“How many words today Bobby?” Ralph asked with his hand on his writer friend’s shoulder.
“458…not Hemingway’s 500 daily minimum, but I think good ones so I’m OK with it.”
“As long as you move the story forward Bobby.”
“How about you. How many?”
“Oh I couldn’t believe it, but I sat down and placed my fingers on the keyboard and I just kept typing. 1258 as I ended Chapter Six and I could have easily gone on but I had to go along food shopping with Rachael.”
“Wow! It comes so easily to you and your main character Arthur is so interesting.”
“Thanks! It’s kinda eerie, but the only parts of the writing that I have trouble with are the scenes without Arthur in them.”
“Maybe you should have written a biography of Arthur Wright instead of an action thriller.” Bobby was chuckling but Ralph looked at him rather seriously.
“I think that’s exactly what he wants!”
“Huh?”
“Arthur. You’ve hit upon it.”
“I was just kidding Ralph…you don’t really think…”
“I just got a crazy idea. Would you try something for me with your historical novel?”
“You…you’re serious aren’t you Ralph?”
“Look. Sit there at your writing desk and start your next sentence with “Mr. Wright….”
“You are seriously starting to worry me Ralph. You’ve been writing too much lately buddy.”
“Ha. You’re scared of him aren’t you?”
“Ridiculous!”
“Then do it.”
Bobby wrote “Mr. Wright…..and then started typing faster then he thought that he could. Faster than he had ever typed before and as his fingers were a blur above the keyboard, he was smiling.”
Ralph had to pull his friend’s hands away from the computer and force him to back off.
“I…I…don’t know what just happened but…well…it was fun! Really fun!”
“Ha…told you!”
The two friends leaned in to look at the screen and as they read what Bobby had just written, realized that the story had nearly zoomed off of the screen and they were both completely disappointed when the words ended mid sentence.
They both just stood and stared at each other in total disbelief.
“What if you changed his name slightly? Would that still work. We couldn’t have the same main character.” Ralph suggested.
“Let’s try!” Bobby sat at his computer and wrote “Adrian Wrightson decided to….”……… NOTHING!
“Guess not. Now what?” asked Bobby.
After quite a while, Ralph said “Would it be possible for both of us to have Arthur Wright as our main character?”
“No! He’s your character Ralph. I’ll just keep on…”
“Nonsense! You are my best friend and I don’t mind sharing in the least. Besides, we both need him now…and he knows it!”
Another staring session and a final agreement to the craziest of realities.
“Well, we could be co-authors or we could just write a series of stories about Arthur and alternate back and forth like a serial.” suggested Ralph.
“If you are sure you don’t mind sharing him Ralph.”
“I truly don’t think we have a choice Bobby.”

It was but seventeen months later when Bobby and Ralph were in New York City accepting the “Best Adventure Series of the Year” award for the blockbuster hit that had sold nearly a million copies of the four book series and was soon to become a full length movie “THE MYSTERIOUS ARTHUR WRIGHT!”