Goal: To examine moment when change was possible, but declined.
What to do: 1. Think of a time when you (or a character) made a negative decision: chose not to do something, go somewhere, not to act in a certain way.
2. Write it down precisely: where were you (or your character), what were you wearing, what did you say and do?

Alice LaPlante, I have gone with you on this journey to the Land of the Written Word for three chapters, but here in Chapter Four -where the hero of the story should begin to see the dark storm clouds of approaching conflict on the not-to-distant horizon- I find my conflict is with you. Here is sit in black socks that have been on my feet so long the bottoms are hard and shiny like Grandpa’s slippers, and a yellow jock strap, thankfully clean since no one likes rotten crotch, cursing you and your E.D.-the-moment-after-I-finish-sewing-this-poppet husband to spin off your axes and languish like the timeline in which I unhesitatingly replied “YES!” to your existential writing assignment as detailed above. For in the end, Dear Lady of the Book, my defiant “No!” flies at you like sneeze spray torpedoed from the puggish nose of Andrea Bocelli; I will not accept your invitation to change!

The salty bouquet of Fritos wafts across my laptop, heralding my dog’s arrival. One can almost sense the drool. Sudden and somewhat moist weight on my thigh draws my attention, and I see he is resting his alligator-sized head on my lap as if to say, “Give ‘er hell, Dad!” Oh, dear Hogan, it is given.