I spent several weeks scratching out some possible new characters and simultaneously deciding which ones to remove. I still liked the coming-of-age elements of the original story, but sketched out a framework that would layer in a murder mystery. I thought it would make the story more compelling. More engaging. More something.
The truth is that no one knows a good idea from a bad one until they try it. And I had no way of knowing if adding a murder would enhance the story. But I stuck with the new direction anyway.
My best inspirations came at night, and I would type out anything from general plot architectures to specific lines I thought would sound cool for a character to say. And every night I would add to the list.
When I had roughly fifty pages of notes, I started to assemble a spreadsheet that outlined each chapter, chapter length, which characters were introduced, and what happened to them. It was also when I changed the title from Bury the Dead to ‘Denver Nights’. Most importantly though, I added the murder of Ellie O’Day. And a new character; Jack Blain.
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