It isn’t natural to be happy all the time. We prefer being happy, but there are people and issues that bring us down. Hurt or embarrass.

How we react to the hurtful depends upon how we feel about being happy. For example, an ex-boyfriend spreads embarrassing information about your character. What does she do? Does she counter with hurtful information about the ex or does she allow it to pass, put on her happy face and go out into the world?

Some of us are happier than others. We love a good joke, we laugh at ourselves, we smile when we hear an interesting story. We prefer feeling pleasant and will work hard to maintain that equilibrium.

What about your character? Where is her happy zone and how hard does she work to maintain it? What makes him feel good inside and how often does he shrug off miserable thoughts just to return to the zone?

Your task is to write a scene in which your character’s happy zone is threatened. It could be due to a piece of bad news, something happening in the world, or a sad movie. Whatever the cause, in your scene it brings your character down.

Then something happens to return your character to the zone. It could be a phone call, a letter, a promotion, a chat with a neighbor.

So, the pattern is this: happy character is saddened for a bit, then gains equilibrium and ends up happy once again. Easy, right?

Have fun with this one.