So I have this theory on luck. At least how my luck works.
I believe I have this pool of luck inside me somewhere. Your guess is as good as mine as to where it actually resides. Maybe it’s in my lucky double-jointed thumbs, who knows?
But see, this pool can only hold so much. So when it hits a breaking point, I’m showered down upon with all kinds of winnings. Of course, once it’s gone, it’s gone so I have no more luck until the pool fills back up. Maybe that’s a karma thing, but I’ll have to think further before I postulate on that one.
Usually it’ll be a string of winnings. Sometimes it’s blown in one big-shot offering, but I never know when it will strike. It’s like waiting for Christmas, but not knowing what day it’s on.
Going back ten years, here are some of the prizes I’ve won in random order:
-A trip to New York (flight, hotel, Michael Jackson concert tickets)
-Lunch for two at my favorite restaurant
-$100
-A year membership to SCBWI
-$5000
-Free airport parking
-Books (several, and diverse)
-Gourmet chocolate-caramel apples (came in a freezer-package in the mail, very cool)
-Handmade bracelet
-Gift cards
-Full fixings for French dip sandwiches
Many of these came in quick succession, very few came as a single shot (just the $5000 in fact—that wiped my luck out for a good 2 years).
I know luck can often be looked down on in plot-lines. We’re generally told that events in our novels have to be established, planned for, and have a good reason. But still, luck has its place. So where does it fit in in your work? Does it?