EXERCISE: Scruples, Anyone?
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writercisesOriginal posting 10 April 2008
It must be time for an exercise or two. Let's see . . .
Nothing up my sleeves, although I do have a deck of cards from the game "A Question of Scruples" handy. So pick a number from one to six. Yes, you can roll dice, look at the clock and divide by 10, or whatever method of enumeration you prefer, just pick a number.
You have chosen:
1. As a lawyer, do you defend someone whom you know is guilty of a vicious rape?
2. You own a seafood restaurant. A small supplier contracts to provide you with shrimp cheaply. The cost of shrimp increases significantly. Do you insist on your price even if it means putting him out of business?
3. You have been attending classes all year. An acquaintance, who rarely shows up, asks to photocopy your notes. Do you consent?
4. You are planning to quit in five months when your company gives you a high-paying management job. If you still intend to quit, do you tell your boss now?
5. Friends have let you into a long movie line prompting a growl from someone behind. A friend of yours comes by and wants in. Do you let him in?
6. Your teenage daughter is dating a fellow of another color. Do you encourage her to date guys of her own race? (feel free to switch sexes, causes of discrimination, and so on to suit your story)
So there you have a small dilemma of scruples. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to wrap up this short statement in characters and scenery and such. Set the stage, then walk that problem right into your character's lives. Make solving it expensive and hard and very very important. And then let them grasp the nettle and make a decision, accepting the results whatever they may be.
Write.
When we write, we help others imagine.
It must be time for an exercise or two. Let's see . . .
Nothing up my sleeves, although I do have a deck of cards from the game "A Question of Scruples" handy. So pick a number from one to six. Yes, you can roll dice, look at the clock and divide by 10, or whatever method of enumeration you prefer, just pick a number.
You have chosen:
1. As a lawyer, do you defend someone whom you know is guilty of a vicious rape?
2. You own a seafood restaurant. A small supplier contracts to provide you with shrimp cheaply. The cost of shrimp increases significantly. Do you insist on your price even if it means putting him out of business?
3. You have been attending classes all year. An acquaintance, who rarely shows up, asks to photocopy your notes. Do you consent?
4. You are planning to quit in five months when your company gives you a high-paying management job. If you still intend to quit, do you tell your boss now?
5. Friends have let you into a long movie line prompting a growl from someone behind. A friend of yours comes by and wants in. Do you let him in?
6. Your teenage daughter is dating a fellow of another color. Do you encourage her to date guys of her own race? (feel free to switch sexes, causes of discrimination, and so on to suit your story)
So there you have a small dilemma of scruples. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to wrap up this short statement in characters and scenery and such. Set the stage, then walk that problem right into your character's lives. Make solving it expensive and hard and very very important. And then let them grasp the nettle and make a decision, accepting the results whatever they may be.
Write.
When we write, we help others imagine.
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