Hello everyone:
I was walking with a friend of mine in the Annapolis Mall several years ago. I was in the midst of writing my first book and was trying to figure out how to “off” four characters in a specific order. The kids had to pass first, with the father dying next, followed by the mother.
Sounds pretty morbid, doesn’t it? I suppose you’re right, but it was vital to the plot. Thios was before COVID-19, so I couldn’t use that idea. I asked my friend what disease existed that would do the dastardly duty for me. “There is no disease that would make that happen,” was her response.
There were some fellow mall walkers ahead of us. Their heads flipped around, and they stared at me, as if trying to get a good description of me for the cops. Who was this middle-aged woman who wanted to kill four people?
I saw their terror and said, “No. It’s okay. I’s a writer and she’s a doctor,” pointing to my mall walking companion. While they looked very relieved, I noticed that they took the first hallway available to get away from me.
The good news is that the police were not called, and I didn’t get arrested. The lesson I learned that day? Be careful where you do your research. Spoiler alert: I had to go home and throw out two perfectly good scenes that I had already written because the situation could not have happened. I did more research and caused an 18-wheeler to crunch their rental van. The result was exactly as I had planned.
Best,
Dr. Sheri