Little Things

This has been a strangely trying week for a lot of people in the office block I work in.  The main front door has always opened inwards – but not any more.  Walking through it is something so automatic that it’s somehow taking a lot to deal with the change.  Aside from the rather abrupt moment when you walk into the darn thing at speed, it’s just a bit bothering that something I’ve taken so much for granted has now changed.

This got me thinking about my characters a bit – since the story is very much about turning their worlds upside down.  If you really want to shake someone to the core you do need to present them with something that challenges, or upsets, what they take for granted.
 
That needn’t be a big thing – it could be something very insignificant in fact.  Often what we take for granted is little.  It’s in the background, it’s comforting and it’s always there.  Pull that away and your character will begin to worry and question.  It’s a very human reaction, and quite subtle, but one any reader can relate to.

When Elaine returns home, the first hint that all is not well is just such a small detail.  The vegetable patch outside the house is scruffy.  Not overgrown, just a little unkempt. It instantly tells her all is not well at home, though the detail is lost completely on Lydia for whom this is her first visit.  It’s the first whisper of the approaching storm and the first clue to the secret Elaine’s father is trying to hide.

If you’re writing yourself at the moment, why not ask the question “What are the little things my characters take for granted?”  When you have that answer, you’ll be surprised what you can do to unsettle them!