I’m often asked where I get my story ideas. They
come from everywhere, especially the headlines. Along with the current news, advice
columns are a goldmine of ideas. So are obits. I have an “idea file” stuffed with newspaper clippings
with intriguing headlines. I don’t even need to know the whole
story---headlines by themselves are great writing prompts.
Consider these headlines from the Ask Amy advice column:
Boyfriend’s Social Scrutiny is Troubling
A
woman’s insecure boyfriend was sure she was having an “emotional” affair with a
male friend, who happened to be gay. The boyfriend created secret social-media
accounts to monitor the woman’s daily activity. He also monitored the friend’s
activity. In addition, he even felt threatened by his girlfriend’s female
friends.
The
woman concludes with “He’s wonderful in so many ways.” Hmm.
Oh
my, does this give me ideas. Who will be the victim(s) here?
Neighbors’
Partying Creates a Disturbance
A couple moves to a beautiful new house in the
winter months. Come summer, the neighbors are having raucous parties until the
wee hours. What should the couple do? They don’t want to alienate their new
neighbors.
In real life, tempting as it may be, this couple probably would balk at
actual murdering the offending neighbors. But in murder mystery land it’s as
good a motive as any. Enough sleepless nights will put anyone in a murdering
mood.
Using Work to Avoid Life
after an Act of Infidelity
A
woman has an “emotional” affair. When her partner confronts her about it, she
blames him, telling him he wasn’t around to talk to her. Then she gets a
promotion and uses work responsibilities to avoid dealing with her partner.
Lots
of story potential here, from varying perspectives: partner, employer, former
(or current) lover, “emotional” or otherwise.
From
the news
FBI: Cruise Ship Passenger Killed Wife
Because “She Would Not Stop Laughing at Me”
In July of 2017, a Utah man was charged with killing
his 39-year old wife aboard an Alaskan cruise ship. When asked by a witness why
he had attacked his wife, he responded: “She wouldn’t stop laughing at me.”
I’m bursting with questions after reading this
article. What kind of life did this couple lead at home in Utah? Did the wife
often laugh at her husband? Their stunned neighbors described them as the
“perfect” couple, celebrating an anniversary at sea. They gave no hints of the
horror to come. Really?
The answers to my questions don’t really matter,
because I can spin my own story around this tragedy.
People don’t like to be ridiculed and traveling can
be fraught with tension. Laughter has been the motive for many a murder. In the
story I’m currently writing, the victim was given to freely laughing and may,
just may, have laughed at the wrong
person.
Escaped prisoner who swapped places with twin
is recaptured in Peru
A prisoner allegedly drugged his visiting twin brother and changed into his clothes before walking out of prison. After 13 months, he's been recaptured.
Obits:
Mine someone’s life for ideas
Clancy Sigal, Novelist Whose Life Was a Tale
in Itself, Dies at 90
Novelist
Clancy Sigal died last July. He went to jail at age 5. His mother, a Socialist
union organizer, had been arrested in Chattanooga, Tennessee for violating
social and legal norms when she met with black and white female textile
workers. Hauled away to the jailhouse, she took Clancy with her.
As
an American Army sergeant in Germany, Clancy plotted to assassinate Hermann Göring
at the Nuremberg war crimes trials. Later, he landed on Hollywood’s blacklist.
During a 30-year self-imposed exile in Britain as an antiwar radical, Mr. Sigal
was the Nobel Prize-winning novelist Doris Lessing’s lover and
often flirted with suicide.
This
man’s life could fill several books.
A
few more headlines
Illinois Man Killed by Cyanide Poisoning after
Striking It Rich in Lottery
A Woman Ponders Grounds for
Divorce
Virginia Man Pleads Guilty
in Conspiracy Case
As
writers, we can come up with our own headlines, creating a stockpile of ideas
for stories, podcasts, and blog posts. Writing coach Ann Kroeker challenges writers to compose 50 headlines in
one week. For more information, see her post here.
Maggie King is the author of the Hazel Rose
Book Group mysteries, including Murder at the Book Group and Murder
at the Moonshine Inn. She has contributed stories to the Virginia is for
Mysteries anthologies and to the 50 Shades of Cabernet anthology.
Maggie is a member of Sisters in Crime, James
River Writers, and the American Association of University Women. She has worked
as a software developer, retail sales manager, and customer service supervisor.
Maggie graduated from Elizabeth Seton College and earned a B.S. degree in
Business Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology. She has called
New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California home. These days she lives in
Richmond, Virginia with her husband, Glen, and cats, Morris and Olive. She
enjoys reading, walking, movies,
traveling, theatre, and museums.
Website:
http://www.maggieking.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MaggieKingAuthr
Instagram:
authormaggieking
Fun post, Maggie. I remember asking all those same questions when the guy on the cruise ship snapped because his wife laughed at him. Headlines are everywhere if you've got the time to notice them and a little bit of imagination.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Amy. All these ideas make writing fun for me.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post, Maggie. Yes, so much inspiration all around us. More ideas than I can ever use! Life is indeed stranger (and wilder, and scarier) than fiction.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Maggie! I also find story ideas in historical headlines. Some of the stories are sad and some are pretty funny. Oops. I'm not laughing at anyone.
ReplyDelete