24-hour a"muse"ment

As a kid I watched MacGyver. Laugh all you want - he was one smart dude. And Richard Dean Anderson was no slouch in the looks department, either. My Dad would tell you my fascination with the show bordered on obsessive, so much so I mourned after the season finale for years.

And then came 24 -- and with it, Jack Bauer. Sigh.

I watched the first season on DVD in one weekend. I admit, parts of the show are unrealistic, and no mortal could be as heroic as Jack. But for me, Kiefer Sutherland plays a convincing (and hot) action hero, and 24 taught me a lot about writing thrillers. It was after watching the first season for the second time that I decided to randomly cut a key character from ABSOLUTION. Joey died that night. She's been killed several times since - I never get the story right on the first draft - but if not for a wild twist in 24, I might never have considered murdering Joey at all.

This week, I'll need to borrow Jack's torture techniques. If that sounds morbid, I guess it kind of is. I'm putting two characters through hell, and the Angel on my shoulder is not impressed. These aren't easy scenes to write for me, but like Jack would argue, this torture is a means to a satisfying - if not thrilling - end.

And of course, Jack is the perfect muse to help me cross the finish line on this project. Paul Walker might be fast, but no one works better under pressure than Jack Bauer -- how else could he accomplish SO MUCH in just 24 hours?