When I first came up with the idea for Stealing Home, I wasn’t quite sure all of the dynamics for the story. Despite the fact that I had these two characters who were drawn to one another with one having faced a traumatic injury, it still didn’t fit what I actually wanted for my character. He needed a challenge, not just a challenge for her. His therapy and unwillingness challenged her through having to work so closely with him, but what truly happens to people in these situations?
When I looked back on the people in my life, I recalled knowing of people who struggled with injuries, and not just the therapy part. One day while I was driving and listening to my playlist, Spotify suggested a song that went with the songs on my playlist. That song? “Winning Streak” by Jelly Roll.
I know that the song was suggested because my list was heavy on the country side, but as I listened and sang along with the song, I stopped and went, “No one walks into an addict meeting on a winning streak. They walk in when they’ve hit rock bottom.”
It’s true. Those people who struggled, they didn’t make it to rock bottom. They masked their drug dependence from their loved ones. They hid it. How far down would you have to go to say, “I need help. I can’t do this anymore,” before seeking help?
The whole “Winning Streak” went with my character. He was a baseball player who just had the game of his life. He was on a winning streak in life when a sudden tragic even ripped that away from him. I went home, sat down at my computer, and I pulled up my beat sheet and began to add in this new arc for my character. It was the perfect fit.
As a writer, I carry a notebook around with me. Songs, snippets of conversations, things I’ve read, and even events all become potential story arcs for my characters. In fact, I’m still trying to figure out a way to put a conversation snippet I overheard in a restaurant almost 25 years ago. The conversation? “Why would you get that tattoo?” I don’t know what their conversation was about, but I do remember the man asking the woman at the table with him that question. It made me wonder so many different angles that I could use. Was it a good tattoo? Was it a bad tattoo? Was it like the conversation I’ve had with my son who informed me that if I didn’t have a tattoo by the time I passed away, he was going to have someone give me a tramp stamp and bury me face down with an open casket to show it off at the memorial service?
Inspiration can strike anywhere, and it can be almost anything that can trigger it. Just always be aware.
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