|photo by Jim Siebold|
I was walking down a Chicago street and saw a man painting a beautiful mural on the side of a gray house. Or so I thought. Upon closer examination it became clear that he was in fact covering the mural with gray paint. It took a few moments for that fact to register because it was inherently opposite of my initial reaction to the scene.
Exploring the contradictions in characters can give them depth. Imagine a hardened criminal who still takes to heart a scolding from his beloved mother. Or think of a shy, timid student who musters enough courage to face a bully head on. The complexity of human nature is at the heart of most stories. It never fails to fascinate us.