On Suddenly Becoming a Cagey CEO--Reb MacRath
I've always hated CEOs, those brutal, heartless bastards, and would have laughed if anyone had told me I'd become one. Me, the bohemian who'd pursued the next big adventure in life and love and art? Me, the defiant one who'd never met a convention he didn't want to beat? You can imagine my shock when I found myself forced to become, yes, a CEO to save the WIP I'd worked on for six years.
May I explain? Thank you. Lean in and try to imagine...
The finale of my WIP is set in Tombstone, Arizona. For plot reasons, I needed one character to spend a single night in a particular spot on a major street. The more historical the setting, the better. I'd read several books and searched online, even bought a large detailed map of the quarter. Finally, I found the one and only hotel for my guy. The room photos I'd seen were as perfect as the hotel's history and location. And yet I faced a problem I saw no way around.
To wit: the hotel had only three suites, one per floor. And, since these are booked well in advance, there was no logical way my character could roar up on his motorcycle and get the glorious top suite just like that. Common sense told me to either invent a hotel for that same spot or choose a nearby substitute. Who'd care? My guy needs the room for less than a full night. But I cared! Nothing less than that hotel and that suite overlooking that street would do.
ENTER THE CEO
Where they came from I don't know.. But four words appeared as a mantra: There's always a way. Who's book was this, anyway? Who the devil was running this show? Was I a lowly messenger delivering sad tidings of what I could do--or was I the CEO? Think! Okay, the hotel is fully booked. Use your head and come up with a cool, clever way to unbook the top floor for this evening.
I can't describe the freedom and relief that came with becoming a creative CEO, wearing a bathrobe and slippers in my one-bedroom apartment. The exuberating rush inspired me to tackle other challenges I'd been too quick to write my way around: munitions and technical issues, etc.
Tough, resourceful CEOs don't whine or make excuses. They're warriors who get the job done.
This is my report.
*****
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