[Maryann Corbett]

Thanks, Chris. Those are all good examples, some of which I eventually remembered.

What I was trying to get at was the limitation I see in working without certain colorful elements. "Duchess" gets some of its interest from historical detail. "Invisible Man" gets it from the drama inherent in disease and the threat of death. I have a relatively undramatic contemporary subject and I'm looking for help in drawing the reader and holding interest in people who might seem boring--and also in creating a psychologically believable narrator. But all examples help.