When the computer fails, call your writer friend

Well after my dearest friend wrote this post on her blog I knew I had to write something back (aren't both sides of a story best)

So on Wednesday I was chatting away on google to Esther about how terribly hard the next scene in my story would be to write. Well actually it was probably whining 'I can't do this, I've got writers block..." blah blah blah and she was saying "I think you should do this I know you can!" anyway I explained more of the situation and she started saying "well maybe you should just quit" and I'm like "I've written 17k+ I can't give up now"
So anyway she was so persuasive that I decided to turn off chat and start plotting (which for me is something short of a miracle as I've only done it 3 times before)
So I put on the head phones and listen to Does anybody see her? -Casting Crowns. I needed something depressing as I was planning the worst thing so far that has happened to my MC -main character-

After  30 minutes or so I something slaps me in the face.  My MC is attacked by the "Baddie" and I need to come up with a injury that seems fatal but she actually survives -without medical attention.

So I surf the internet looking to see if you can actually survive a neck fracture (which is very possible depending on where the break is Buuutttt big fat problem for me: it requires medical attention, just what I need)  So I try something else: Maybe her attacker has a knife? So I google the possibilities of surviving being stabbed by a knife and end up in this forum debating whether being shot or stabbed in the stomach is more lethal. Apparently it is pretty even, though  depending on the gun it is "supposedly" meant to be slightly less prone to infection as when the bullet enters the body it is in one area and the flesh bounces back (more or less) to it former position as opposed to a knife which wrecks havoc. Anyway by now quite a lot of time had past and I was getting no where so I turned chat back on to see if Esther had any wild ideas and this is what I saw:


{4:20 PM}  Esther: You still on? I need to ask a question.
*impatiently* In a BAD WAY!!!{4:21 PM} Hmmm....you’re not responding.
You must be gone. {4:32 PM} Esther: Okay, you probably won’t get this until tomorrow, but anyway—my problem is this:
I know what the history is, and how it’s going to work, but I don’t have a ‘problem’ for my MC [main character—writer’s lingo]. You know how it’s good to have a plot-inside-a-plot? That’s what I’m talking about. I don’t have anything “small” for her to resolve while I tell the real story along side. Nothing for her to fix. I’m stuck. HELP!!!! I’ve prayed about it, but nothing has come…yet. In a moment I’m going to go to a secret hidey-hole with my Bible and try to think…{4:33 PM} your prayers would be very much appreciated (and I’m praying for you, too)


So then I type:

{4:46 PM} hello?
hellooooooooo?{4:47 PM} I have a please please please please answer question, I will like have to ring you if you don’t answer.... I think I might do that anyway....  


Well anyway Esther and I rarely talk on the phone being writers and all that we stick to typing, but by now I'm quite desperate so I pick up the phone and promptly think its Esther answering when it's her Mum.
Anyway to cut it short (well hee-hee not really) we spent 1, 1/2 hours and 4 seconds talking about each of our stories. Oh ok we did spent the last half hour talking about books but that's writing related isn't it?
So after that I ended up with one strange new idea and a lot more clarity of where the story was (more or less) going.
Isn't it awesome that having a writer friend that lives not so far away? And because of what she writes (I assure you our writing is as different as chalk and cheese even though we are both writing Historical Fiction at the moment) she sees my story in a different light and can point out the breaks?
Isn't God great? I mean she and I come from different corners of the globe, in other words  I'm rather thrilled that God sent me a writer friend all the way from America who's lovely-ness doesn't stop at being able to write . She is such a source of encouragement and advice and I'm sure there'll be more phone calls later. As I still haven't figured out what kind of injury I'm gonna give to Beatrice :D

                                                          Thanks Esther!!

 ~Love Miss Tiffany