A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 18
This is the 15th year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Why a story idea each day for the month? Because the best way to come up with…
This is the 15th year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Why a story idea each day for the month? Because the best way to come up with a great story idea is to come up with a lot of ideas. And the best way to come up with a lot of ideas is to be proactive in sourcing story ideas.
Today’s story: “Beyond the Internet: A Teenage Hacker’s Journey into the Dark Web’s Underbelly (True Story)”.
Hello there, I was a teenage hacker and my real name is ██████. This is story is based on my journey into the messy underbelly of drugs, ransomware, credit card fraud, money laundering, and blackmailing on the dark web.
This all happened back in 2017. Sounds like the plot of a Netflix show doesn’t it?
For the record,
I am not a fan of sharing my personal life on the internet and even with my friends.
So, the reason I’m sharing my personal story is that I recently watched “How to Sell Drugs Online” on Netflix and it brought back all the memories of my dark web days when I was a “wanna-be hacker” and now I want to release my cluster of emotions somehow.
I’ve been holding these emotions for a very long time and now I think I should release them.
Since I couldn’t tell my story to my loved ones, I figured I’d tell it to the whole world instead. Makes perfect sense, right?
Meanwhile, I’m also scared because what goes on the Internet always stays on the Internet; there’s no going back.
This is what is sometimes called a “slippery slope” story. A character takes one tiny step in the direction of illicit behavior. That leads to another step … then another … the character inexorably drawn deeper into a miasma of their own making.
Here the Protagonist gets sucked into the shadowy corners of the Dark Web. Think the setup of The Matrix.
A Herald. Seductress. Mentor. Trickster.
Someone enters the Protagonist’s life and lures them into taking a first step of a journey that features mind-bending truths … drugs … sex … power …
And ultimately danger.
There’s something alluring to think fingers on keyboard alone in a room with a computer on the internet can lead to a path into an underworld and a realm of no return.
I don’t have anything more than that … but that may be enough for some writer who wants to write an action thriller involving the Dark Web.
There you go. My 18th 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
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
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.