The Unreliable Architect: A Character Development Prompt

“We often discuss art this way: the artist had something he wanted to express, and then he just, you know, expressed it. That is, we buy into some version of the intentional fallacy: the notion that art is about having a clear-cut intention and then confidently executing same.” (George Saunders, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain)

The Unreliable Architect: A Character Development Prompt

Inspired by George Saunders’ insights on artistic intention and the power of emergent narrative.
This exercise challenges you to build a character from the inside out, allowing their actions to organically emerge from their reactions to the unfolding situation, rather than dictating their every move beforehand. Embrace the productive uncertainty of not knowing exactly where your character will end up, while maintaining narrative tension through grounded sensory detail and focused action.
Core Techniques to Develop:

• Emergent Character Development: Resist the urge to pre-plan every character trait and plot point. Instead, focus on placing your character in a specific situation and observing how they react. Let their choices and emotional responses shape their development and the direction of the narrative.
• Productive Uncertainty: Don’t be afraid of the unknown. Embrace the generative power of not knowing exactly where your character will go. This uncertainty, coupled with a strong foundation of sensory detail and consistent POV, is key to creating genuine surprise and compelling narrative tension.
• Show, Don’t Tell: Avoid explicitly stating your character’s emotions or intentions. Instead, reveal their inner state through their actions, physical sensations, and interactions with their environment.
  Writing Prompt (2-Hour Exercise):
  Craft a scene (500-750 words) featuring a character meticulously preparing for a significant event – a proposal, a resignation, a confrontation, a performance, etc. – only to find their carefully laid plans disrupted by an unexpected emotional response, realization, or external event. The scene should begin with their detailed preparation and end with them taking an action that surprises even themselves.
  Required Elements:
• Detailed Preparation: Open with the character actively engaged in reviewing, rehearsing, or refining their plan. Show, don’t tell, the specifics of their intended action. What physical objects are involved? What specific phrases have they practiced? What sensory details surround them?
• Physical Manifestation of Emotion: Include at least three distinct moments of physical description that subtly or overtly reveal the character’s emotional state. Go beyond clichés (e.g., “sweaty palms”). Explore more nuanced and surprising physical reactions. How does their body betray their inner turmoil?
• Action Contradictory to Intention: The scene must conclude with an action that directly or indirectly contradicts the character’s original intention. This action should emerge organically from the preceding events and emotional buildup, not feel like an arbitrary twist.
• Close Third-Person POV: Maintain a tight focus on the character’s immediate sensory experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Avoid omniscient narration or explanations of the character’s motivations.
  Example Approaches (Expanded):
• The Perfectionist: A character meticulously prepares a romantic dinner, rehearsing their proposal speech, only to realize during the actual dinner that they’re proposing for the wrong reasons.
• The Resigned Employee: A character drafts a scathing resignation letter, practicing the perfect delivery, but an unexpected act of kindness from their boss makes them reconsider.
• The Confrontation: A character plans a dramatic confrontation, rehearsing every line, but a sudden emotional vulnerability from the other person throws them off balance.
• The Performer: A musician prepares for a crucial audition, practicing relentlessly, but stage fright leads them to improvise a completely different piece.
  Evaluation Criteria:
• Organic Development: Does the character’s unexpected action feel inevitable, growing naturally from the preceding events and emotional pressure? Or does it feel forced or contrived?
• Sensory Grounding: Are emotional states conveyed through specific, evocative physical details? Are the sensory details fresh and surprising?
• Narrative Tension: Does the scene maintain momentum and suspense while allowing space for the character’s internal discoveries and shifts?
• POV Consistency: Does the narration stay consistently close to the character’s immediate experience, avoiding authorial intrusion or explanations?
• Subtlety and Nuance: Does the character’s emotional journey unfold with subtlety and nuance? Are their reactions believable and complex?
  Workshop Questions:
• At what point did you first sense the character’s plan might deviate? What specific details created that anticipation?
• Identify moments where physical description reveals emotional state. How could these be made more specific, surprising, or revealing?
• How might the scene change if told from a different POV? What would be gained or lost?
• What aspects of the character’s personality emerged that weren’t part of their initial plan? How did the situation force them to reveal themselves?
• Is the final action surprising yet believable? Does it feel earned by the preceding events?
  Revision Focus:
• Scrutinize passages that rely on direct emotional statement (e.g., “she felt nervous”) and revise to show those emotions through action, sensation, and subtext.
• Identify any moments where the character’s change feels too sudden or insufficiently prepared. What small moments can be added to build the emotional pressure and make the final action more believable?
• Seek opportunities to add more specific and evocative sensory details that complicate or deepen the character’s emotional state. Consider how the environment influences their internal experience.
• Ensure the ending is both surprising and inevitable. It should feel like the only possible outcome given the character’s internal state and the unfolding events.
  Model Text:
  Read Alice Munro’s “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” for a masterclass in allowing characters to surprise themselves. Pay particular attention to Grant’s preparation for visiting Fiona in the care facility, and how his practiced responses gradually give way to unexpected emotional terrain. Also consider Chekhov’s short stories for their masterful use of subtext and subtle emotional revelation.
  Follow-up Exercise:
  After completing the first draft, write a brief (250-350 word) scene showing the same character one hour after the main scene. Focus purely on physical details and actions, avoiding any direct statement of their thoughts or feelings. How has the experience changed them physically? What subtle shifts in their behavior or demeanor can you convey? What new aspects of their personality emerge when you approach them indirectly?