Monday, October 17, 2005

When in Doubt...

When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand. - Raymond Chandler

Now there’s an interesting piece of advice. Particularly since I’ve been thinking A LOT about the world of the Archangels – our psychic detectives.

Plot twists and turns - characters with ‘gifts.’ (Some they’d like to return, no doubt.) Good guys, bad guys and those in-between. Heroes of all genders and ages will find their way to the mansion, and why not?

And here’s another piece of advice along the same lines:

When in doubt, blow something up. - J. Michael Straczynski

Maybe that IS what is needed in a true “suspense” novel. Not that these novels are truly romantic suspense, because of the paranormal element, they’ll probably be marketed as “paranormal” novels. However, one (or more) of them will contain some explosives and all of them will have weapons in one form or another – just who will be holding those weapons is still to be determined!

So, we’re looking at a shadowy figure with a gun in his hand and another shadowy figure crouching over something – possibly holding a wire in one hand, possibly setting a timer. Are they friend or foe? Are they moving the story along or just adding a bit of back story?

When you find the answer to that, you’ll discover your own writing talent. Tell the story of the man with the gun in his hand. Tell the story of something that’s been blown up. Tell your story in your words, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll tell you mine.

Cai