A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 3
This is the 10th 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 10th 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: ESPN sideline reporter flattened by football player… who then asks her out on a date.
ESPN’s Laura Rutledge is used to being in the thick of the action in her job as a sideline reporter covering college football.
But Rutledge got more than she bargained for when she became an unlikely victim during Saturday’s game between the Georgia Bulldogs and visiting Massachusetts Minutemen.
Rutledge was inadvertently leveled by Bulldogs running back Prather Hudson as the red shirt freshman was being driven out of bounds by the UMass defense.
Later, Hudson tweeted at Rutledge:
“Hey @LauraMRutledge really sorry I knocked you down, but … I can pick you up at 7.”
This is not much to go on for a story, however, if this isn’t a rom-com meet cute… I don’t know what is.
What could you do with this as a setup? He’s a cocky star of an NFL team. She’s a serious-minded sports journalist who aspires to succeed based on her talent. If she were hospitalized due to the hit, that could get the plot one step further with him showing up to apologize. If he had not been forced out of bounds by someone else, but rather had created a situation in which he stumbled her way due to some on-field grandstanding, maybe an end zone celebration gone wild, that would give her reason to feel some serious umbrage at him… especially if he has a reputation for being a smart-ass.
Here’s a thought. What if — let’s call him Kyle — is on the downside of his career. Early 30s. Knee surgery kept him out for half of last season. Traded from a Super Bowl team to a perennial loser. And she — let’s call her Lauren — is a top reporter for the sports network, so gets assigned to top-rated games. That creates a situation for Kyle…
What if the only way he can get her to be around is if his team starts winning games? If they win, she gets assigned to report on their games.
Now Kyle is motivated in a way he hasn’t before.
And what if this builds with his teammate, as he convinces them that Lauren reporting on their games is a good luck charm, so now they start to play above their heads.
Meanwhile, it’s boy chasing girl… with girl avoiding boy.
I’m not a rom com writer, so I could be way off, but is there anything there?
What would you do with this story concept?
There you go: My second story idea for 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.