Writers can find story ideas in some of the strangest places because their minds are always working, questioning, wondering about the people and things they see. Driving to town for groceries yesterday I saw a toilet, yes, a toilet with the tank and all, sitting by the side of the road in front a tree stump with a no trespassing sign on it. Go ahead, laugh, I did.
But then my mind took flight. What if there was a naked woman sitting on the toilet? Out in the middle of nowhere? What was she doing there? Where were her clothes? Then I remembered the story about the neighbor who hired a hooker and kept her naked and chained in his garage for a week.
That lady got loose and went to the house down the road and asked for help, which is another story all in itself :) But what if she'd been killed and placed on that toilet as roadside art? And of course, the toilet doesn't need to be a toilet, it could be a bathtub or even a kitchen sink.
I love seeing things by the side of the road and spinning out theories. A purple running jacket turned into the story of a woman running from an abusive husband. A red Elmo hanging from an electric wire became the story of a kidnapped child. A cardboard box by the side of the road, contained a head or a hand, depending on the size of the box. And if not body parts, a found treasure that somebody wants back. Sneakers, high heels, underwear, a pair of jeans, a mattress, even a carpet sweeper are all things I've seen by the side of the road and created stories for. Not always ones that found their way to publication but they're little bits and pieces that sometimes find their way into other stories.
So the next time you're cruising down the road, take note of the garbage that litters the scenery and let your mind travel its own road.
ADDENDUM: If you haven't stopped by the Murderati blog today, you should. Stephen Jay Schwartz's post "Five Story Fall" is about writing the things you see and how they can affect you. http://www.murderati.com/blog/2011/5/6/five-story-fall.html
4 comments:
That does happen to me quite a lot. I often carry a small camera with me and take a quick snapshot of such things and keep it in a story possibility file.
What a great idea, Charles!
The camera is a great idea. And, with virtually every cell phone on the planet having a built-in camera.
This post made me think of something that I had heard, not seen, that looking back now... definitely could have been a story.
Some time back, I was living in an apartment building where you could hear your next-door/upstairs neighbor whenever toilet flushed, water ran in sink or shower (that's not all you could hear, but we'll leave that for now... haha!) Anyway... I came home one evening to sound of next door neighbor's shower... no big deal, right? Well, several hours later, it was still going. I thought it a bit odd, but hey? Not my water bill. Okay... now, the next morning... and all through the day... the water is still running. And, the next morning.. still! Of course by now, my imagination is running away with me as to the reason(s) for a marathon shower.
I wasn't writing then, otherwise, I could have come up with a nice little story, I'm sure.
Your post here, Sandra, reminded me of that incident, so I have jotted a couple of note, and I would not be at all surprised to find a story about it on my blog in the near future. :)
Sounds like it will be a great story, Veronica!!
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