What's your life philosophy? (Or, at least, favorite flavor of ice cream?)
Here's a fun writing exercise, which I
stole from my sister's friend (who uses it in real life, on her
friends' prospective boyfriends, not her characters as far as I
know):
Ask your main character: “What is
your life philosophy?” (And then ask, “Why?”)
This may be harder to answer than you'd
think. And it says a whole lot about your character. For example, the
first time my sister's friend asked it of her friend's boyfriend (is
the degree of separation confusing you yet??), he answered, “Live
hard, die young.” (This says, I am simultaneously shallow and
cliché and I lack the confidence to think for myself...)
There were only two good responses to
that. The first was, “Get away from my friend, you loser.” The
second was what was actually said: “Um...okay. What's your favorite
flavor of ice cream?”
(Incidentally, another great
character-revealing question.)
For the record, my own life philosophy
(at the moment) is, “Live as if you were to die today. Learn as if
you were to live forever.” (Because I might die today, after all,
and I want to do all I can and show as much love as I can and pray
and write and, well, live all I can in this life. But I also firmly
believe that I will live forever—in heaven. So I'd be doing an
injustice and undervaluing myself as a creation of God if I didn't
learn and better myself with every chance I have.)
And my favorite flavor of ice
cream...peppermint stick. I wish they sold it all year long. (Because
it's amazing, obviously.)
Therese had a peppermint stick ice cream fudge pie for her birthday. :) Sounds like you would like it! :)
ReplyDeleteHmmm... A single life philosophy? So hard! I guess for now I'll go with "Keep growing". A single flavor of ice cream? Even harder! But I'll go with coffee (must be Haagen Dazs)!
ReplyDeleteI haven't really thought of having a life philosophy, but I'd have to say mine would be to be more accepting. I'm boring when it comes to ice cream flavors - give me plain ol' chocolate:)
ReplyDeleteFaith, another reason I adore you: peppermint ice cream.
ReplyDeleteI like your philosophy of life, Faith. My husband was taken aback because when he first met all my Indian relatives in India, that's what they wanted to know. It was like getting the third degree ... he was caught off guard, and my family is quite religious, so being self-serving heathens was definitely NOT their cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteAs you can imagine, my philosophy of life has changed radically since I've accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Now, I want to live my life to please Him, according to His will. Basically I want to be a saint -- everything that is said in the Anima Christi.
My philosophy is to enjoy and give thanks for every day. The favorite ice cream question is really not as telling because I like vanilla best. However, if you were to ask my favorite ice cream topping - ah! then you might have some insight into my soul. ;-) Usually it's chocolate sauce, but some days I like to top vanilla ice cream with peppermint ice cream...have you tried it?
ReplyDeleteWow! That is a hard question to ask a character. Especially since it's hard to think of what, exactly, your own is! I guess I have a lot of philosophies... It's just not as easy to sum it up into one, you know?
ReplyDeleteKind of like the ice cream. Mmm. I love peppermint stick. Or any ice cream that has crunchies in it, really.
What a great question! My brain is so fried, I cannot think what my philosophy is, but I love yours and just might steal it. I do think about that often -- living every day like it's my last--without regrets--and always keeping eternity in mind. Our treasure is where our hearts are.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE peppermint ice cream, especially in milkshake form. But I think my absolute favorite is a mixture of brownie, caramel and cookie dough. With fudge. Oh, with a cake batter ice cream base. :)
Okay, now I'm hungry!
Not sure how to word my philosophy right now, but I love the question. I know that thanksgiving and appreciation are big parts of it. As for ice cream: My youngest son and I are raving ice cream fanatics. Is there a BAD flavor?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great life philosophy you have! May I share it? :) I'm a strong believer in letting loved ones know how much they're treasured and, to me, that falls under living each day as if it's your last.
ReplyDeleteFavorite ice cream...such a tough question. Hee! Probably mint chip, but I also love rocky road. Also, Starbucks now has ice cream, and it's amazing. No matter which ice cream, I'd like it in a sugar cone, please. ;)
I often ask my characters to sum themselves up in a word, but it's easier said than done;) Groovy blog:)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite ice-cream is coffee oreo, yum!!
ReplyDeleteI think I'll share your life philosophy along with dawn : )