I’m working through Story Genius by Lisa Cron and I thought I’d share some of the process.
Here’s the sixth exercise in the book.
“Given her misbelief, what does she think the very worst thing that could happen would be?”
Ruth believes that family is a trap. Really any kind of relationship where you can’t immediately pay favors back is a way to get yourself tangled in social debt. People love you and think they should be able to order you around, so joining a family means giving up on your own ability to make decisions.
The worst possible thing wouldn’t be being kidnapped by a family member. In that case, the kidnapper would be clearly in the wrong and Ruth would have the licence to enact whatever justice is appropriate. That would be fun.
No, the worst thing would be if Ruth’s sense of justice demanded she take orders from her family.
(in case you didn’t know, the book I’m writing is called The Centuries Unlimited)