I’ve played around with a few ideas. Currently I’m playing around with the idea of having the Asylum director secretly hiring the agency to investigate a patient—who is a doppelganger of the director.

However, I don’t yet know where to go with that plot, and am not sure how to break it down into meaningful activities for James and the other agents to perform.

Who’s really mad?

The main inspiration for this storyline is the idea that the doctors themselves are insane. It’s the mad taking care of the mad, or possibly even the mad taking care of the sane, trying to fix non-existent ailments.

The more I think about it, I think this is a theme I can really run with. I probably won’t extend it past this part of the book, but it may be a great theme-of-the-week.

<aside> 💡 While so far the idea is to start off focusing on a single doctor, the plot can later develop to cast doubt on some or all of the other doctors as well.

</aside>

Cosmic horror

This seems like it may be a good opportunity to inject a bit of cosmic horror.

James’ role

‣.

Resolution

If we go with the doppelganger direction, what is the conclusion?

<aside> 💡 What point do I want to make?

</aside>

<aside> 💡 Are there any cultural blindsides to address?

</aside>

<aside> 💡 One doctor is supposedly insane. Does he have any delusions?

Does the director have any delusions?

</aside>

Is one doctor right and the other wrong?

If they have the same ideologies, then they should both be the same.

Ideas to avoid

<aside> 💡 Throwing things against the wall: What if the doctor ends up shooting his doppelganger and they both die?

No, I don’t like that. If the director is to die, I don’t want it to be that way.

</aside>