Monday, January 10, 2011

Reality TKO's fantasy




So I received a text the other day from a friend. He says, "Oh my God, you have to write about this!" And he goes on to tell me about a story he'd just read in the StarTribune, our local newspaper, about nutjob who was going to mail one of his ex-girlfriends an intimate toy that was loaded with gunpowder, buckshot and BB's. Then he was going to blow it up at an "opportune" time. WHAT? No way! You've got to be kidding!!! In the newspaper? Really?????? I Googled it, and sure enough, my friend was not messing with my mind. This time.

Never in my wildest imaginings have I or any of the writers I know come up with something that horrifying, intriguing, or twisted. Which brings me to the point of this post. I was at a gas station in my home town of Siren, WI tonight. The clerk saw the word "writer" on my t-shirt and engaged me in a short conversation. He's a newspaper journalist for the county paper, and would like to delve into novel writing one day. He asked me where I get my plot ideas from...and isn't that just the question?

That interaction made me remember that I'd attended a great session at Bouchercon this past October on just that subject. There was a lineup of I think five authors, and the moderator had passed out a different section of the newspaper to a number of the attendees. One person got the sports page, one the business section, another the front page, and so on.

The object was for the audience member to read the first paragraph of any story of their choosing, and the authors had to brainstorm a plot out of that paragraph. And I'll be darned if they didn't manage to do it for each section, even sports and business. It sure made me look at the newspaper in quite a different light. I'd always kept an eye out for unusual stories, but to take ANY one of the pieces on the page and twist it into a murder mystery was something I hadn't considered.

So the next time you sit down with your morning coffee and your favorite paper, pick out a story, read that first paragraph, and see what you can come up with. Even ask your wife or husband or partner to brainstorm with you if they're around. I guarantee you'll come up with something. If it's useable or not, who knows, but what a simple exercise to get that writer's brain all juiced up. Since reality is so often loonier than fiction, run with the truth once in awhile. Who knows where you'll end up, and it'll probably be a hell of a ride!

11 comments:

Sue Ann Jaffarian said...

I find that the news, TV shows, stories I hear from other people, all make great plot boilers. They don't give me the plots themselves, but they plant ideas that grow into my own patch of plots. Something as simple as a well worded headline or even a throw away like in a show, can trigger a whole book idea or even a series.

Beth Groundwater said...

Great idea, Jessie! In my books, I like to have the murder occur while something else is going on--a ski vacation to Breckenridge, the FIBArk whitewater festival, a fishing tournament, the opening of a new trail riding stable, etc. Yesterday kicked off the annual Ullr Festival in Breckenridge, and the local paper had a list of all the activities, including a body art show. I think I'll go to the bonfire tonight, complete with alcoholic beverages & appetizers, for research. That's right, research! ;-)

Kathleen Ernst said...

Great idea, Jessie. In our devious minds, we can make mayhem from anything!

Lois Winston said...

Jessie, not only is the newspaper a writer's best friend when it comes to research, but so are magazines and even ads. I've used them all in various ways in my books. Just last week I figured out the perfect murder victim for my next book by reading a news story.

Jessie Chandler said...

Sue Ann, it is amazing where inspiration comes from...indeed, sometimes the smallest kernel of something has a huge inpact.

Beth, I love the idea of your murders occuring somewhere, in the midst of something fun. Have a great bonfire and do that research up right!!!!!

Kathleen, legal deviousness and mayhem making rock!

Lois, good point in highlighting other sources of inspiration. Gotta love those ah ha moments :-)

Alan Orloff said...

Newspapers are good for inspiring novel ideas. And would you believe that fortune-cookie fortunes are good for inspiring short story ideas?

Jessie Chandler said...

Alan, what a great idea! I'll have to stop putting "between the sheets..." in front of the fortune and substitute "over my dead body..." :-)

Alice Loweecey said...

I have an entire plot/subplot fine of stories from the newspaper. It's a never-ending source of plot bunnies.

Deborah Sharp said...

I love this post! The newspaper (remember those?) is an endless source of great ideas for fiction writers. Like Carl Hiaasen always says: You can't make this stuff up!

Jessie Chandler said...

Alice, I can just see the dust bunnies hopping around my mind LOL

Thanks Deborah! Newspapers multi task!!!

Darrell James said...

Jessie- One of my story ideas came from a newspaper I happened to find lying on a chair at the airport. Newspapers are a great source of ideas. Then, again, some ideas just come out of thin air. It's magic!