Friday Plot Swap
Dawn's Plot Swap
Have a plot? Leave one
Need a plot ? Take one
Have you seen a news story that got your wheels turning?
Do you have a plot in your head that would make a great story, just not one you intend to write?
Leave it here on Fridays
or
pick up a plot for your weekend writing time.
Here is what I have for you this Friday:
A Florida man whose wallet was found in a Cincinnati school wall almost 50 years after he lost it on prom night was reliving fond memories Friday...The wallet still had Simpson's driver’s license, photographs, a lock of hair and tickets to the 1963 prom
This one was sent to me by a friend. She titled the email "research":) I couldn't resist including it. If you read the actual story, it is just mind boggling.
A woman who shaved her bikini area while driving caused a car crash in Florida Keys, prompting police to issue fresh warnings about safe driving. [The woman]was driving to meet her boyfriend in Key West and told authorities she wanted to be “ready for the visit,”
So, Swap with me! Read any interesting news stories lately?
5 comments:
So this is about quirky news stories which might serve as fiction fodder, rather than plots?
Over the years, I've collected dozens of quirky news stories which I'd love to use in fiction, but as yet haven't come up with an actual plot for any of them. If anyone is good at turning quirky news stories into story plots, I'll be happy to donate items from my collection. :-)
Whenever I tried, I stumbled about the challenge how to make it plausible. These things are just so weird, readers woudn't believe it. As fictioneers, we have to create more plausibility than there is in real life. ;-)
Any thoughts on this?
Rayne
It varies.
My goal is to get the writers thinking "What if?" We all know these only tell half the story. What if the "accidental" 911 wasn't an accident? What if that person was an unwilling participant in the crime and was trying to summon help?
I thought the story about the wallet was more appropriate for a time travel paranormal or a sweet romance. What if a high school student found it instead of workers and took a trip back to 1963? Or for a sweet romance, what if the person who found it set out to find the man and his prom date to return their tickets?
The last one I will admit to including strict for the "huh?" value.
Today I decided to go with some quirky news stories. Other Fridays I uses more serious stories, such as missing persons or murders.
I also occasionally use songs. What would lead a person to the emotion of a certain line? How could you expand on the story the song is already telling?
I also use scenes from movies and tales from real life.
Anyone is welcome to include any ideas they feel might be good jump starts for plots.
Hope that clarifies the purpose for you.
I just love getting these weird and/or mundane things and what-iffing the day away. I get most of my ideas from people watching, I think, but news stories are great...especially the news of the weird things that pop up on my homepage every morning.
I think the woman doing the crotch shave would work in a romantic comedy!
There were some this morning: One resident of a town in Nebraska...the only resident. She's also the mayor. Wouldn't she make a great crazy aunt? Another is about dead cats being made into sculpture...what if a heroine did something like that as a joke, and it turned into a huge career opportunity for her?
Here's an odd/weird/funnyinasickway story:
From the Indianapolis:
Headline: Man Admits To Groping Unsuspecting Women, Police Say
Victim: It Was Gross
Blurb: "He asked for Mike. I told him there's no Mike who lived there. He asked if I had a boyfriend and gave me his phone number," Parks said.
Parks said he then groped her and casually walked away. Police said they called the number the man left with Parks and discovered she may not be his only victim.
"Our detectives talked with him, and he told them, 'I've done this to other women,'" said Kendale Adams, public information officer with IMPD.
With that admission, police issued a warrant for his arrest. They're urging women who answered their door and got groped to come forward.
Teri~ Love the idea of the town only having one resident. She would have to be quite an interesting character. Guess you could elect yourself to be whatever you wanted. Mayor, head of the Chamber of Commerce.
The dead cat thing kind of creeped me out. Sounds like something a really wacked serial killer would send one of his future victims.
Tressa~ Love that the guy left his number. I am sure plenty of woman called for him to come back and do it again (insert eye roll here!)
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