Last night I read my WIP from start to finish (which sounds pretty impressive until you know it’s only about 5500 words so far), and was satisfied it’s solid. Solid enough to continue moving forward, anyway. But as I outlined the next chapter I realized I needed some basic info about the legalities of how a photographer makes arrangements to photograph people. Not in a studio but in everyday settings. So today I did an online search and came up with this great resource that led me to some unflinchingly honest portraits by Marc McAndrews. I emailed Marc and told him the premise of my story and listed my questions. He wrote back very quickly with friendly and thorough answers. The funny thing is, the photos he does are nothing like the photographer’s work in my story but I loved Marc’s take on the world, and so took a chance on him helping me.

It really is true that people are eager to share their expertise with writers, and I choose to believe this willingness to help is due to the universal love of books.

Now all I have to do is write the next chapter.