Following the #WordWeavers hashtag in the Mastodon Fediverse.
Many things that go back and forth among published pros and folks -- like me -- who aspire to getting something published.
Unrelated to McGuffin's specifically, I saw an essay on novels that open with a focus on a thing. Something tangible.
For the first of my #Western #Horror books, The Veil, I had a scrap of leather, a parashant, that one of the characters waved around.
For the second book, there was no thing. Nothing tangible to look at and talk about.
Finally realized what it needed to be and how it could be important.
Meanwhile.
I'm in the middle of writing non-fiction. This puts a lot of fiction on hold.
On hold until my brain cramps up with technical details and I need to uncramp it by doing something unrelated to the technical writing.
I may have to put down a few hundred words on the little broken raven icon one of the characters has. The icon shifts the focus (dramatically) of the opening, put more agency into Geraldine's decisions-making.
This makes be feel good.