A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 15
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…
This is the 15th 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.
Last week, I provided a daily explanation about why you should make it a habit to generate story ideas. This week, I’ll give you some tips on how to come up with stories.
Tip: Public domain.
Laws vary from country to country, but if a person, event, book is considered to be in the public domain, then from a writer’s perspective, it is free content, you don’t need to secure any rights.
You want to adapt “Romeo and Juliet” into a contemporary gang shoot-em-up love story, you can do that.
You want to turn Abraham Lincoln into a vampire hunter, you can do that.
Straight adaptation, genre bend, gender bend, whatever you want to do, you can do it with a public domain entity. Plus, the added benefit: Pre-awareness. Hollywood likes that. A lot. It’s a plus for their marketing department.
Today’s story: “Two arrested in connection with tagging graffiti-covered L.A. skyscraper.”
Two people were arrested, cited and released this week in connection with spray painting graffiti across more than two dozen stories of an unfinished skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles, according to authorities.
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Taggers spray painted at least 27 floors of the building this week, judging by aerial footage of the building.
Oceanwide Plaza was once one of the biggest real estate development projects in Los Angeles, but construction was halted five years ago when its Chinese developer ran out of money. The project was supposed to feature hotel and retail space as well as luxury condominiums and apartments.
The buildings have remained unfinished ever since in the popular LA Live complex, which includes shops, restaurants and the Grammy Museum. Crypto.com Arena anchors the complex and will host the 66th Grammy Awards on Sunday.
This seems like an interesting way to get into an action movie. A pair of teenage taggers. An abandoned skyscraper. They witness a murder. During an ensuing chase, one of the Bad Guys falls to his death. The Nemesis now has it out for our two guys, not only because they are witnesses to a homicide … but also for revenge.
The story is a real-time journey through the nighttime underbelly of Downtown Los Angeles. Our guys seek help amongst their friends, fellow taggers. That’s an interesting subculture to explore.
In fact, as the guys make their way through the city, they could use their tagging skills to communicate to other taggers and vice versa, their secret way of tracking the movements of the Bad Guys. Throw in police officers trying to track down our Guys … and other denizens of DTLA …
That’s a promising setup.
There you go. My 15th story this month. Free for you to take and write.
Previous articles in this year’s series:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
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.
Let’s say you’ve found a story concept from an article in this series. Or you have an idea of your own, but you’re at the very beginning of the story-crafting process.
How to develop, then write it as a screenplay?
May I humbly recommend my book The Protagonist’s Journey: An Introduction to Character-Driven Screenwriting and Storytelling.
Hundreds of people have sent photos of my book. Here’s one.
The book is structured to provide writers an approach to the story-crafting process grounded in immersing oneself in the lives of the characters (Parts I and II). Then Part III presents a stage by stage approach to break story: from concept to outline.
Go here to read endorsements from dozens of professional screenwriters, authors, and academics.
You may purchase The Protagonist’s Journey here:
Come back tomorrow for another Story Idea Each Day For A Month.