I had an idea for a blog, but it’s going to have to wait for next week because I can’t seem to put down the book I’m reading. If you like romantic adventure, I highly recommend this one: Making Waves by Tawna Fenske. It’s a very funny and engaging adventure.
Speaking of books, I’m planning to start writing one during November for National Novel Writing Month. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. My basic idea involves a research scientist (she’s actually a grad student working on her PhD) who gets involved with some kind of spy/undercover agent (I haven’t decided yet) to stop a series of crimes involving her stolen work. I’ve been trying to think of movies to watch for inspiration, but the only one I came up with was The Saint, which I don’t particularly care for. I posted a request for other movie suggestions on a couple of forums and got great ideas like Red, True Lies, Romancing the Stone, and Knight and Day. Also a TV show called Covert Affairs that I’d never heard of and can’t wait to watch.
Someone asked what kind of inspiration I was looking for: mood (to get me in the mood to write a romantic spy adventure) and character. I want the heroine to be out of her element in the spy world, but I also want the hero to be out of his element in her world, which is where most of the action will take place. At this early stage, I’m thinking of him as a Lloyd Dobler who has grown up to be Martin Blank. He’s isolated himself and encounters a woman who makes him rethink his whole world.
Anyway, I thought I’d throw it out there to you all as well. Any suggestions for movies, books, tv shows, or songs to inspire for a story like that?
Not quite what you are looking for, but Pelican Brief comes to mind.
I love Lloyd Dobler.
That had to be said.
Also your plot sounds intriguing and I’m going to give a weird screwball suggestion…I love Trouble…a 90s julia roberts movie that had a caperish feel but captured the spy tone really engagingly for a movie that was not actually about spies. And have you seen Spy Game? Redford and Pitt…good flick but watch it for eye candy. Also quite well written.
I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don’t want to do that.
‘Taken’. Not really the genre you’re writing, but the way the main character pursues and takes out the enemy might be helpful.
I thought of a similar plot once. I tossed it aside in favor of historicals, but I’d love to chat about stuck plot lines as you hit them. Basically, I thought it would be funny if my ‘spy’ guy (who was more of a force-into-it type character) stole my grad student’s genetically engineered mice. I snorted up my sleeve at the idea of them hauling around a cage of stinky mice. Also played with the idea of the sentinal mouse being the important one. If any of that speaks to you, it’s yours.