A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 3
This is the 11th 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 11th 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. Here’s another one:
Being able to generate original story ideas sets you apart from writers who can’t.
Some writers can do it. Others can’t. The latter is resigned to doing adaptations, rewrites or taking a preexisting idea and writing that.
If you can develop solid skills at generating good story ideas, you give yourself a leg-up on your competition creating another opportunity to land writing gigs.
Today’s story idea: True crime fans can now buy unsolved case files game and crack murder mysteries.
If you’re fed up of playing Cluedo and want something a little more realistic, Unsolved Case Files might be the perfect thing for you.
The game is a big step up from old-fashioned murder mystery parties, as it sees players sent a cold case murder file filled with all the clues they need to solve the crime.
The cases are fictional, but the whole experience is intended to feel realistic, with the game featuring real objects and requiring access to the internet.
Players will be sent a range of information to help them crack the case, including photographs, newspaper clippings, suspect details, finger prints, autopsy reports and more.
Okay, so the cases noted in the article are fake. However, what if…
…our Protagonist (Adhira) is a huge fan of true crime stories. TV series. Books. And especially podcasts. She devours it all. She’s a constant presence on message boards and online discussion forums, often solving the crimes before the final episode of the series.
Meet Brooks. He’s a grizzled homicide detective in one of the country’s most criminally active cities. Dozens and dozens of unsolved crimes. Nearing retirement, there is one case in particular which has haunted him for years: the unsolved death of a young girl Nadine.
At a family gathering, he overhears his daughters going on and on about this crime story fan Adhira who is amazing in being able to figure out the ending of one podcast story after another.
With nothing to lose, Brooks reaches out to Adhira.
Two radically different people. One confounding murder case. A mystery which as the pair team up leads to political corruption… a complex web of dangerous personalities… and their own lives now in jeopardy.
There you go, a crime thriller ‘buddy’ story for my 3rd story of the month. And it’s yours. Free!
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.