What Breaks Your Heart?

Today at church I had a stellar idea for a novel, or for at least a start of my next novel. I've been playing with an idea of having a mystery where the protagonist is a grown up Anthony, our former foster kiddo. Right now I've been writing a silly little romance cum literary fiction novel, but it kinda has nowhere to go. I'm waiting for my novel Vapor Trail to come back from editing, I'm uninspired to write the children's book on Rangers, so I'm sort of casting around for a new project. This one about Anthony might have just found a place in my schedule.

"What breaks your heart?"

I see the novel starting with that.

Anthony would be the protagonist. The idea came to me when I considered Anthony's future. I was in a morose state, have been for a while now. 2015 took alot out of me. For more on that see my other post (here). Nonetheless I was thinking about Anthony and his future. He will be in long term foster care for the rest of his life if he is lucky. He might go to be a foster or adoptive kid in an Indian tribe, but that doesn't look likely. He might go back to his no count parents, but again, not likely. He's going to have a rough life.

At first I thought it would be a great genisis story for a villain, but then I gave it another thought. What if he overcomes all of the hurdles that will be thrust on him and is successful. It was a complete change in perspective for me. In my mind he would be a mystery solving protagonist who has no sympathy for the antagonists he faces since his own background was so tough.

It's already inspired me to get started on it. Just hat first line is sometimes enough to get things going in the right direction.