character but he/she isn't clear at this time.

Here's a quick, but fun, fix -- set your character up for a surprise and find out how he/she reacts.

A. First, choose a number from 1 to 5 -- quick! Done? See what you chose:

1. a pearl anklet
2. a bottle of expensive perfume
3. a silk shirt
4. a plain gold ring/band
5. a high-end cellphone

B. Next, choose another number from 1 to 5. Now see what you picked:

1. moldy bread
2. a used toothpick
3. a bottle of dead cockroaches
4. cotton buds drenched in blood
5. a dirty sock

C. Next, pick another number from 1 to 5. Here's what you picked:

1. a knapsack
2. a laptop bag
3. a plastic bag
4. a gift-wrapped box
5. a gym bag

D. Finally, pick yet another number -- yes, from 1 to 5. I promise this is the last time :o)

1. a convention
2. election day
3. Thanksgiving
4. a high school reunion
5. a store opening


Now put the plain gold ring/band (A) and the bottle of dead cockroaches (B) in a knapsack (C). Your character discovers the knapsack in the car of the incumbent mayor's chief of security on election day (D). Your character opens the knapsack and...

What's your character's reaction when he/she pulls out the "good" item, followed by the "bad" item"? Write it out. Get the emotions out of your character. Continue by exploring your character's thoughts -- What are his/her assumptions for the presence of those items in the knapsack? How does he/she connect the items with the circumstances?

Pick the items at random and experiment with your character's reactions. You have at least 500 "set ups" for your character at your disposal by combining the items in the 4 lists above.


Copyright (c) 2004 Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ
Shery created WriteSparks! - a software that generates over 10 *million* Story Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks! Lite for free - http://writesparks.com

Is Indecision Hindering You From Achieving Your Writing Goals?

Indecision oftentimes hinders us from achieving goals we have set for ourselves. Indecision can cause regrets. How many times have you said to yourself, "If only I..." or "I wish I had..." or "If I only did it another way, then..."

Where there is indecision, there is no resolution. Instead of being convicted to a decision, a stand or a principle, indecision causes us to 'swing' from one side to the other; to take one step forward only to take two steps back.

Indecision breeds reluctance. And where there is reluctance, there is a certain fear -- fear of trying, fear of doing, fear of failing and yes, even fear of succeeding.

This week, you will come face to face with your indecision.

Freewrite for ten to fifteen minutes. Based on your freewrite, go on and craft an essay, story or poem.

~ Monday: Think of something you wanted to do last week but did not do.

    What was it?
    Why did you not act on it?
    What hindered you from doing it?
    How do you feel about not being able to do what you wanted?


~ Tuesday: Now think of something you wanted to do last week and you went ahead and did it.

    What was it?
    Why did you act on it?
    How did you feel after doing it?


~ Wednesday and Thursday: Freewrite using any or all of these prompts:

    1. I remember ten years ago when I ___________, and if I can do it all over again, I would...
    2. One of the things I regret not doing is...
    3. One of the best decisions I've made is...


~ Friday: Brainstorm and list at least five situations you hope you never have to find yourself in. Then, write the courses of action you would take if you do find yourself in those situations.



This article is excerpted from Shery's book, Weekly Writes: 52 Weeks of Writing Bliss! (http://weeklywrites.com). Shery created WriteSparks! - a software that generates over 10 *million* Story Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks! Lite for fr*e - http://writesparks.com