Some writers – the better ones, I've always thought – can see entire story and character arcs and how they all entwine before ever putting a word onto a page.

I generally have vague ideas for arcs, fueled by one or two sentences that emblazon themselves rather conspicuously in my mind. Those assemblages of words seem, for the first few hours, the most brilliant sentences of which anyone has ever conceived – then, I invariably pick the poor things apart or stick them into some lackluster piece where they don't really belong.

But today, I had an unsolicited flash of words that actually fit into a much larger arc that I'm just beginning to write.

The teaser: “From that moment forward, she realized, she had put her every effort into acting as a void, so that no one could ever again grip her so tightly without her consent. Soon, she came to realize that being a black hole had its advantages – men, and the occasional creatively minded woman, are easily flattered into believing that they can fill, completely and entirely, the largest of gaping holes, but rarely do they ever plumb the depths enough to do so effectively. She could finally flow freely, being neither stopped up nor pinned down, merely by letting those around her believe that she was fulfilled in her apparent position as a vapid subordinate.”

Yes, it's full of obvious sexual imagery, and flattering to neither sex, and I like it that way.

I do need to find some more creative synonyms in places, though.