How I Came to Write This Story
for Crime Factory: The First Shift
by Anonymous-9
Few things give me a bigger charge than being invited to write. When the invitation came in from Keith Rawson to do a story for the first Crime Factory anthology, I said yes, even as my confidence was wobbly. I was completely dry for story ideas. Zip. Zilch.
The only notion I had was exploring the idea of murder from the POV of a "normal" person. What could drive such a person to the act? How could the benefit of murder outweigh the considerable risks? How about if it benefited another person, say a child?
I got on the phone and asked a pal who works for the gas company how you could kill somebody with an ordinary household appliance and make it look like an accident. That's where I got the idea of an exploding water heater. The title of my story, "2,894,000 Pounds of Pressure" is the point at which a common water heater becomes a deadly bomb that can destroy a whole house and everything in it.
I taped hours of explanation regarding the professional tools of a "gas man." I toured a truck with gas equipment & repair hardware. In my story, the house needing gas service is full of cats and cat shit—everywhere, up to the baseboards of the house. That was real. My gasman friend was actually in a stinking, fetid house like that where people lived.
I ended up writing not a whodoneit or a howdoneit but a willhedoit. If my story about a repairman, a child and an exploding water-heater bomb intrigues you, pick up a copy of Crime Factory: The First Shift, published by New Pulp Press. There are some wonderful stories in there, including one by Patti Abbott.
BIO: Short stories by Anonymous-9 have earned a Thriller Award nomination by an ITW judging panel, Spinetingler Magazine’s Best Short Story on the Web 2009, another nomination for the same award in 2010, and two Derringer nominations. Find out more at www.anonymous-9.com.
9 comments:
Thanks for the insight, A-9 – it’s always good to hear how talented scribes like you come up with ideas and approach a story. I’m looking forward to checking out your story (and Patti’s) as soon as I can. And, what a great series of articles, Patti.
Thanks for the insight, A-9 – it’s always good to hear how talented scribes like you come up with ideas and approach a story. I’m looking forward to checking out your story (and Patti’s) as soon as I can. And, what a great series of articles, Patti.
Please do one, Alan.
Thanks Alan, you're not so shabby on the story ideas yourself. Thanks Patti, for having me.
A-9
I remember that one well!
I've always enjoyed finding out this kind of info. so fascinating how folks come up with stories, some easy, some hard.
HI AL! Yes, Al remembers it well because he helped me with the end. I had gone on too long and you said, "Just leave it at the cats walking out the door." It was exactly what the story needed. Thanks.
Charles:
My pal was just in another cat house the other night. A deadbeat daughter inherited the house in an upscale neighborhood of properties worth half a mil. But she let the house get taken over by feral cats, and moved to the garage out back. Now that Child Welfare knows about the cats they have a reason to go in and rescue the kids. I'm so sad for those poor children and hope they can be adopted to good homes. Talk about life imitates art!
Anonymous-9
Cool to hear the story behind the story. Thanks for that, A-9. Dug that one.
Glen-Just read your story in Pulp Modern. Where do you get your ideas? Fantastic.
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