I have a big confession to make. A sort of embarrassing big confession. Are you ready? Okay, here goes:
Today, at work, a coworker and I watched the ending of the Lindsay Lohan Trial online.
Ick. I can’t believe I actually watched it. But we just had to know whether she was going to be sent to jail or not (um, yes, for 90 days…any bets on how long she actually has to stay?). Anyway, after the judge found Lindsay to be in violation of her probation (um, duh), Lindsay’s lawyer went on and on, essentially grasping at straws, saying anything she could come up with in an attempt, I think, to delay the sentencing. But, somewhere, amidst all her babble, she actually said something that stuck with me:
I remember once, I was riding in the car with my mom. We came up to a stop sign and saw a cop, so my mom stopped. When she took back off, the cop pulled her over because, “you only stopped because you saw me.” (paraphrase)
The lawyers point was that it didn’t matter WHY her mom stopped, only that she DID stop. Which really got me thinking…
Why do we do the things we do? Do we do something because it is how we have been taught and is what society and the law tells us do do, or do we do something because we genuinely believe it is the right things to do?
Looking at this from a writing/reading view: when you are writing a character reaction, is the reaction what it is because that is how things would be in the life YOU live, or is the reaction really, truly what the character would do?
Why do we (and our characters) do the things we do?
3 Comments
Most 90 day sentences are served in full, actually. Particularly when they’re for a probation violation, because then they’re not probationable. If that makes sense. You’re being punished, not for the original offense (which may be probationable), but for breaking probation. So, instead of a sentence, it’s actually a sanction. That make sense? I swear it makes sense in my head….
It totally made sense. And the judge seemed pretty over the whole Lindsay Lohan thing, so she might refuse early release. But they have a long-standing practice of letting non-violent offenders out early because they have such extreme over-crowding down there.
Or are you memorex? Anyways, with my characters, I try to quit being me. I see a character as a lump of clay. The clay in and of itself has its own unique chemical composition and artistic qualities, but is still relatively undefined. I then throw each lump of clay into its own personal situations, conditions, etc., and see how it acts and reacts and is thus sculpted up to the point where the story begins, then the reader gets come along for the ride. As for myself, sadly, I am a bigger fan of self introspection than publicized introspection. I lack the confidence and courage for that arena.