Today’s blog stressed the importance of this, so I am looking forward to seeing what inspired others.
My inspiration? “Mike Hardware is the kind of private eye who doesn’t know the meaning of the word “fear,” a man who can laugh in the face of danger and spit in the eye of death - in short, a moron with suicidal tendencies,”
I used my Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest detective category winner when I wrote a novel. (Since that contest finds the worst possible opening sentence for a novel, then if it turned out terrible, then I just couldn’t overcome that.)
The first question I had to figure out was who would hire a moron? Well, I’d had bosses who eventually thought I was a moron. Bingo! I could make a character with some similarities to people and events I’d experienced. The original plan was to have her be the murder victim, but she was doing such a great job annoying my private eye, I had to keep her around. Instead, he had to save her from being framed for murder.
Then, why would they want to hire a moron? Obviously, because they need a moron. The rest of the plot grew out of those questions. It was fun and therapeutic to write, and I gave screenwriting a try for the challenge.
I think that's a great opening sentence, Eddie Lawhorn. I'd keep reading the book if I read that sentence. That's great that you figured out those questions first. It's a bad feeling writing a project and realizing something doesn't work/make sense in the story and you have to figure it out, which could mean redoing other things in the story.
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I love this concept! Such a great way to find a character you're enjoying and seeing them along the path of your main character. I love hearing these kinds of stories because they're truly supportive of the idea that every character counts.