One fun writing exercise is to select a number of disparate, unrelated elements and work them into the core of a plot. You’ve probably heard of the concept before. In fact, I suspect several Elmore Leonard novels came about in exactly this way. Here’s an example.
1. An out-of-work plumber.
2. Colon cleanser.
3. A trip to Maui.
4. A beheaded politician.
5. A 25-year-old missionary.
Sounds a bit chaotic, doesn’t it? But from such elements, one could easily weave an interesting plot, with a bit of creativity. Try this on for size:
Plumb Out of Luck
A 30ish plumber from Boston is on a plane to Hawaii when he meets a 25-year-old missionary who is headed for a layover on the island, en route to a missionary assignment in Malaysia. At first, they don’t seem to get along, though they are assigned to seats next to each other, but as the trip unfolds they begin to sense some chemistry between them. Yet both are hiding secrets. The plumber is unemployed, depressed, and is as gruff as he is because he’s decided to end his life in Hawaii by taking a fatal dose of colon cleanser, though his begrudging attraction to the missionary girl causes him a moment’s hesitation. However, the missionary isn’t as saintly as she appears; the victim of domestic abuse, she is running away from her marriage by secretly enrolling in the mission trip. What she doesn’t realize is that her politician husband has been murdered - beheaded, actually - and by leaving she has placed a target on herself as the prime suspect in his murder, so the FBI is in hot pursuit. Can they overcome all that life has stacked against them to find true love?
How’s that?
