So here's the deal. I finished my first short story for the Writers of the Future Contest before I left for Asia. I'm here now, but I get bored easily and started working on an outline for my next story. I don't want to go into details yet, but I do hope to gather some information from everyone on how to put together the story line.
What I need is a profession for my main character. I don't want him to be a businessman or teacher. The one recommendation I've gotten thus far is "dolphin trainer," but I don't think that will really work. In my story, he needs to be walking home from the subway at one point and be brave enough to run into a burning building to save someone. I realize that just about anyone could do that under the right conditions, but I want a profession that would fit that kind of character. Any ideas?
Also, there is going to be a lot of neurological discussion in my story, but I'm not very familiar with literature about it. Can someone refer me to some short articles or paper about neuro surgery and psychology so I can have convincing technobable in my story? I don't need to come across as a Ph.D., but I want my characters to sound like they know what they're talking about.
Any and all help is appreciated!
Oh, and I'll keep you informed about how my previous story goes over with the competition. Whether or not I win anything I will post my story here eventually for all of your reading enjoyment.
