They’re finally here!!! The Story Engine Character Dynamics expansion set!!
A couple years ago, Peter at the Story Engine had me on to talk about how I make complicated, messy relationships (in stories). Kinda my bread and butter—if you’re new here, that’s what I love. He casually mentioned then that these expansion packs were a work-in-progress, and now it’s finally come to fruition!
Since April, I’ve been playing with the PDF alpha decks, but I really wanted the tactility of the physical cards. All of the Story Engine cards are such beautiful objects with a great feel, which is part of the joy of them. As newsletter folks and my writing buddies know, I’ve been really trying to dig into any part of the process that brings me joy, and these cards are one of them. They’re a way to remember the fun parts of writing, the spontaneity of running away with an accidental scenario.
I also like them because it gets me off the screen and out of my head. Writing is such a cerebral thing that there aren’t a lot of ways for us to “use our hands” (I think about this a lot when I read Austin Kleon) beyond the usual “pick up pen and go.” Which I also do. But playing with the cards gets me sitting on the floor, relocating objects in space. Moving physical cards around helps me make new connections, sometimes surprising ones that I might not have made if I had just tried to figure things out abstractly in my mind.
Not to mention, the art work on the cards is inspiring.
To celebrate, and to give you a taster, here are some pulls you can play with! One from the relationships decks, and four cards from the character background AKA “character traumas” deck.
Here’s the scenario:
A next-in-line is/was covering for a renegade, and now one of them is about to break an unspoken rule!
Who is the next-in-line? A prince? A lieutenant? What are they covering for, and who is the renegade to them? A sibling? An ex they have more than a few feelings for? And WHAT IS THIS UNSPOKEN RULE!
That’s a pretty juicy one, if I do say so myself.
And to help you figure out who your renegade and your next-in-line are, some more questions:
Who will they never trust?
What do they insist on doing “the hard way”?
When was the last time they were mistreated? How did they respond?
What is the pettiest grudge they still hold?
If these prompts inspire anything, let me know! Please!! I love seeing what people come up with. I use these in writing workshops sometimes, and everyone always writes something totally different.
Stay sharp,
C. L.
*This isn’t an ad. These weren’t gifted. Bought ‘em with my own monies. I just genuinely love the Story Engine.
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