Police Blotter

I love the police blotter in my local paper. Granted, there's not a lot of crime in a two-cow town like where I am. But the police blotter is a great catalyst-- it's vinegar on my baking soda brain. Things start fizzing.

Sometimes it's just amusing. Who the hell steals a giant inflatble turkey from a display?

Sometimes it's foolishness. Look, folks, don't leave your laptop, cell phone, GPS, CD collection, DVD player and DVD collection, checkbook, purse, and cash in your unlocked car, even if it is parked in your driveway. It will get stolen. Every other day there's a report of things stolen from unlocked cars in the paper.

Often, it starts me thinking about characters and scenarios. Why did someone steal all those little pumpkins around the county? What did they use them for? I start coming up with answers to the questions.

What if someone reported their things stolen from the car becuase they wanted insurance money? Why did they want the money? And the big question-- how does Bo get brought into this.

That's where the fun begins, really. Because, in order for Bo to be part of it, the investigation has to warrant someone hiring her. I have to make it big enough or serious enough for someone to hire her. So I start spinning. Sometimes the yarn turns into a sweater. Sometimes it turns into a lopsided trapezoid.

What if? And Why?

Oh, I really got to give Patti Abbot credit here, because she had a post asking where people get ideas. I got the idea for this post from her. Thanks, Patti. =)

She's also got a book review blog event coming up.

• Story in Progress: Bo Novel #1, just topped 50k yea!


• Reason for Not Writing: Adventures in Errand Running


• Current Song: Only Happy When it Rains by Garbage