Activity 2: The Decision – Exploring Thinking Verbs
Instructions:
This activity invites you to delve into the mental processes of characters facing significant decisions. By employing thinking verbs, your task is to articulate the inner deliberations that guide these characters to their conclusions. Thinking verbs such as consider, ponder, realize, decide, and determine will be your tools to craft compelling narratives about decision-making.
Example:
Prompt: A student is deciding whether to study abroad for a semester.
Answer:
After months of contemplation, Alex finally decided to study abroad. Initially, he worried about being far from home but realized the opportunity was too valuable to pass up. He considered the academic benefits and the chance to immerse himself in a new culture. In the end, Alex concluded that stepping out of his comfort zone was essential for growth.
Question 1: The Artist or the Engineer?
Prompt: Imagine a character caught in the quandary of choosing between a passion for art and the pragmatism of an engineering career.
Tip: Employ thinking verbs like ponder, reflect, and question to delve into the character's internal struggle and the ultimate choice they make.
Question 2: Confession at the Crossroads of Friendship
Prompt: Narrate the story of a character at the precipice of revealing romantic feelings to their best friend, with their treasured friendship hanging in the balance.
Tip: Use thinking verbs such as debate, muse, and speculate to express the character’s emotional whirlwind as they gauge the risk versus reward of their potential confession.
Question 3: The Wallet’s Whisper
Prompt: Your character stumbles upon a lost wallet brimming with cash. Chronicle their inner tug-of-war as they decide its fate.
Tip: Incorporate thinking verbs like contemplate, deliberate, and reason to illuminate your character's moral confrontation and the influences swaying their verdict.
Question 4: Home or Horizon?
Prompt: Craft a tale of a character grappling with the option of relocating to an unfamiliar city for work, versus staying with their close-knit circle of loved ones.
Tip: Integrate thinking verbs such as wrestle, entertain, and resolve to capture the character's rumination and the logic forming their final decision.
Question 5: The Whistleblower's Woe
Prompt: Your character uncovers an act of injustice in their workplace. Convey their inner discourse on whether to report the incident, knowing well the possible backlash.
Tip: Invoke thinking verbs like analyze, weigh, and consider to traverse your character’s painstaking assessment of the ethical stakes and personal implications.
Question 6: To Pursue the Dream Job
Prompt: A character receives an offer for their dream job, which requires a drastic lifestyle change. Describe their process of making this life-altering decision.
Tip: Utilize thinking verbs such as envision, scrutinize, and determine to portray the character’s inner dialogue as they imagine future possibilities and come to a conclusion.
Question 7: Saving for the Future or Living for Today
Prompt: Your character deliberates between splurging on a once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunity or saving money for future security.
Tip: Apply thinking verbs like vacillate, reassess, and commit to illustrate your character’s back-and-forth reasoning and the establishment of their priorities.
Question 8: Sacrifice for Success
Prompt: Write about a character who contemplates giving up a significant personal endeavor to support a loved one's aspirations.
Tip: Leverage thinking verbs such as grapple, meditate, and settle to explore the depths of the character’s devotion and self-sacrifice as they come to a decision.
Question 9: The Road to Forgiveness
Prompt: A character must decide whether to forgive a deep betrayal by a close confidant.
Tip: Employ thinking verbs like assess, dwell, and forgo to delve into the character’s emotional processing and the eventual pathway to forgiveness or closure.
Question 10: Legacy or Innovation
Prompt: Your character faces a choice between upholding a family’s traditional business or branching out into a new, innovative venture.
Tip: Insert thinking verbs such as juggle, hypothesize, and endorse to depict the character’s inner conflict between honoring heritage and embracing change.