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Tuesday, 19 October 2010

Plot Ideas from Headlines

Posted on 13:32 by Unknown
This political news reads like a tragic romantic comedy

NaNoWriMo is fast approaching, the month where crazy writers try to get 50,000 words on paper in just 4 weeks. As I've roped my whole family into attempting NaNoWriMo, we've been holding family writing workshops. Last night we brainstormed story ideas from news headlines.

I got this idea from Writing Excuses, they have the best podcasts on all aspects of writing fiction, so check them out.

These were some of the headlines we dug  up to use:
  • Road Rage: 9 ways to get your self-killed
  • Spy Anna Chapman at U.S.-Russia Rocket Launch
  • Dead Fish Tell Evolutionary Tales
  • Is Your Dog Pessimistic?
  • Building Rome on a Cloudless Day
  • New planet 'like earth', say astronomers
  • Teens die in horror road crash
  • Frozen in Icy Tomb - Arctic gives-up the secrets of Russia's lost adventurer
  • Child Bride Set Free
On our browser homepage I found some more today:

  • Violent Games Pose Threat to Young Boys
  • Cancer-causing Chemicals Found in Wells
  • Pig Hunter Wins New Zealand's Biggest Lotto Prize
We brainstormed around the table on each heading and came up with different story ideas. One example was:
Anna Chapman is not a human spy, but a computer chip in the Russian rocket. This launch is meant to be a test launch. BUT... The USA agenda has for some time been to start a war with a small oil-rich country, but their biggest fear is Russia will side against them, and they don't want to risk nuclear war. So... the chip in the rocket is designed to have the rocket 'accidentally' target that small country, sparking a war between the target and Russia, so that America can step in and back Russia up. This would make sure they were Allies. Only one down-and-out internet geek (let's call him 'Mike O'Sopht') unravels this conspiracy and the world now depends on his actions. 

Okay, this example is why I don't write political thrillers. But you get the idea, you take the headline and see which story ideas it prompts for you. How about you, can you come up with some new story ideas from these headlines?
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