“Commit yourself to a weekly artist’s date, and then watch your killjoy side try to wriggle out of it.” (Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way)
Writing Exercise: “Negotiating the Inner Killjoy”
Key Writing Practice Development Techniques
1. Character Motivation and Resistance: Julia Cameron’s quote illustrates the push-pull dynamic of commitment versus avoidance, which mirrors the internal conflicts that make characters compelling.
2. Inner Dialogue and Subtext: The notion of a “killjoy side” introduces an opportunity to explore how characters rationalize avoidance or resistance, making space for layered and believable inner monologues.
3. Symbolic and Thematic Gestures: The “artist’s date” is a tangible action representing a larger commitment to creativity, allowing writers to practice imbuing small, symbolic actions with deeper meaning.
500-Word Writing Prompt: “An Appointment with Resistance”
Write a scene in which your protagonist reluctantly prepares for a weekly ritual they have committed to—something meant to nourish their creative, emotional, or physical well-being. However, they are deeply resistant to going, and their internal conflict plays out as they justify excuses, delay, and sabotage their own progress.
To raise the stakes:
• Set a time limit—there is only 15 minutes before they must leave.
• Introduce a tangible object (a gift, a notebook, a letter, etc.) that represents why they should attend, yet intensifies their resistance.
• End the scene with the protagonist’s decisive action—do they go, or do they opt out?
Keep the narrative tight, focusing on the tension between their inner “killjoy” voice and their desire for growth or change. Show this battle through dialogue, inner monologue, and physical actions.
Evaluation Criteria
1. Engagement with Inner Conflict:
• Strong Response: Clearly captures the protagonist’s inner tension using layered inner monologue and subtle contradictions (e.g., “She laced her sneakers while rehearsing her excuses, knowing none of them would hold up if she looked in the mirror too long.”).
• Weak Response: The inner conflict is one-note or overly obvious, relying on clichés or vague reasoning (e.g., “She didn’t feel like going, so she stayed home.”).
2. Use of Symbolism:
• Strong Response: Integrates the tangible object seamlessly into the scene, making it a powerful symbol of the stakes (e.g., “The unopened letter mocked her from the counter, daring her to confront the life she promised herself.”).
• Weak Response: The object is incidental or irrelevant to the conflict, added without impact.
3. Decisive Action with Resonance:
• Strong Response: The protagonist’s final choice feels earned and complex, whether they go or stay (e.g., “She slammed the door on her way out, unsure if she was escaping her house or herself.”).
• Weak Response: The ending feels abrupt or disconnected, lacking a sense of resolution or thematic weight.
Follow-Up Workshop Questions for Revision
1. What does the protagonist’s resistance reveal about their deeper fears or desires?
2. How does the tangible object function as a symbol in the scene? Could its meaning be deepened?
3. Is the decisive action aligned with the character’s arc, and does it leave room for reader interpretation?
4. How might setting or sensory details amplify the tension in the scene?
Recommended Reading
• “The Swimmer” by John Cheever: Explores resistance and avoidance through symbolic action, as a man embarks on an unlikely journey to swim through suburban pools, confronting his deeper truths along the way.
• “Goodbye to All That” by Joan Didion (excerpt): A personal essay with literary quality, illustrating a push-pull relationship with commitment and resistance through vivid internal conflict and setting.
This exercise emphasizes crafting inner turmoil and meaningful actions that reveal complex characters, all within a manageable two-hour session.
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