#tbiths

[smmagill]

Breaking the Rules

Hello Beautiful Thinkers,

I’ve realized I have a bad habit of ignoring more and more rules in a job as my discontent grows in the workplace. This is particularly true if the job doesn’t challenge me. I begin finding ways to make things a little more tolerable, even if they aren’t approved. For example, I’ve started reading during calls so that I’m not bored during the long holds I have to sit through. They don’t like us to split our focus, but any call that requires my full attention gets it, so I call it fair and read when I don’t need to devote that attention to a call. I’ve only started doing this as I’ve realized most of the supervisors don’t even care. Are there any rules that your character can break without consequence or any rules your character regularly breaks without notice? If so, why can your character get away with it? Are there truly no consequences, or have they just been delayed? Write a scene that explores a time when your character broke some rules.

Keep Writing Beautiful Thinkers,

The Boy In The Heart Shades

[smmagill]

Friendship Goals

Hello Beautiful Thinkers, 

There are very few people that hold “drop everything status” for me. The people that have earned that status generally have shown that I hold the same status for them. These people are who I think about when I’m writing friendships. Generally speaking, testing this type of relationship means going through a rough situation. Hopefully, them coming through for you lifts your spirits. Write your character into a situation where they need a friend to come to their aid immediately. Who does your character reach out to for help? Who comes through for your character? Was it who they expected? Does the friend help them to solve the problem completely, or do they just get your character out of immediate danger? Is there any problem that could cause trouble for this friendship?

Keep Dreaming Beautiful Thinkers, 

The Boy In The Heart Shades

[smmagill]

The Hard Way

Hello Beautiful Thinkers,

Weird fact about me: I don’t like clipping my nails so I try to file them regularly enough that clipping them never becomes a factor. It has been pointed out to me that this is the “hard way” to do it. But I kept my cool and didn’t tell the person pointing it out that of course I know that and they were welcome to fuck off and mind their own business. Some times I love learning easier ways of doing things but not when I’ve chosen the hard way purposefully. Write about your character doing something the hard way willingly and with full awareness that there is an easier way. Why won’t your character take the easy way out? What is lost when the task is done fast and easy? If something important is lost, what benefits make people prefer the easy way? Does your character have to deal with people trying to convince them not to do it their way? How do they respond?

Keep Writing Beautiful Thinkers,

The Boy In The Heart Shades

[smmagill]

Anti Meet Cute

Hello Beautiful Thinkers,

I am horrible at reading flirtation. Often I can’t tell if someone is flirting or just being a bit overly friendly. Because of this, I tend not to flirt with anyone in real life. Instead, I relegate it all to the dating apps I use and even then only when the other person has shown clear interest. I am so set in my ways that I sometimes forget that people meet their romantic partners in different ways. Still, in fiction, we see our characters meeting their love interests in romantic fashions. For today’s prompt, write a romantic pair that meets in circumstances you don’t consider romantic. How does the way they meet influence their interaction? Do they still feel a strong connection? Or will it take multiple meets to form the attraction they could have had faster in a meet-cute situation? Maybe even try writing a few different first meetings and see how things change each time.

Keep Writing Beautiful Thinkers,

The Boy In The Heart Shades

[smmagill]

Keeping It In The Family

Hello Beautiful Thinkers,

As our lives go on our roles within our families can change many times. Whether your role changes in your original family or you take on a different role as you start a new family, how you define yourself in a family doesn’t last your whole life. I’ve gone from the baby that everyone takes care of to the most distant of my siblings, to an uncle, and I am sure more changes will come. We hold on to bits of each role as we move to a new one but that doesn’t mean we aren’t different. Write a scene about your character taking on a new familial role. How had your character come into this role? Do they resist the change? How big a change is this for your character? Does anyone in the family keep treating them the same as always despite the change they’ve gone through? If so, is it comforting to them or frustrating?

Keep Writing Beautiful Thinkers,

The Boy In The Heart Shades

[smmagill]

Shifting Attraction

Hello Beautiful Thinkers,

The layers of human attraction fascinate me. I am particularly intrigued by how much it can change as we get to know another person. I’ve seen my attraction to some men grow as I’ve gotten to know them despite a lack of physicality that would usually attract me. I’ve seen men that possess all my favorite physical features not even spark my interest. Seeing how much my own tastes can change and knowing the vastness of human sexuality, how could I not be fascinated? Write a scene that shows your character being surprised by an attraction or lack of attraction to someone. Is this person new to your character’s life? Or is it surprising to find their feelings changing for someone they already know? What is the factor or attribute that caused this unexpected feeling? Will your character act on their changing feelings or hope that they will change again? 

Keep Dreaming Beautiful Thinkers, 

The Boy In The Heart Shades

[smmagill]

Effective Impropriety

Hello Beautiful Thinkers,

There is a quote about writing I’ve heard before that goes something like learn the rules so you can break them. It sounds like interesting advice for life in general. But I have been thinking about how much fun it can be to watch people break the rules because they don’t know them. Sometimes people come up with new and interesting ways to do things when they don’t know there’s a right and wrong way to do something. Think about if you ever had to teach yourself how to do something, when you saw someone else do it, how different was their method from yours? Write a scene about your character finding out that the best way to do something is not considered the right or proper way to do it. What about their way is considered inappropriate? Does it involve a risky short cut or is it just culturally frowned upon? If the latter why did your character never learn the cultural rule?

Keep Writing Beautiful Thinkers,

The Boy In The Heart Shades

[smmagill]

Not My Problem, Right?

Hello Beautiful Thinkers, 

Far too often, I find myself worrying about things that aren’t my responsibility. For example, my supervisor missed her chance to get a daily monitor in on me because I got called to coach new employees, thus cutting the time I was on calls significantly. The next time I was scheduled to coach, I was worried about if I should warn my supervisor. The answer is no anxiety brain. My supervisor can track everything work-related about her team literally. It’s her responsibility to organize her day accordingly. Sounds logical right now; I just need my brain to believe it. Write a scene where your character gets involved in a problem that they aren’t responsible for but is somehow related to them. Does your character take responsibility for the problem by getting involved, or is it something your character can’t control even if they try? Which situation would feel worse for your character? 

Keep Dreaming Beautiful Thinkers, 

The Boy In The Heart Shades