First, let’s talk about chapter titling. This is something I went back and forth on for a while. I don’t mean the title of this chapter, I mean titling my chapters period. It’s a mixed preference. Me, I decided to go with it.
In this chapter, we visit a few places for key scenes. But the reason I chose the title I did for this chapter was because I felt that’s where the most important piece of the chapter takes place. It’s a part of the main storyline for the novel, where the other scenes following secondary stories, one being the relational evolution between Jake and Liz in this chapter.
This chapter is where we start to see not only a greater reconnection between Jake and his father, we see Jack take his son under his wing. When they visit the scene of the crime, Jack teaches his son how to analyze a crime scene, work the angles, and in some cases, think like a criminal.
When I wrote this chapter, I was thinking this is what I wanted growing up. I wanted my dad walking me through how to do things. My dad knew how to do a lot of things, none of which he ever showed me. It’s a frustrating thing to look back on, but I’ve learned to forgive and let go. But it was cathartic to write a father and son bonding scene where you get to see a father be a father and show his son, albeit an adult one, how to make his way through a difficult first - his first investigation and one that he is emotionally attached to.
Some of the behaviors and interactions that I gave to the father and son duo were built off my eventual relationship I established with my father later in adulthood, the joking nature of their relationship, the willingness to scold each other, and things that I think occur naturally in a good father-son relationship. While my relationship with my father wasn't what I wanted up through college, it grew into something special later in life.
The other major part of this chapter was fleshing out the early stages of the relationship between Jake and Liz. This is the first time we get to see them alone. That’s different than writing a public setting in a group of friends. There’s a greater sense of intimacy. So, this was interesting to write. I didn’t want it to feel cliched, but I also had to try to find a familiar spot to write from. I had to reflect on what it was like going through the dating scene during my college years - 35 years ago. Not an easy task. A lot of the female dialog and behaviors I would run through my wife to help me make it a little more realistic from the women’s point of view. That certainly helps. If anything, I’m definitely not afraid to ask for help in that sense.
Another thing about writing a novel of this type, with a main character based on myself, is a lot of references to things that really happened. There’s a few in this chapter. The cool kids these days call them easter eggs.