Differing Motivations
"If two people do the same thing and they do it together, are they doing it for the same reason?"
When I've asked that question of most people, the common first answer is "Yes. Why else would they work together?" Seems simple until you look at reality. Every workplace has employees who do what they do because they love the job and others that just want to get a paycheck. Two people go on a date: one is looking for romance and companionship while the other is just looking to get laid. Real life often pairs people with differing motivations in the same act. Realizing this fact gave me a great idea for a challenge.
I would pick an action and list all the reasons people do that action. Then, I would randomly pair up the motivations and build stories around the pairings. Also, in writing the stories, I would not allow myself to blatantly blurt out a character's motivation. No thought-work (or a little as possible) was allowed. I had to convey the drive through their actions.
The first time I tried this challenge, I used sex as the act in question. To add some more complexity to the situation, I randomly paired up the genders of the participants. The resulting writing was very challenging and lots of fun. I think they make for great reads, too!
-ACN
When I've asked that question of most people, the common first answer is "Yes. Why else would they work together?" Seems simple until you look at reality. Every workplace has employees who do what they do because they love the job and others that just want to get a paycheck. Two people go on a date: one is looking for romance and companionship while the other is just looking to get laid. Real life often pairs people with differing motivations in the same act. Realizing this fact gave me a great idea for a challenge.
I would pick an action and list all the reasons people do that action. Then, I would randomly pair up the motivations and build stories around the pairings. Also, in writing the stories, I would not allow myself to blatantly blurt out a character's motivation. No thought-work (or a little as possible) was allowed. I had to convey the drive through their actions.
The first time I tried this challenge, I used sex as the act in question. To add some more complexity to the situation, I randomly paired up the genders of the participants. The resulting writing was very challenging and lots of fun. I think they make for great reads, too!
-ACN
