A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 18

This is the 13th 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: Squatters busted at empty multi-million dollar Manhattan townhouse.

Three squatters were busted Friday inside an empty multi-million dollar Manhattan townhouse owned by a designer to the stars.

Cops raided the Upper East Side home owned by Richard Stark, co-founder of Chrome Hearts, a luxury retail brand celebrated by the likes of Jay Z and Bella Hadid for its edgy silver jewelry and black clothes.

Charges have not yet been filed against the woman and two men found at the more than 5,000- square-foot home at 159 E. 64th St., which was put up for sale in 2013 for $14 million and taken off the market the following year.

The store inside the massive home closed around a decade ago, and it appears the four-story townhouse has been sitting empty since.

Neighbor Joel Mindel, 82, and his wife Susan, who have lived on the street since the 1980s, said the building has long been in disrepair and causes problems on the street.

“They had all these notices on the door for Con-Ed to go inside to check the water or electricity. All these notices piled up and became violations on the website,” Susan said.

“We don’t like abandoned buildings on our street. It’s a threat.” Joel said. “Someone can always get in, like a robber can get in and go on the roof to get into our home. It’s not safe.”

As of Friday afternoon, Chrome Hearts was unaware of the arrests and any police activity at the home, a spokesperson said. But pictures show a few officers at the home, leading the squatters into a cop car and an ambulance around 11:30 a.m.

Okay, this is a fun one. Imagine the richest person in the world. They are building the biggest house in the world. Like this.

It’s so big, it’s entirely possible for some squatters to live there and keep from being found. That’s the premise of this story: Squatters take residence in the world’s largest mansion.

I don’t see them as just any squatters, but rather anarchists who believe capitalism is evil. They not only revel in the good life offered by the ridiculous amenities in the mansion (e.g., swimming pool, tennis courts, spa, movie theater, bowling alley, multiple kitchens), but also in making a point: Mansions such as this are a mortal sin against humanity. When there is so much wealth inequity, so many people suffering, for this ultra-billionaire to be proudly building the biggest mansion in the world is outright wrong.

I see this as a satire. The Nemesis (an Elon Musk-type) lives in the place, but it’s always in a state of expansion. He cannot believe these squatters are sharing the same space as him. Moreover, they enjoy screwing with the dude as they know all of the secret passages to stealth around the estate.

Musk leans on the builders to find them. But the squatters are savvy and use their propaganda to get the builders to join their side. Same with local police. It’s the ultimate underdog story and becomes a media sensation as the squatters invite in more interlopers.

Oh, the irony! This ultra-billionaire consumed with building this ultra-mansion, a monument to himself, discovers that this place becomes a kind of personal prison and — ultimately — leads to his downfall.

Big Act Three ending: The detonation and destruction of the entire estate!

That’s my 18th story in this month’s series. What would YOU do with this setup? Other stories in this year’s A Story Idea Each Day for a Month:

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.