Monday Moment #45: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

(If you’ve already read this then skip past all the italicized blah-di-blah and start writing.) Monday Moments are writing prompts for your work-in-progress. They are questions that come from my experiences and are my favorite way to find out more about my characters. I find I learn a lot. Some of it I use. Some of it I don’t. But I always, always get to know my character(s) better just by answering the question. I hope you do too. )

I've been B.A.D.!

Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but I was certainly bad for me. Just not making the wisest of choices. And yes, I'm calling myself out on it.

Last night Derek and I were invited to a cocktail party. It's not often we get out, so these sorts of things are exciting. And it was going to be my kind of night: a nice gathering of friends from 5:00 to 8:00. Okay, so what? I've never been a all-night sort of partier. Come to think of it, I've never been much of a partier at all, especially when it comes to cocktails.

Don't get me wrong. I love a glass of wine or a tasty, grown-up beverage, but not one after another. I actually hate the after-effects of too many drinks, and typically, I'm very careful to avoid such a thing.

You see where this going, yeah?

But wait, there's even more to the story. So, I went to the cocktail party, all the while knowing I was teaching a Bodystep class the next morning. But no problem, I thought. It wasn't going to be a late night and I'd only have a drink. Right?

WRONG!

There were YUMMY drinks. Three cocktails, to be exact: gin and tonic, blueberry cosmo, and a basil martini.

Okay, yeah. I drank one of each. Yes I did. And yes...I do know I am a light weight. Totally! Plus, I think those cocktails were on the strong side. (Can you say bad choice?)

I did make it home early (before 9:30, sort of embarrassing) but man, all of sudden the impact of those three cocktails was taking over.

I drank water and more water, took some Advil, and had even more water. But when I woke up in the middle of the night still feeling the full effects...well, I started to worry. What was I thinking? Because, really, no matter what, I knew I had to teach Bodystep in a matter of hours with all it's up-down, jumping around, and making you feel like you could hurl--on a GOOD day.

Morning came faster than I would have liked. I drank my coffee, ate some toast, and it was time to head on my way.

There are consequences to our choices, friends! Like having to step outside and puke in between songs through the class. No, no, no...that last sentence was all fiction. BUT if I were writing about this stupid choice for a character, FOR SURE she'd end up ralphing out the back door and trying to hide it. She'd be miserable.

Luckily, I made it through just fine. Hard? Yes. But it always is, yet still fun.

What choice(s) does your character make even though they know it may (or will) have a bad result?