Fascination Trigger #7: Rebellion

This Wednesday I'm focusing on the last of the seven triggers that authors can capitalize on to fascinate readers. The idea for this series came from Sally Hogshead's book, Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation. See the bottom of this post for links to the other 6 triggers.

People with Rebellion as their primary trigger are the people who follow the beat of their own drum. They are creative types, coming up with inventive, unconventional solutions to their problems.

Randy Ingermanson mentioned George Carlin as a great example of Rebellion. In 1972, he created a comedy routine around the "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television." Brilliant, really, because he was instantly fascinating with his own version of the forbidden fruit.

Ingermanson also indicates Marilyn Monroe as being a Rebellion personality. When she sang "Happy Birthday" to John F. Kennedy in her breathy, sexy voice...this was definitely edgy and unpredictable (see below).

According to Hogshead, there are 5 defining personality characteristics of Rebellion folk:

1) Innovative - these folk can generate ideas like nobody's business. They don't necessarily plan and deliberate, but have sudden flashes of insight. Deadlines aren't really problematic for them.  

2) Independent - autonomy is preferred over group collaboration, though Rebellion people can definitely work with others. The preference is for their freedom to flex their creative muscles and make their own decisions.  

3) Entrepreneurial - trailblazing isn't unusual for Rebellion personalities. They can self-start, and rather enjoy not feeling hedged in. They might be more likely to start their own venture.  

4) Edgy - cleverness and ability to grasp alternativ eviewpoints and perspectives are strengths of Rebellion people. Most are quick-witted, ironic, or sarcastic.  

5) Unpredictable - ever unorthodox, they enjoy the surprise in others when they do something unexpected. Traditional ideas and actions aren't their strong suit. 

One author that came to mind as having many of these traits is Truman Capote. When he wrote In Cold Blood, he really deviated from the genre of true crime by making his book read like a fiction novel. Instead of a journalistic style, it was very narrative. Capote said that he created a new genre of the "nonfiction novel." Based completely in fact, he helped the reader get into the minds of the victims and the killers, and really feel empathy for their plight.

Then Capote ends his career with a dark, insider look into his own life, with thinly veiled portrayals of his acquaintances and the pathos he encountered in his own society. Talk about throwing a curve ball.

I hope you've enjoyed the series! For those interested, you can find the introduction here, the Power trigger here, the Passion trigger here, the Mystique trigger here, the Alarm trigger here, the Prestige trigger here, and the Trust trigger here.

Let's Analyze

Who else comes to mind as pushing the envelope literary-wise?