Ideas

COKER CREEK, Tenn. – Neighbors said that for months the ramshackle mobile home littered with trash and beer cans had been the site of loud parties and drunken fights, most in front of two young boys who lived there with their mother and her boyfriend. When it was quiet, they said, the children often were left alone with no food, running water or electricity. Then, last week, the boyfriend was stabbed to death, and the 8-year-old confessed to killing him. Police said the boy told them Keith Podzebka, 41, had been hitting his mother. Authorities will decide whether to try the boy as a juvenile or an adult.

This tiny brief appeared in the Bangor Daily News’ “Nation” section one Sunday back in 2006. I remember reading it while eating cereal and reaching immediately for the scissors. Like many writers, I keep a file of news clips such as this one, always looking for items that catch my attention. Usually, these are stories about the human condition, about people teetering on the edge. These stories make me wonder about the state of humanity and wonder what led these individuals to this point and where they will go from here.

I gave the clip above to my students as an illustration that there are story ideas everywhere, and how nothing is off limits—a writer just needs to make the material her own. By that, I’m not talking about stealing a storyline. I’m talking about finding something that intrigues you about the story, taking that nugget, and running with it—using the material of real life to generate the material of your fiction. Consider my questions regarding the story above.

1)    What does the mother say to the boy the next time she sees him? Is she angry? Grateful? A story from her POV would be fascinating.

2)    Where was the brother when this occurred? What was his relationship with the boyfriend?

3)    Who is pushing to have the boy tried as an adult? The D.A.? Does that person have a child? Wouldn’t it be interesting if s/he did and their son or daughter was in the young killer’s class?

4)     Where is this family in ten years?

My creative writing workshop students are working on this. Try your own hand at it. And feel free to forward any fascinating news briefs my way (jcorrigan@pomfretschool.org).