Eureka

As promised, I’m posting the results of the “List of 20” exercise I did last night. For those who didn’t read yesterday’s entry (or are too lazy to scroll down) here’s the deal:

I’m at a point in my WIP (Leftovers) where I’m getting ready for the hero and heroine to make love. But first, there’s a conversation they have to have to set it up. Without giving too much away, let’s just say my constraints are: they have to end up at Sam’s home, it has to occur at night, and Sam’s daughters have to be out of the house. Now, Rose has just come from her volunteer stint at a doggie rescue shelter; Sam’s just dropped his daughters off at Grandma’s. Originally, I started writing this boring scene where they have “the conversation” over ice cream in the living room.

Blah. Realized real quickly: NOTHING of interest going on there but the dialogue. So, I resorted to the aforementioned exercise. I don’t know who coined the phrase so I’m not sure to whom I should give credit; anyway, the idea is that you make a list of 20 options no matter how stupid, banal, silly, whatever. In theory, the first five or so usually turn out to be uninspired. Dull. The second five or so get better. Around twelve, you swear you’re out of ideas. That’s when creativity kicks in.

It took me till Idea #16.

Now remember, some of these are really lame, but you’re not allowed to edit yourself during the brainstorming session. These are just quick notes I typed up:

1. Rose’s car could break down so he’d have to pick her up
2. Attend Harmony’s back-to-school night together
3. She could have to pick HIM up on his way home from dropping off the girls.
4. They could take a moonlit walk
5. They could run into each other on their “fave” moonlit walk
6. They could run into each other in a local watering hole (bar)
7. HE could come home AFTER her and catch her naked in the hallway
8. She could come home after him, hear someone in the girls’ bathroom and catch him in there because his is stopped up.
9. She could come home, find him asleep on the couch, be putting a blanket over him when he wakes up.
10. He could come home, find her asleep on the couch, be putting a blanket over her when she wakes up
11. He could catch her reading the letter
12. He could catch her in his office, looking for the letter since it’s not in the trash can anymore
13. He could come home and she’s baking his favorite pie to cheer him up−he helps--and they end up in a food fight starring whipped cream
14. She could come home and find HIM cooking−something he does to de-stress−and ditto with the whipped cream
15. She could come home to find him just having gotten home from the gym−all sweaty and manly (LOL)
16. She could bring the dog home now! And it barks all night…they have to stay up with it and have their conversation in between yaps…until they fall asleep somewhere weird and when they wake up in the morning…

Geesh. See the difference between sixteen and the rest???

So, remember what I said yesterday about how I covered up a conversation between Rose and Tory with a trip to the doggie rescue shelter? And how I planned to use a dog later? Well, duh. Turns out NOW is the time to introduce that dog to the household.

Idiot. Don’t know what I was waiting for.