Need ideas for your fiction? Check your
email. Awhile ago I wrote about how visiting the zoo lets you observe
an amazing diversity of people—who could help round out your
novel’s cast. This morning I realized ideas for scenes come free to
my in-box.
My wife (a hardcore couponer) and I
reserve one account for commercial updates. While she sees it as a
source for bargains, it’s also a potential treasure trove for
writers wanting to think outside the box of their own experience.
Yesterday came an offer for a Beef
Wellington dinner at an expensive, exclusive restaurant. With a few
clicks I toured the restaurant, learned about its options for wedding
receptions, scanned the menu, and visited the romantic dining room. A
few clicks to its reviews on Tripadvisor.com offered insights
into what people experience there—including one encounter with a
bartender having a bad day. Lots of ideas—all free.
This morning three back-to-back email
offers grabbed my attention.
● The first, from livingsocial.com,
advertised “couples’ massage + foot soak + champagne.” Down the
page I found opportunities for a day of paintball for two, tattoo
removal, and “Nia fitness” classes.
Not my usual activities, so I’d need
help just to think of them, let alone describe them with realism.
● Second was a deal for yoga classes
and ionic foot baths. Ionic? I thought that was a kind of Greek
column.
Scanning down the screen I learned
about a barbecue cooking class for two, followed by an introductory
pistol course (also available for a girls’ night out) followed by
whiskey and cigars at a steak house. (The girls’ night out option
substitutes red or white wine and light appetizers for the whiskey
and cigars.)
● Third came a deal for a 90-minute
light plane flight experience that includes on-the-ground instruction
in a flight simulator, followed by a “45-minute flight with you at
the controls.”
Not suitable for your novel? Other
choices included an eight-hour fly fishing trip for two, a golf
lesson with swing evaluation, and ten one-hour Irish dance classes.
Whether you need ideas or a source for
details, the answers are just a few clicks away.
