Dangers of Story Plotting in Restaurants

Adrienne deWolfe has agreed to guest post here today!  I'm so excited.  Enjoy.

Brainstorming:  

Dangers of Story Plotting in Restaurants

By Adrienne deWolfe

So there we sat, two innocent but extremely vocal writers, brainstorming the story plot of my Paranormal Romance in a restaurant.  We’ll call this eatery “Benny’s.” 
    On this particular day, Patty had graciously agreed to reschedule her afternoon's itinerary of laundry-folding and sock-matching to act as my brainstorming buddy.   
    When I get stuck and can’t make sense of the convoluted story plot for my Paranormal Romance (Wolfspell, Autumn 2012), I bribe Patty with lunch. Patty is a Romance novelist who aspires to be published in Fantasy fiction and is well read in every genre.   For this reason, Patty has served as a guest speaker in the story plotting lessons that I teach in my online course, How to Write a Romance Novel that Sells.
    As a published novelist (and brainstorming professional), Patty understands how the rusty wheels turn in the minds of New York editors.  This is an important trait in a story plot consultant.  But Patty’s most important credential is her sense of humor.   To put it mildly, Patty is a hoot!
    Picture the scene as my story plotting accomplice and I prepared for our brainstorming mission: 
    Patty and I drove to the restaurant in separate cars.   We arrived incognito (no pens, no notebooks).  We were seated at a central table, in the busiest section of the eatery.  We decided to pig out on hot fudge brownie sundaes to improve our facility for story plotting.
    It was approximately 1:00 p.m. on a weekday, during the latter half of Lunch Rush.  Fellow diners were crammed into booths and tables that were roughly 12 inches from my elbow.  Servers were squeezing by with humongous trays loaded with BLT's, chicken salad, and the daily soup special.  
    During the following story plotting incident, I’d like to note (in my defense) that I was guzzling my third cola. The sugar-loaded, caffeinated kind.
My conversation with Patty went something like this:
A:  I need to get rid of (G).
P:  Who’s this guy again?
A:  You know.  The one who slept with (L).
P:  Oh yeah.  Now I remember.
A:  I hate him!  I need him to die!
P:  As long as there's plenty of motivation . . .
A:  Oh, there's motivation, all right.  I'm sick of him.
P:  You thinking about bullets?  
A:  Naw.  Something slow and torturous.
P:  How ‘bout putting a box of scorpions under the sheets? 
A:  Eew!
P:  Suffocation by pillow?
A:  Risky.   He'd be a flailer.  
P:  Worried about phlegm on the Egyptian cotton?
A:  Get serious!
P:  Uh . . . right.   How 'bout death cap?  
A:  I don't have time to research fatal mushrooms.  'Sides.  Poison's much too tidy. 
P:  No guts, no gory, right?
A:  (Laughs)  
P:  Well, if you want to kill him in a grisly way, make it big and splashy.  Like a grenade down his pants.
A:  That’s it!  Exploding body parts.  No traceable corpse . . .  I like the way you think!   He’ll go out with a bang!  Thanks, Patty!  An explosion would be a great way to kill him.  I can’t wait to get home!
    At this precise moment, the restaurant hushed.   At least forty pairs of eyes drilled into me.  Mouths were gaping.   Forks were hovering.  Chocolate syrup was dripping from the dirty dishes that our server was balancing above my shoulder.
    Patty never missed a beat.  As cool as the proverbial cuke, Patty looked up at our distraught server and drawled, “Check please.  My friend has a busy day ahead.”
    Now you can appreciate why I call Patty when I need to brainstorm the story plot of my Paranormal Romance novel.  Patty's the perfect partner for making a scene – and writing one.

---

About Adrienne deWolfe


Originally published by Bantam and Avon Books, Adrienne deWolfe’s 5 Romance novels have earned 9 fiction-writing awards, including the Best Historical Romance of the Year.  Currently, she is in the middle of a virtual book tour for her new ebook, How to Write Wildly Popular Romances, which has been released in conjunction with her online writing course, How to Write a Romance Novel That Sells (which starts May 21.)  Adrienne invites you to enter her raffles for great prizes (including autographed collector's items) by visiting her website, WritingNovelsThatSell.com.  Follow Adrienne on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

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