Why because? Because! That’s why.
If why is the question, because is the answer. The two go together like…well, like antagonist and protagonist. Or something.
Because precedes the reason for or the cause of.
Because also happens to be the key word in a story-building exercise I learned in improv called “Because of that…” I’ve played two versions of the game. Both have to do with cause and effect, but where one goes forward in time, the other works backward.
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Today marks the beginning of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. During April, I will be posting on each letter of the alphabet. As with last year’s challenge, I have no particular theme. Maybe it’s the Random in me that prefers to let the day’s letter inspire a word that inspires the post.
It all started with the word antagonist. Given my interest in reading, writing, storytelling, and improv, I naturally thought of an antagonist’s role in a story. However, when I looked up the definition, I remembered from exercise physiology that antagonist also refers to a muscle that opposes the agonist or prime mover.
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This image raises a lot of questions
We ask, therefore we are. Is that true? Does it even make sense?
Questions seem pretty fundamental to being human. They express our wondering, our yearning to know. They’re also useful in the creation of story.
Maybe the most basic story question is, “What if?” What if a short man-like being finds a magic ring that makes him invisible when he wears it? What if the ring was made by an evil creature who wants it back?
Whether they are stated explicitly or not, “What if?” questions tap into our imagination and the realm of possibilities. Beyond providing a starting premise for a story, questions lead us deeper. Who is the protagonist? What does she want? What scares the crap out of her? Read more →
Maybe you’ve heard the idea that knowing the name of something gives power over the thing. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but there is power in the naming of things.
In a creation like a story or improv scene, naming things lends specificity and that specificity can be a foundation on which the rest of the story is built.
An improv teacher once suggested a way to further a scene was to reach into your pocket and pull out a [mimed] object, letting whatever it is be a surprise to both you and your scene partner.
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