A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 20

This is the 14th 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: People Stranded In New York Snowstorm Survive By Breaking Into School Building.

During the recent blizzard in New York, Jay Withey of Cheektowaga, New York, received a phone call from a friend who was stranded in the snowstorm. He went out to rescue his friend, and got stuck himself. Others who were also stranded sheltered in his truck until the fuel ran out.

They were in an area that the police and emergency crews were unable to reach, according to the local police chief. Withey had knocked on doors of several homes and offered to pay for shelter for the night. No one had accepted the offers.

They recognized a nearby school, and decided to go there. Withey broke a window to get into the school and open the door to let the others in. With the door open, he went out again and found more people stuck in the storm and brought them into the school.

Between ten and twenty people (news reports do not agree on the number) — and two dogs — ultimately found safety in the school building. They found food in the cafeteria and slept on mats in the gym of Pine Hill School in Erie County, New York.

Cheektowaga Police Chief Gould called it a heroic act and credited Withey with saving lives in the storm.

A heartwarming story. Now let’s genre bend it: Horror.

The weather has been getting weird way up here in northern New York. For a few years strange meteorological patterns. Massive thunderstorms with huge hail. Sudden shifts in temperature. But mostly snow. Lots and lots of snow.

Another odd thing: Pets have gone missing. Dogs. Cats. Outdoor pets just … nowhere to be found. Not enough to cause people to freak out, but suspicious.

Climate change? This county, way up toward the Canadian border with deeply rural sensibilities, is dark red politically. They’re not buying global warming … why else has it been snowing so much?

Then a massive … I mean really huge snowstorm hits. Electricity? Gone. Heating? Lost. But look! The local elementary school has a backup generator.

That’s how a disparate group of locals band together to break into the school in order to survive.

The group: Baby Boomer right-wing couple. Homeschooling Evangelical family. Divorced Mom and her teen son.

And oh yeah, the new couple who recently bought a local farm, their dream home away from home.

Did I mention they are a married gay couple? Bad enough they’re outsiders in this insular culture, but also … homosexuals?

Strange sojourners forced together into a confined space (the school). That’s one thing. But then the howling begins. Chuffing. Barking. Braying. Scratching noises. Weird glowing animal eyes seen outside through the school windows.

It appears to be climate change critters with a taste for blood … human blood. Could it be the missing pets, but transformed into murderous creatures?

And the snow keeps falling …

There you go, my 20th 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
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 19

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.