Ultra-Overreacting
When I started writing my first book in 2016, I never imagined how much it would affect my life. One big change is that I look at everything and everyone differently.
When I see a person, I mentally describe them as if I were creating a character. When I watch a show or read a book, I think about how to improve the plot. When I talk with people, I think in the back of my mind about how to apply the conversation to my characters. When I go somewhere, I mentally describe the scene and sometimes invent a little story. And when something happens in the news, I think about how to incorporate that event into an upcoming plot. In summary, inspiration is everywhere, and I am always asking writing-related questions.
If you have read any of my previous articles, there is a common theme. Life was going well until something tripped up my bonkers mind. Well, this is no exception.
One random morning last week, I was watching a YouTube “what’s going on in the world” presenter discussing a video that had received millions of views. In it, campus police received a call about a stolen car and began investigating. When they arrived, they encountered a kid who became so upset that they had to call the city police. Note: I am omitting some details to keep this article pleasant. Also, I am not providing a link to the video because the kid has had enough trouble without me piling on.
The kid threw an internet-shattering tantrum. Still, the officer spoke respectfully and did their best to calm the kid down. Their kindness made the kid radically more upset, leading to an arrest.
That same day, my wife showed me a video of a young adult who hid themselves in their work closet. Inside, they live-streamed a video about how difficult their eight-hour day was and screamed that no human should ever work that long.
In the evening, I randomly found (I wasn’t searching for upset people) a video of a mother angry that her child was suspended from cheerleading because of low grades. She drove to the school, marched into the principal’s office and cussed him out. Meanwhile, office administrators yelled at her, and the principal couldn’t get a word in. Finally, the principal screamed, “I’m the janitor; the principal is in one of the classrooms!” The mother didn’t skip a beat and kept cursing. Then she drove home screaming obscenities and posted the video.
When my day began, I was not looking for shock videos, and I am not the type to seek them out. These three just happened to land in my viewing sphere. Yet the typical “What is society coming to?” questions didn’t enter my bonkers mind. No, I had far bigger problems.
The videos made me understand that this kind of person/reaction is now considered normal, which means I have to include it in my books. My big problem was that I cannot explain their motivation, and I have learned the hard way that readers need a crystal-clear source or they will leave harsh reviews.
In the first video, the kids’ ultra-overreaction was completely unnecessary. All that was needed was a zero: “Sorry, I don’t know anything about a stolen car.” Which I believe was the truth. Instead, the kid ended up with a police record and video that will haunt them until the day they die. Good luck finding a job.
I cannot imagine a character who would overreact that much. And how on Earth would I explain that to my readers? “Um, the kid went nuts.” My readers would immediately scream, “WHY!”
Well, you might ask, “Can’t you ignore this character type? After all, you do not have vampire or cowboy characters. Seems like an easy pass.” My answer is that to be a successful writer, I must be open to all elements in our society without judgment or bias.
Of course, that was not the only thing going on in my bonkers head. Turns out, in the next book I am about to write, I have a character like that; I didn’t know it until I watched those three videos.
In one scene, the mother (main character) wants to teach her daughter about shoes. So, she takes her to a trendy store to explain the different types and how they coordinate with different outfits. This will be an important scene as it shows the daughter growing up and what it is to be a woman in today’s society. (The book has non-human elements, and the daughter is navigating between vastly different values/cultures. Fun side note: The daughter is Earth’s ambassador.)
When the mother picks up a shoe to explain the type, another shopper screams that she wanted to buy the shoe. Tensions escalate, and the accompanying bodyguard draws their gun. The badgering continues as everybody exits the store. After the incident, the shopper called the police because they got the license plate number. To limit publicity, the bodyguard has a “conversation” with the shopper.
I planned this scene over two years ago (I need lots of noodle time to develop my plots) to show the daughter maturing, the mother’s intelligence and protectiveness, and a key plot transition.
Before today, I had two solid motivations: the upset shopper was “just a crazy person,” or I could write the scene as funny (the daughter and mother would laugh about how silly the situation was). Later in the plot, they would recall this scene and compare it to the different alien society, which would tie several elements together.
Seeing the three videos made it clear that I needed to change the scene. So, I have a plan. When I write that scene, I am going to rewatch the three videos and develop something based on what I see.
Well, that won’t work for this article. So, I decided to rewatch the videos now to answer the motivation question. I also took a walk to let this thought bounce around.
Like the police officer, the source of the overreaction is not understood at the time of the incident. So I would explain a clear motivation to my readers. After the “conversation,” the bodyguard tells the mother that the upset shopper is going through a divorce, which is radically affecting her judgment.
I think this will read realistically, but I am not sure that I am getting the point of the three videos. From the video viewer’s perspective, there was no obvious motivation. More to the point, I do not think the upset people in the videos knew the true source of their anger.
Take the upset mother, for example. What would it take for me to become that upset? It turns out that I had a similar situation. When my daughter was in junior high school, the math teacher made racial remarks against her and other students. As a result, multiple parents demanded meetings with the principal. I was also ready to request a meeting, but a line of parents ahead of me were far more upset than I was.
Their meetings were unsuccessful, and they escalated their concerns to the school district. I felt getting involved wouldn’t help. Fun side story: The school district did nothing, and the kids of the parents who complained were further discriminated against and got dreadful grades. I guess I did the right thing.
More side story: The principal apparently was having an affair with a teacher’s aide, and there were embezzlement allegations. To punish the principal, they promoted him to a prestigious school district position. In the next school year, the problem teacher was transferred to a different school with a tough principal.
Still, there have been times when I was beside myself with anger. Several recent family incidents have led to big changes and long-term consequences. I recall getting into a minor fight in junior high school. I also recall three work incidents where I left the room because I knew I would blow up or become physical.
What did I do during these incidents? Besides the minor fight, I raised my voice, wrote angry emails, and stopped speaking with the offender. This is perhaps 5% of what I saw in the three videos. Plus, I would never put any part of myself, my family, or my work online. Having fun at the beach? Not one internet viewer will ever see that.
Well, you know what I did. I thought more about the topic before going to sleep, watched the videos a few more times, and took two walks. I think I get it now. At some point, a switch was flipped in our society, enabling the “over-the-top reaction mode.” And I think we (the people who exist in modern society) understand this mode is now enabled, meaning it is “acceptable” to have epic meltdowns during minor incidents. They are a coping mechanism for the added pressure of modern living. IE, the new norm.
Therefore, I do not think I need to provide the divorce explanation. Why? After watching these three videos, I concluded that the upset people had no idea what they were doing was wrong. Even after the event, the three were likely proud of what they had done. “Look at me. I stood up to X.”
In the kid’s case, X is the mean campus police. For the mother, it is the evil school district. And the worker has a horrible business owner who insists on an eight-hour workday.
This is what I have developed for my upcoming book scene. I am going to up the drama for the upset shopper. Wow, she is going to go off the rails—total shouting meltdown. Then, when the bodyguard confronts her later, she will not back down, leading to a more forceful solution.
The key point is that the upset shopper will not reveal the source of her overreaction. Yet I know readers require some insight; thus, the bodyguard will say something to the mother like, “Dang, I just couldn’t understand what was making her so upset. She just would not let this shoe thing go.”
I think this will read well, but there’s still a problem. The worst reviews I have received resulted from issues I was aware of. My reaction? “I was trying to be cute.” “I thought this would go over better.” “Every reader knows about this topic.”
My above solution completely lacks even a tiny bit of insight into the source of the anger. Meaning I will be relying on readers to know that “over-the-top reaction” mode is enabled.
Is this a good idea? The three videos convinced me that society knows this switch has been flipped. So readers now expect some characters not to have obvious motivations for becoming ultra-upset over trivial matters.
Is this a risk? It is, but authors must write boldly to be noticed. And… I snuck in an explanation. The bodyguard asked, but got no answer. Readers accept a limited amount of mystery.
You’re the best -Bill
September 09, 2026
When I see a person, I mentally describe them as if I were creating a character. When I watch a show or read a book, I think about how to improve the plot. When I talk with people, I think in the back of my mind about how to apply the conversation to my characters. When I go somewhere, I mentally describe the scene and sometimes invent a little story. And when something happens in the news, I think about how to incorporate that event into an upcoming plot. In summary, inspiration is everywhere, and I am always asking writing-related questions.
If you have read any of my previous articles, there is a common theme. Life was going well until something tripped up my bonkers mind. Well, this is no exception.
One random morning last week, I was watching a YouTube “what’s going on in the world” presenter discussing a video that had received millions of views. In it, campus police received a call about a stolen car and began investigating. When they arrived, they encountered a kid who became so upset that they had to call the city police. Note: I am omitting some details to keep this article pleasant. Also, I am not providing a link to the video because the kid has had enough trouble without me piling on.
The kid threw an internet-shattering tantrum. Still, the officer spoke respectfully and did their best to calm the kid down. Their kindness made the kid radically more upset, leading to an arrest.
That same day, my wife showed me a video of a young adult who hid themselves in their work closet. Inside, they live-streamed a video about how difficult their eight-hour day was and screamed that no human should ever work that long.
In the evening, I randomly found (I wasn’t searching for upset people) a video of a mother angry that her child was suspended from cheerleading because of low grades. She drove to the school, marched into the principal’s office and cussed him out. Meanwhile, office administrators yelled at her, and the principal couldn’t get a word in. Finally, the principal screamed, “I’m the janitor; the principal is in one of the classrooms!” The mother didn’t skip a beat and kept cursing. Then she drove home screaming obscenities and posted the video.
When my day began, I was not looking for shock videos, and I am not the type to seek them out. These three just happened to land in my viewing sphere. Yet the typical “What is society coming to?” questions didn’t enter my bonkers mind. No, I had far bigger problems.
The videos made me understand that this kind of person/reaction is now considered normal, which means I have to include it in my books. My big problem was that I cannot explain their motivation, and I have learned the hard way that readers need a crystal-clear source or they will leave harsh reviews.
In the first video, the kids’ ultra-overreaction was completely unnecessary. All that was needed was a zero: “Sorry, I don’t know anything about a stolen car.” Which I believe was the truth. Instead, the kid ended up with a police record and video that will haunt them until the day they die. Good luck finding a job.
I cannot imagine a character who would overreact that much. And how on Earth would I explain that to my readers? “Um, the kid went nuts.” My readers would immediately scream, “WHY!”
Well, you might ask, “Can’t you ignore this character type? After all, you do not have vampire or cowboy characters. Seems like an easy pass.” My answer is that to be a successful writer, I must be open to all elements in our society without judgment or bias.
Of course, that was not the only thing going on in my bonkers head. Turns out, in the next book I am about to write, I have a character like that; I didn’t know it until I watched those three videos.
In one scene, the mother (main character) wants to teach her daughter about shoes. So, she takes her to a trendy store to explain the different types and how they coordinate with different outfits. This will be an important scene as it shows the daughter growing up and what it is to be a woman in today’s society. (The book has non-human elements, and the daughter is navigating between vastly different values/cultures. Fun side note: The daughter is Earth’s ambassador.)
When the mother picks up a shoe to explain the type, another shopper screams that she wanted to buy the shoe. Tensions escalate, and the accompanying bodyguard draws their gun. The badgering continues as everybody exits the store. After the incident, the shopper called the police because they got the license plate number. To limit publicity, the bodyguard has a “conversation” with the shopper.
I planned this scene over two years ago (I need lots of noodle time to develop my plots) to show the daughter maturing, the mother’s intelligence and protectiveness, and a key plot transition.
Before today, I had two solid motivations: the upset shopper was “just a crazy person,” or I could write the scene as funny (the daughter and mother would laugh about how silly the situation was). Later in the plot, they would recall this scene and compare it to the different alien society, which would tie several elements together.
Seeing the three videos made it clear that I needed to change the scene. So, I have a plan. When I write that scene, I am going to rewatch the three videos and develop something based on what I see.
Well, that won’t work for this article. So, I decided to rewatch the videos now to answer the motivation question. I also took a walk to let this thought bounce around.
Like the police officer, the source of the overreaction is not understood at the time of the incident. So I would explain a clear motivation to my readers. After the “conversation,” the bodyguard tells the mother that the upset shopper is going through a divorce, which is radically affecting her judgment.
I think this will read realistically, but I am not sure that I am getting the point of the three videos. From the video viewer’s perspective, there was no obvious motivation. More to the point, I do not think the upset people in the videos knew the true source of their anger.
Take the upset mother, for example. What would it take for me to become that upset? It turns out that I had a similar situation. When my daughter was in junior high school, the math teacher made racial remarks against her and other students. As a result, multiple parents demanded meetings with the principal. I was also ready to request a meeting, but a line of parents ahead of me were far more upset than I was.
Their meetings were unsuccessful, and they escalated their concerns to the school district. I felt getting involved wouldn’t help. Fun side story: The school district did nothing, and the kids of the parents who complained were further discriminated against and got dreadful grades. I guess I did the right thing.
More side story: The principal apparently was having an affair with a teacher’s aide, and there were embezzlement allegations. To punish the principal, they promoted him to a prestigious school district position. In the next school year, the problem teacher was transferred to a different school with a tough principal.
Still, there have been times when I was beside myself with anger. Several recent family incidents have led to big changes and long-term consequences. I recall getting into a minor fight in junior high school. I also recall three work incidents where I left the room because I knew I would blow up or become physical.
What did I do during these incidents? Besides the minor fight, I raised my voice, wrote angry emails, and stopped speaking with the offender. This is perhaps 5% of what I saw in the three videos. Plus, I would never put any part of myself, my family, or my work online. Having fun at the beach? Not one internet viewer will ever see that.
Well, you know what I did. I thought more about the topic before going to sleep, watched the videos a few more times, and took two walks. I think I get it now. At some point, a switch was flipped in our society, enabling the “over-the-top reaction mode.” And I think we (the people who exist in modern society) understand this mode is now enabled, meaning it is “acceptable” to have epic meltdowns during minor incidents. They are a coping mechanism for the added pressure of modern living. IE, the new norm.
Therefore, I do not think I need to provide the divorce explanation. Why? After watching these three videos, I concluded that the upset people had no idea what they were doing was wrong. Even after the event, the three were likely proud of what they had done. “Look at me. I stood up to X.”
In the kid’s case, X is the mean campus police. For the mother, it is the evil school district. And the worker has a horrible business owner who insists on an eight-hour workday.
This is what I have developed for my upcoming book scene. I am going to up the drama for the upset shopper. Wow, she is going to go off the rails—total shouting meltdown. Then, when the bodyguard confronts her later, she will not back down, leading to a more forceful solution.
The key point is that the upset shopper will not reveal the source of her overreaction. Yet I know readers require some insight; thus, the bodyguard will say something to the mother like, “Dang, I just couldn’t understand what was making her so upset. She just would not let this shoe thing go.”
I think this will read well, but there’s still a problem. The worst reviews I have received resulted from issues I was aware of. My reaction? “I was trying to be cute.” “I thought this would go over better.” “Every reader knows about this topic.”
My above solution completely lacks even a tiny bit of insight into the source of the anger. Meaning I will be relying on readers to know that “over-the-top reaction” mode is enabled.
Is this a good idea? The three videos convinced me that society knows this switch has been flipped. So readers now expect some characters not to have obvious motivations for becoming ultra-upset over trivial matters.
Is this a risk? It is, but authors must write boldly to be noticed. And… I snuck in an explanation. The bodyguard asked, but got no answer. Readers accept a limited amount of mystery.
You’re the best -Bill
September 09, 2026
