Adding unpredictible elements to a scene

A particular exercise I sometimes do when I’m writing is to add an unpredictable element to a scene. What I mean by that is I introduce an element such as a card game and instead of going about a cliche set of expected outcomes I establish a basic goal the characters are trying to achieve, then actually play through the card game in real time while writing about the events as the cards are dealt to each characters, how each character reacts to the card, and how they adjust their strategy to achieve their individual goals.

It’s actually a very interesting prompt to play with, not only because it adds a layer of complexity to the scene, but it forces me to really analyze the ways my characters are forced to handle the situation as each card is dealt. In Spirit Tamer my go to games are either Black Jack or Poker, but I even tried inventing a game the three main characters attempted to play at one point.

Granted, in the end sometimes the scene’s doesn’t work out, and I’m forced to scrap the work I put into it. That doesn’t remove your personal experience with the characters, and what you learned about them. And for the few scene’s that make it through, it makes them just as unique in the end.