I decided to start the novel with a bang, instead of a body. I wrote what happened to Glenn the programmer who died at the beginning of Null_Pointer. It was important to know how he died, so that the reader would be weary of who else would die. So when that person starts to fall victim to the bad guy’s program, the reader gets nervous.
It’s no secret to readers of this blog how my BG kills with his code. He uses Flash animation and music to hypnotise his victim and then he creates the reality of the person’s worst nightmare. He just waits for the person to convince himself that he is going to die. Eventually, the person dies.
Knowing what happens to the victim at the outset, sets up suspense for when the BG tries to get another person in the story. Dancia will be the next victim and when it starts to happen to her, we will learn what her phobia is and how it will be slain later in the story.
I really love it when things fall into place like this in a story. It’s probably the most interesting part of writing for me and it does not involve actual writing. Plotting. A good plot makes a great story.