A Writing Tip by Amy Beth Sisson
DO THE WRONG THING

In an acting workshop I attended recently, the director urged us to perform the scene “wrong” — to inhabit our character in a way that made no sense, that would be absolutely inappropriate. One student played a job applicant in an interview. He performed as if he were trying to hit on the interviewer. It was a hilarious and brilliant shift! Christopher Walken famously uses the technique of doing the wrong thing: “…if something has an exclamation point, I’ll make it a question just to see what will happen.” 

Sometimes, the right choice is to show how wrong you are. Mary Oliver’s famous line, “You do not have to be good” is also sound writing craft advice. A poet friend was writing an ode to her dog. In the first draft, she shared that she had almost given the dog up for adoption because it constantly peed in the house. When she was revising, she considered omitting that anecdote from the ode because it made the speaker unlikable, but that story of her wrongness made her love for her dog more visceral and touching.

When creating, trying to “get it right” can be stifling. One day in art class in third grade, I tried to make a painting of ghostly faces, but I couldn’t make it look on the page the way I’d envisioned in my head. I gave up and ended up painting a rainbow — like most every other kid in class. I’d abandoned the struggle, made the safe choice, and ended up with a stereotype. Staying in the struggle, on the other hand, even if it’s “wrong” can lead to happy surprises. I try to remember this when my draft on the page isn’t living up to my original idea.

Be wrong! Approach your work with a sense of play, and deliberately make the worst choice. The choice may or may not end up in your final draft, but it could lead you to new work that is present and vivid.

Amy Beth Sisson (she/her, they/them) is the author of the poetry chapbook Mouthbrooder (fifth wheel press, forthcoming 2027). She is Fence Magazine’s Steaming (online) visual poetry editor and serves on the board of Blue Stoop, where she helps with educational programming. She curates poetry events for the beautiful Celia Bookshop in Swarthmore, PA.