June 16, 2005
I was waiting for my "date" in the lobby of the Westin last night, staring blankly off into space. I was going out to dinner with two lovely ladies associated with the Associated of Genetic Technologists, and was waiting for Stephanie in the lobby. The grand piano played music--it's a player grand, which is rather disconcerting, since there's no human being at the keys--and on the first floor level the H&R Block conference has a luau going. It's this big space, comfy chair, faux-rock walls and climbing ivy, etc. Everything a Westin hotel should be, I suppose.

I've been working on Angels Falling, and I'm trying to get a grip on all the plot threads I'm introducing, especially one where the Director of National Intelligence discovers that the main character is still alive and is undercover at the Summit. The DNI is a shrewd man and understands the value of political currency and he's in need of some, because there are major turf wars between the director of CIA, the secretary of Homeland Security (who placed the main character at the Summit), the Pentagon, the NSA and the DNI. So suddenly the DNI has some very valuable information. A man who was under a congressional investigation and FBI investigation which ended when he died, is suddenly discovered to be alive and still working. Even more so, the reason he was under investigation was because of questionable tactics and the possibility of his connection to a terrorist organization--a terrorist organization that is going to take over the G8 Summit. So the question for me was, How is the DNI going to use this information?

I was worried that I was making things too complicated. Although I wanted some of the complications to occur outside the Resort where the Summit is being held, once things get really going and all hell breaks loose, the predominant action is claustrophobic and internal. And I didn't really know what to make of the DNI's actions and how that would affect Derek, the main character.

So I'm spacing out at the Westin and the idea pops into my head, the DNI is letting members of the Senate Intelligence Committee know about a possible cover-up by the Secretary of Homeland Security. Won't one of them let the guy running security at the Summit know that there's a possible mole at the site? The terrorists are going to find out about Derek's presence soon enough. But once they get going, the Secret Service, etc., might have to rely on Derek as an inside guy. But what if the Secret Service doesn't trust Derek because of the way the DNI plays his cards?

In other words, I'm making things harder for the main character, creating conflict on every front, and that is the secret to creating tension and drama, whether you're writing a thriller, a mystery, a romance or a mainstream literary novel. There has to be obstacles between your main character and whatever his or her goals. The more obstacles and the higher and more dangerous those obstacles--and I don't just mean physical, but mental and psychological as well--the better the book is going to work. And the harder the job you've created for yourself in some ways, from a plotting position, because you have to solve these problems in some way. But it can work in mainstream fiction, as well. Say your young woman needs to prove that she's capable of running the office, but her husband is abusive, her kids have ADD, her mother has Alzheimer's, her boss is a schizophrenic power freak and her co-workers are backstabbing bitches. Then the power goes out and...

Oh never mind.

Best,
Mark Terry