It should come as no surprise that democracy is alive and well.
It should also not come as a surprise to finally discover that every vote counts, that you as an individual can make a very large difference in an election outcome.
And for those who don’t vote in a country where voting is optional, well, there’s no complaining when the result of an election doesn’t go your way.
I’ve always believed my single vote counted for nothing.
Not any more.
I’ve been thinking ….
… and that could be a good thing or a bad thing.
An idea had popped into my head, fired up from seeing the news on television. I don’t normally look at the news if I can help it because usually its all bad, deaths, fires, drugs, and worst of all, politics.
This item was the equivalent of a two paragraph ‘mention’ buried on page six of the newspaper.
It was the umpteenth variation of a common story, wife having an affair, wife murdered, and, after seeing so many American and English cop shows, assumed the husband would be the number one suspect, no children involved mercifully, but there was something else going on, something I thought I could read between the lines.
No names were mentioned.
I’m not sure why it captured my imagination, but it did, and it swirled around in my head for about a week.
Then, out came a pad and pen and I started to write.
I put myself in the place of the husband and tried to imagine what it was like.
It is a work in progress.
A week or so later, another small paragraph appeared on page five, getting closer to the front page.
No names still because I assume the relative had not been tracked down.
But this alluded to something else as being the cause, and it was the manner of the death that warranted further investigation.
My imagination went into overdrive.
Rest assured I’ll be scouring the papers for the next ‘clue’.
It has any number of names, from Leave of Absence to Vacation, but it is meant to be a time where you can rest and relax.
And by the time you finally get to go away, preferably somewhere as far from home as possible, you are sure ready for it.
Those long days at the office, the decisions, the deadlines, the endless pressure of having to achieve the impossible all melt away when you walk out the door, and what a feeling it is when you tell everyone, ‘I’m off on holidays, see you when I get back.’
As anyone will tell you, it’s not wise to travel the next day if at all possible, because you need some time to decompress before tackling what sometimes can be an arduous getting to the final destination, especially if it is at a peak holiday period, or on planes where anything and everything can go wrong very quickly.
Been there done that.
We traveled the next day, nothing went wrong, and all is fine.
Except …
As a writer and having spent the last few months finishing off my last novel, I was looking forward to some down time. The editor has the final draft, and I’m happy.
Then, as it always does, the best laid plans of mice and men …
It all comes unstuck.
Inspiration often comes out of left field; something happens, a piece in a newspaper, an item on TV, or just lying down staring at the ceiling, when ‘bang’ it hits you.
The start of a story, a theme that you can run with.
Damn.
I’ve been away for four days now and written seven chapters and the words will not stop.
If only …
Hey, what a great title for the story.
Sorry, got to get back to work!
Thrills, Spills, and just a dash of Romance 