How to write

I think that fact is much stranger than fiction.  Writers honestly couldn’t dream up some of the situations real people get themselves into.  Today I saw a story about a man who was arrested for Social Security fraud, mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.   He was using the identity of a deceased individual to collect benefits and didn’t provide his real name when arrested.  Federal Agents were baffled for five months, because John Doe had used several identities over a 20 year period and thoroughly covered his tracks.

What a terrific story starter!  Who is John Doe and why did he refuse to give police his real identity?  Is he a fugitive, or a witness to some heinous crime in fear for his life?  Maybe he’s an undercover operative, a time traveler forced to assume another identity or a pod person.   The possibilities are endless. 

By the way, Mr. Doe is not a pod person.  Authorities were able to identify him through military personnel records.  He is Scott Andrew Shain, 52, a former officer of the Air Force. Apparently crime doesn’t pay like it used to, because at the time of his arrest, Shain was sleeping in a filthy, 10′X12′ room he rented for $75 a month.  Federal prison may be a step up.  Shain was discovered by authorities when he tried to purchase social security numbers from a web site that was described as “sort of eBay or Craigslist for criminals.”

Shain didn’t steal identities for profit. His motives may have been more ominous.  Now that authorities have unraveled the complicated web, they’ve found arrests dating back to 1998, when Shain tried to alter his fingerprints while applying for a concealed-handgun permit.   In 1993 he was interviewed by the Secret Service after making threats against President Clinton. Agents confiscated a homemade flamethrower at the time.

Story ideas really aren’t hard to come by, they’re like seeds, once planted they require nourishment and care to grow.   If you’re struggling for ideas, here are some tips:

1)  Think about your favorite childhood book.  Imagine if it was told from a different point of view.  My favorite book was Robin Hood, the Disney version because I had a play along tape.  Imagine that story told from Prince John’s perspective.  He’s ruling the land while his big brother is away doing who knows what, and he’s got a notorious criminal terrorizing half the country. The other half are peasants, demonstrating in the street, demanding higher wages and more vacation time. Another option is to tell a classic tale in today’s world.  Robin Hood would be a hacker, protecting the little guy from power hungry CEOs.

2)  Go the mall and sit in a spot where you can watch people and take notes.  Select a person or group and ask yourself the following

Who are they?

What are they buying?  

Where did they come from and where are they going to?

When did they arrive/leave?

Why did they come to this mall, on this day?  

Make the answers to your questions as imaginative as possible.  Don’t be reasonable “Obviously she came to buy sheets because her bag is from Sheets R’ Us” be outrageous.

Here is an example:   Penelope Pansy from Phoenix, darling daughter of Posey and Peter Pansy, of the Pansy Popcorn Empire, heir to the Popcorn throne and princess amongst the popular, preppies of Pedigree Preparatory and Finishing School.  All is not well in poor Penelope’s world, for she is here today, desperately searching for an appropriate Prom dress. It doesn’t matter that prom is still six months away. She must find the perfect dress.  If Sandra Sinkson (or Stinkson as Penelope thinks of her) thinks she can steal the spotlight, well she’s got another thing coming….

You get the idea. 

3) And of course, you can take a news story and imagine how the story turns out.   Just keep writing and the ideas will keep coming.