In the class I'm taking, we did a 10 minute writing exercise based on The Proust Questionnaire which asks several questions and expects you to describe the answer as a way to build your character. Essentially answering the question as your character. 3 of the questions are:
1) What is your idea of perfect happiness?
2) what is the trait you most deplore about yourself?
3) what do you consider your greatest achievement?
I took it as my character pondering the questions and answering as if she'd been asked it directly. It's a bit rambly, but I wrote from her view, and it seemed consistent with her.
My unedited character piece is below...
Perfect happiness is the world accepting you exactly as you are, and letting you live your life the way you want to. No judgements, no recriminations, just living life in your self-described happy place. It could be a cabin in the woods, it could be a castle in the highlands, or it could be a refrigerator box on the corner. (Though who would choose that when they could choose anything?) You could do anything, anywhere at any time. Zipline in the Amazon for your twenty-first birthday. Read a book at the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday. It wouldn't matter. You could just do it. And as long as you weren't hurting anyone, it could just be your choice.
Me? I'd probably just choose to live in a house full of cats and dogs. Because who wouldn't be their absolutely happiest when surrounded by smiling, purring, cuddling fluff ball all day? No real demands, no expectations, just playtime and love. Unconditional love, at least from the dogs. The cats are a little more conditional. You have to work a little harder to get them. But once you do, it's worth it. Oh, and bunnies. Super cute little fluffballs that - no, just the cats and dogs. Otherwise, it's just chaos. And chaos takes away from the happy. So do other people. People don't want other people to be happier than they are. I guess I'm not really a people person. And I feel like I should be. Maybe I don't like that about me very much. But really, there's no need for anyone else to know I don't like people. I don't think anyone really knows. I'm good at pretending but I really would much rather spend my days surrounded by the furry creatures who don't judge me for not being like them.
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