Employing Unexpected Elements in Fiction

Click here to check out a display of several books in honor of Women’s History Month.

When I woke today I realized it was the first day of Daylight Savings Time here in the U.S. this year. The next thought that popped into my head was the following:

Daylight Savings Time is an excellent example of an unexpected element that can be thrown into a fiction story to cause obstacles for the protagonist.

For example:

The protagonist’s plane leaves at 10 a.m. from Los Angeles. She gets to the airport with plenty of time to spare at 9 a.m. Only — wait for it — DST just started and it is really 10 a.m. and the plane is taking off!

Now what if she absolutely had to be on that plane in order to make an interview for a job that she really needs because her fiance is expecting her to join him in moving to New York.

Sure, she can call to say she missed her plane. But what if the other top candidate did not miss his plane and …

Anyway, you get the picture. And I admit this is not the most exciting scenario (hey, I did just wake up after losing an hour of sleep!).

But the idea of suddenly putting a kink in what is usually a normal routine can lead to some sticky fiction situations. And sticky situations cause conflict, which cause our readers to keep turning the pages of our books.

The premise of my romantic suspense spy thriller CIA FALL GUY has this kind of unexpected element thrown into the routine life of a woman. Thrown the wrench, so to speak, the protagonist grasps at a chance to prevent the disruption of her life.

And thanks to the unexpected element, the story of CIA FALL GUY is off and running in unexpected directions.

Now click here to read my guest post “Writing Strong Female Characters: The Need for Positive Role Models in Fiction”

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebooks, including TOP TIPS FOR HOW TO PUBLISH AND MARKET YOUR BOOK IN THE AGE OF AMAZON and the romantic suspense spy story CIA FALL GUY.

Click here to visit her Amazon author page at viewAuthor.at/PhyllisZimblerMiller

She also has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the co-founder of the online marketing company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com