Thread: A major twist, you never know when it will happen.

I was well under way with my last novel following a particular plot. I ran into a doctor that I know in Home Depot. He is a diver too and was in the special forces. I asked him what he was up to and he said, Deep, technical diving." I asked him how deep and he said 300 feet. I commented that was almost Newt Suit territory, then asked if it was a wreck.

He paused, smiled and said, "Yeah, that's all I can say."

This threw my mind into overdrive. What was an ex Navy Seal diving on that he couldn't discuss? something that the government had to disavow any knowledge of? This put a major twist into my book and set off a major subplot. Ideas are out there, everywhere.

Very cool. I love finding inspiration in the every day world. Reality is sometimes stranger than fiction.

The fact that it was a wreck, but had to be kept quiet turned this book on it's head. I turned it into rogue agents high within the CIA fabricate orders and subvert a nuclear submarine on a secret mission. A SEAL team was to deploy Ebola virus into the water supply of Mexico forcing them to close the borders once and for all. the captain of the vessel has last minute regrets about the mission and drives the sub into a reef. Now, lying within the territorial waters of Mexico, it must be retrieved covertly.

Of course our hero blows the top off of the cover by reporting it to the Mexican government. This embroils our country into riots as the Mexicans protest this biological attack. The president being totally in the dark is in a really bad spot and needs some heads to hang on the wall.

Ideas are all over the place. I get many from reading, films, and just talking to people. Deep diving - maybe he is working for BP.

Have you seen The Big Blue? Very nice film about deep sea diving.