A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 12

This is the 14th year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Why a story idea each day for the month? Several reasons which I’ll work my through during this series of posts.

Initially, I provided a daily explanation about why you should make it a habit to be generating story ideas. This week, I’ll give you some tips on how to come up with stories.

Tip: Look at Craigslist.

DreamWorks bought this pitch based on Craigslist ads.

There is this musical based on Craigslist ads.

There was this TV movie based on a Craigslist story.

Now something proactive you can do for your writing career while searching for a used barbell set.

Today: South African cop escapes to Greece after blowing whistle on police brutality.

The last thing whistleblower Aris Danikas remembers as he shut the door to his family home in South Africa was the curtains.

“You’re in a panic and you think, what can you take with you?” he said. “I was full of adrenalin and fear.”

It’s been hurry up and wait for the former police reservist who fled to Greece in 2008 fearing for his life. He fled after collecting incriminating evidence against Durban’s Cato Manor organised crime unit, an elite unit of the South African Police Service accused of running a “death squad”, according to Danikas, and committing scores of assassinations over suspected cop killings and taxi wars.

Following Danikas’ publication of a series of videos and photos in 2009 that he says depicts extrajudicial killings, tampering with crime scenes, and the torture of suspects — all of which Danikas alleges were committed by members of the Cato Manor unit — South African prosecution authorities approached him six years ago. They wanted him to be a key witness against the unit and his former commander, Major General Johan Booysen.

The major case that eventually exposed Danikas’ identity and made him a target of cyberbullying and death threats, has been postponed for the 18th time since charges were filed in 2011 and is a highly contentious case in South Africa.

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The suspects are facing 116 charges, including racketeering and murder. Danikas said that his former boss was either complicit in, or had direct knowledge of, the crimes committed by the unit. Booysen denies the allegations and charges.

Undercover police and whistleblower movies are a staple in cop dramas. Here are a few examples:

Riffing off the news article, here is something similar but different:

— Set the story in South Africa, not the United States

— Make the Protagonist a female

— Explore a racial component

What if a black female cop is pulled in by Internal Affairs to expose police corruption in South Africa?

I’m in Paris conducting a three-day screenwriting master class, so that’s all I’ve got today.

There you go, my 12th story idea of the month. And it’s yours. Free! What would YOU do with it?

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11

Each day in April, I invite you to join me in comments to do some brainstorming. Take each day’s story idea and see what it can become when we play around with it. These are valuable skills for a writer to develop.

See you in RESPONSES to hear YOUR take on this story idea. And come back tomorrow for another Story Idea Each Day For A Month.