Need inspiration for your next novel? Need to add a subplot to your thriller? Are you simply stuck and need a little shove to get the writing juices flowing? The news is a wonderful source for ideas especially, in my case, in the information security, cyber-war, and cybercrime arenas. Take any one of these headlines and use your imagination and exaggeration (if needed):
- “Canada Eavesdropping on Phone, Internet Records Too”
- “Obama Ordered Draft List of Cyber Targets Overseas”
- “Israel PM Says Sharp Rise in Cyber Attacks from Iran”
- “Google Chief Calls Internet Spying Threat to Freedoms”
All of these headlines were from a single day on the Security Week website. I look at these and think about placing characters into these environments. How would a character react if he were targeted by the President of the United States? Is the target a crime syndicate or a nation state? Would one of these targets take preemptive action to protect their own interests? What kind of action would that be and who might be affected by it? If they launched a cyber-attack how would a hero thwart the plan?
You can find news stories from all types of genres. Do these draw up some inspiration for your own stories?
BioTech: “Biotech wheat furor shows GM food safety debate far from settled.”
Legal: “Federal Circuit Buries Seed Patent Case Against Monsanto”
Healthcare: “Mental Health Care not only reduces arrest rates, but also saves money”
Now, you still have to use your own imagination but sometimes factual news is stranger than fiction. You can make these your own by adding a new twist, exaggerating the events, swapping the outcomes, changing the players (e.g. new company, a different country, or heck, a whole new world of your creation), and most important, placing your own characters into the primary roles to see how they would react.
Bending and tweaking real events can spur an incredible creation. Where do you grab ideas for your stories?
Photo courtesy of: Idea go at freedigitalphotos.net