Brainstorming

I love having a brainstorming partner who knows nothing about writing.

Well, to be fair to Husband, he knows something about writing. He knows I love to do it, and agonise over it more than almost anything else in my life. He knows it's hard to do, hard to do well, and even harder to get published.

But he doesn't know about character arcs, conflicts, motivations, the Big Why, the Black Moment, the acceptable and unacceptable plot devices... which makes him my favourite person to brainstorm with. He tackles the problems I present head on, providing different scenarios to fit the need I describe, and never gets annoyed when I question his ideas.

Usually the solution to the problem is a joint solution - his ideas sparking my own until we forge something together.

Driving back from York on Wednesday, I ruthlessly used Husband to work out a plot problem in the opening chapters. A simple matter of moving characters and situations about in a believable and well-motivated manner. I knew we'd got to the right solution when the lines started playing in my head again. Always a good sign.

At the culmination of this intelligent and insightful discussion of ideas, I was reflecting on how wonderful it was to be married to someone who takes my thoughts seriously, and addresses his whole intelligence to solving problems with me.

Husband heaved a satisfied sigh and then asked anxiously if I was still using his idea for the death of the villain. It's a particularly gruesome idea, involving a bound man, a truck, a Land Rover, and a big bump in the road.

"Yes, dear."

"Cool," he said, gleefully.

One of the things I love about Husband is his ability to be Grown-Up and Small Boy in the same instant.