Kicking and Throwing Stuff - Writers Forum

Ajax · 06-10-2005, 11:40 AM

Say you've got a character in a story who, when they are irritated or frustrated, likes to kick or throw something.

For example, I once had a teacher in HS who liked to kick the garbage can in class whenever he got pissed. His can, unlike most of the other cans in the school, was bent and dented in many places.

What else would be for a character in a story good to kick or throw? And it doesn't necessarily need to be in a classroom setting. Picture any setting and occupation for the character you want.

The idea is that someone else will enter this environment and see the damage to something, and then be able to infer by that damage that they may be dealing with a person who has anger management issues.

kintaris · 06-10-2005, 11:47 AM

if you wanted to portray a character with anger issues that once had a more sensitive side before they got all stress-much, you could have a teddy bear with its head almost ripped off...

...or you could just put a punching bag in the room. Broken pencils on the desk can be quite revealing, as well as dartholes in the wall too far away from the dart board to be accidental misses. Crushed drinks cans in odd places (so they've obviously been thrown there) show anger - because people usually dont bother to bend metal unless they're pissed. Fragments of cups and plates on the floor. Bent marker pens. Popped stress balls. Dents on the desk from the edge of a metal ruler. Angry scratch marks in the wall or table as might have been done with a compass.

um...

can't think of anymore but i'm so bored i'll probably be back.

barnsturm · 06-10-2005, 02:41 PM

A dog with a broken leg who hides from his master?

Coffee stains in huge splatters on the wall near the door out of someone's office?

I knew a woman who, on more than one occasion, threw cooking pots through the front window above the kitchen sink.

My dad threw salad all over the kitchen table during dinner one time because I served myself some of it before passing it to him when he had asked for it to be passed.

Ajax · 06-10-2005, 03:24 PM

Quote:

My dad threw salad all over the kitchen table during dinner one time because I served myself some of it before passing it to him when he had asked for it to be passed.

MAN!

I'll try to avoid doing that with MY kids...
I'll assume, however, that he was having a bad day already, and that was just the last straw. (It's a glass-full sort of thing).

Ben · 06-10-2005, 08:02 PM

Maybe the character should just throw anything within reach. It doesn't matter what is - if it's within an arms length it will be thrown

Pendulum · 06-10-2005, 09:12 PM

If you want to portray a character with a history of this kind of anger, describe a wall with a lot of white patches (where holes have been covered up with plaster)

Also, bloody knuckles, scabbed over show he likes to hit things.

Perhaps posters, ripped then retaped.

A lot of pillows with indentations of punching, left un"fluffed".

Broken things, small items flung across the room, stuff like that. Hope this helps.

barnsturm · 06-14-2005, 06:14 PM

[quote="Ajax"]

Quote:

I'll assume, however, that he was having a bad day already, and that was just the last straw. (It's a glass-full sort of thing).

Mmmmmmmm...no.

Nickie · 06-15-2005, 02:30 AM

In one of my books, the bad guy throws a Ming vase in pieces...

Nickie

Anarkos · 06-15-2005, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnsturm

My dad threw salad all over the kitchen table during dinner one time because I served myself some of it before passing it to him when he had asked for it to be passed.

Did you tell him to insert the salad into his posterior?

barnsturm · 06-16-2005, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anarkos

Did you tell him to insert the salad into his posterior?

Mmmmmmmm...no.

Anarkos · 06-17-2005, 01:16 AM

Aww, why not?

waylander · 06-17-2005, 01:24 AM

True story : one of my teachers, way back in time, used to throw the chalk at us whenever he got pissed, which was twice a lesson, at least. One of my pals, who was laughing out loud at one other fella's silly trick, got the chalk right in the mouth and swallowed it !

Then we nicknamed the teacher 'Chalkmaster' or something like that, and stopped taking the mickey out of him, for a while, of course.