he sat down at the table. “do you want coffee?”
“no,” she replied, “but i’d love a steamed apple juice.”
this works because now, the first character has a few options for their reply. he can make a cruel or lighthearted assumption about the second character; he can ask why (an open-ended question is always a great go-to btw) she wants steamed apple juice; etc. clearly, the “no, but” has stimulated the conversation much more than a simple “no” would have.
this rule also applies to plotting. i find it’s actually more difficult to employ ooc, because it really does require a lot of thought at first — rapid-fire replies won’t cut it. eventually, though, when you and your partner become more acquainted with your characters & their dynamic, it’ll come a lot easier. for example,
person one: ok so what if they went on an ice cream date
person two: omg cute! yes! i bet it was at, like, ten o’clock at night. eve just totally showed up at dominique’s apt out of nowhere
person one: AH LOVE THAT. dom’s 100% in her footsie pajamas already. she’s literally dressed like a penguin and opens the door and full-on DIES.
notice how both people are fully-engaged with their characters & their preferences, habits, instincts, expressions, etc. person two could have easily replied “omg cute!” and left it at that, but then person one is left with absolutely zero content to work with. this will bring plotting to a complete or stuttering halt. no exceptions.
but what if you’re plotting, and you disagree with something your partner says? i refer you back to the “no, but” rule.
person one: ok so what if they went on an ice cream date
person two: honestly eve is SO lactose-intolerant so that wouldn’t work ugh. BUT she’s such a green juice girl?? maybe they went for, like, a hot yoga session and then hit up a juice bar?
person one: that’s perfect!!! idt dom has ever tried green juice so the concept of eve daring her to try it.. so cute.
both instances work. both encourage character and relationship development. it’s a very simple, very easy adaptation to make, and you’ll find that — regardless of whether you’re in a group or a 1x1 setting — you get far more in-depth, detailed, partner-committed plots.
