Week 10: The Character Refuses

Before the session#

Bring simple materials for a short three- to five-unit sequence — paper, pens, scissors, cards, or your phone. You’re building one refusal and its consequence, not a fully resolved story.

Say No to the Story#

This is the main studio activity. Every sequence starts with exactly this line, unchanged at its first use:

“And then the character opened the door.”

The character refuses to open the door. Build a short sequence — three to five page/spread-like units — that shows:

1. the expectation that the door will be opened;
2. the character’s refusal;
3. the story, narrator, or text responding to that refusal;
4. a consequence;
5. a changed direction or relationship by the end.

Not every step needs its own page — some can share a unit. The line itself should stay recognisable; the work around it is what has to behave differently.

The character doesn’t have to say the word “no.” Refusal can come through action, image, placement, scale, the page boundary, a disagreement between text and image, interruption, avoidance, or another clear decision — the refusal just has to be understandable from the work itself. Earlier techniques are available here if they help: Week 3’s word-image gap, Week 6’s page boundaries, Week 9’s reader action. None of them is required, and one clear refusal is worth more than several stacked together.

None of this needs polished drawing. Rough drawing, collage, cut paper, typography, or simple shapes are all legitimate.

Studio check#

Once you have your sequence, briefly answer:

1. What was the character expected to do?
2. Who or what created that expectation?
3. How did the character refuse?
4. What changed because of the refusal?
5. Who seems to have more control by the end?

If your answer to question 4 is close to “nothing,” the refusal is probably still just dialogue — revise until the refusal actually changes something.

This Week’s Misbehaviour — Say No#

A separate 15–30 minute experiment from Say No to the Story — not another door sequence.

Pick one simple instruction that could plausibly appear in a story — structurally something like “Sit here,” “Go this way,” “Wait,” or “Look up.” These are just examples; choose your own. Make one quick image or page where a character clearly refuses that instruction without using the word “no.”

Briefly note:

1. what the instruction was;
2. how a reader can tell the character refused;
3. what changed because of the refusal.

Keep it rough and quick.

Afterwards#

Add your sequence and your Say No note to your Misbehaviour Toolbox. Week 9 made the reader’s action something the story needed. Week 10 asked whether the character has to cooperate with what the reader, the narrator, or the story expects at all. Next week pushes further still: the book starts to notice it is a book.

The spec

What you bring to the session. Written so a reader can tell whether it has been met without asking you.

• your sequence begins with the line "And then the character opened the door." and the character refuses to open it
• the refusal is understandable from the work, without relying on the word "no"
• you can name what changed because of the refusal
• you have completed this week's Misbehaviour, Say No