In writing a character’s trials and tribulations it is often a helpful exercise to think about what your character will and won’t do. What do they want to do, what they don’t want to do (but probably will) and where do they draw the line? What are their strengths, flaws and what are they willing to sacrifice for? In one of my works my main character is a young woman who is thrust into an active sex life by her choices. She is able to say NO at any point, but she chooses to fulfill her career path and though it isn’t all sunshine and roses, she leans into it, finds value in it, and learns that her empathy and awareness are some of her strengths and that her body is strong and beautiful. Her choices lead her though her adventures but others choices (of course) also impact her life and her world.

This got me to thinking about where the lines are and what can be a person’s downfall. At what point do they go to far and lose themselves? Either they get sucked into something or they are broken by the experience…. or they love the thrill of power or some other aspect that makes them leave that boundary behind them. (And the few lucky and strong ones win the day and survive without a scratch, and of course that would be us, right?) Looking at celebrities and politicians and people in power around the globe, it makes you wonder what is their downfall? What is something they could do that is so bad that they won’t admit to doing it or if everyone found out they would be abandoned by their fans/followers/voters?

Often money or sex, but sometimes other things, or the “wrong” money or sex.

What would turn their people against them if they knew what happened behind closed doors.

Some people have a line that they refuse to cross and instead of cross it they quit, or they fight to the death or sabotage themselves. There are fictional examples of this but also many real life examples all around us. Makes one think about the boundaries we set for ourselves where our do/don’t/must not lines are located.

Especially when dealing with Magic or The Force or some other power…. learning where those lines are is so important.

Anyway, something to think about…

“Something like this will test you like nothing else,” Mac said. “You’re going to find out who you are, Harry. You’re going to find out which principles you’ll stand by to your death–and which lines you’ll cross.” He took my empty glass away and said, “You’re heading into the badlands. It’ll be easy to get lost.”

― Jim Butcher, Changes

“No one just starts giggling and wearing black and signs up to become a villainous monster. How the hell do you think it happens? It happens to people. Just people. They make questionable choices, for what might be very good reasons. They make choice after choice, and none of them is slaughtering roomfuls of saints, or murdering hundreds of baby seals, or rubber-room irrational. But it adds up. And then one day they look around and realized that they’re so far over the line that they can’t remember where it was.”
― Jim Butcher, Cold Days