It's Insecure Writer's Support Group day, a monthly event where authors in the blogosphere can
share about insecurities and other stuff going on in their lives. Today's
IWSG question is: Have you ever surprised
yourself with your writing? I don’t know if this counts but once I wrote a short story about the supernatural and later found myself frightened by some of the ideas I created in my own work.
Today I don't have an insecurity. I just want to speak in vague generalities about some stuff I've been thinking about: Back in the winter, I did a small favor for someone. It was a favor I didn't have to do, and refraining from this favor wouldn't have been a breach of ethics in any way. Someone I know needed guidance and I helped out. Since then, the ripple effects of my favor have sometimes been a source of stress for me.
My experience makes me think of the saying: "No good deed goes unpunished." Come to think of it, I can think of a bunch of other instances in my life that this quote supports.
That said, I still believe in helping others (but while being mindful of my personal boundaries and natural instincts.)
Being
a writer and a reader, I have been reflecting on how much of the fiction I've seen tend to show positive reinforcement for kind deeds. While I've also come across fiction where negative consequences punish a good doer, I'd say I spot this less frequently. But with the latter kind of story, the potential for character development could
be quite interesting. After all, what is the motivation for one to continue doing the right thing if they have suffered for doing just that? A story that addresses this
question could be more enticing to explore than a story about a character who
consistently gets a pat on the head for doing the right thing.
Have
you ever been "punished" for doing a good deed? Can you name
stories that illustrate negative consequences from good deeds?
