We’ve talked about those ripped-from-today’s-headlines stories as a source of ideas for fiction: teen bullying and suicide, drug addiction, drug legalization … These are all topics in the news right now, and might well provide a theme upon which to build a compelling novel.
But what about those little stories, the ones you might see on page 3? Sometimes it’s a human-interest story, or a piece tying up loose ends on a story that ran days or weeks ago. It might be a correction, or something in the lifestyles section of the paper. Look closer! There might be something that could really get your creativity humming.
Earlier this year I read this story in the Irish Times. It broke my heart.
Thieves who stole engraved watches left by a dying father in Co Louth to his two young sons have been asked to “to give them back”. They were specially engraved by Stephen Carroll (38) for his sons the week before he died in November.
“They are the only tangible gift Stephen left for his eldest sons and they are just heart-broken that they have been stolen,” said Mr Carroll’s sister-in-law Kerrie Carroll. The Omega watches have little or no monetary value, according to his family.
My first thought was what thief, even the most desperate, hard-hearted, could keep the watches from these little boys, who are currently ages ten and eight? Look at that photograph, for heaven’s sake! The Irishman agreed a thief might return them, but a junkie—and he thought it likely this was a drug-related theft—wouldn’t bother.
And if you think about it … that’s actually a better story.
What you could do with this? What if the younger of the two boys comes across his watch when he’s an old man? Or what if he’s young when he finds it? What if he finds the thief? What if the thief was a junkie, but he got cleaned up, using the watch alarm to keep appointments with his Narcotics Anonymous sponsor and later to be on time for his job as a dishwasher in a large hotel restaurant? What if the thief brings the watches back twenty years later? What if the third son (who hasn’t been left a watch, but probably has been given something else) goes looking for the watches, because one of his older brothers has come down with cancer?
I could keep riffing on this—but so could you. If you need an idea, watch for those little stories on page 3. Tweak them and they’re yours.
(This has become a series, it seems. Here are parts 1, 2, 3, and 4.)
UPDATE: There’s more on this subject here.
Tweet: If you need an idea, watch for the little stories on pg 3. Tweak them & they’re yours.
Tweet: A human-interest story, follow-up, correction, or lifestyles piece—all fodder for fiction.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”