A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 21
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…
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: “US to give away free lighthouses as GPS makes them unnecessary.”
Ten lighthouses that for generations have stood like sentinels along America’s shorelines protecting mariners from peril and guiding them to safety are being given away at no cost or sold at auction by the federal government.
The aim of the program run by the General Services Administration is to preserve the properties, most of which are more than a century old.
The development of modern technology, including GPS, means lighthouses are no longer essential for navigation, said John Kelly of the GSA’s office of real property disposition. And while the Coast Guard often maintains aids to navigation at or near lighthouses, the structures themselves are often no longer mission critical.
Yet the public remains fascinated by the evocative beacons, which are popular tourist attractions, beloved local landmarks and the subject of countless photographers and artists, standing lonely but strong against tides and storms, day and night and flashing life-saving beams of light whatever the weather.
— —
This year, six lighthouses are being offered at no cost to federal, state or local government agencies, non-profits, educational organizations or other entities that are willing to maintain and preserve them and make them publicly available for educational, recreational or cultural purposes.
This is an easy one. Aubrey has made a living as a copy editor. That existence has drained her of her creative inspiration. Ever since she was a child, she dreamed of being a writer, a desire made manifest when she was an honor student at the University of Virginia in creative writing.
But time and the responsibilities of being an adult have squelched her aspirations.
Deciding now or never, she responded to an advertisement which surprisingly flitted across her social media.
She signs a contract to take stewardship of an historic lighthouse on an island off the coast of Maine.
Far off the coast.
The boat ride to the island provokes a terrible case of seasickness. But once she reaches the island … the sun … the sand … and most important the quiet inspires her to finally tackle the novel she has been fantasizing about for over a decade.
Stocked with provisions for a month and a short wave radio for communications to locals on the mainland, she is all set.
Then … the hauntings begin.
That’s right. It’s a haunted lighthouse.
Something about pirates … the slaughter of island residents … buried treasure.
Soon, the novel is an afterthought.
Survival is the goal.
There you go. My 21st 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
Day 18
Day 19
Day 20
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.