A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 2
This is the fifth year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Why a story idea each day for the month? Several reasons which I’ll work my through during this series of posts.
Here’s another one:
The only way to find a great story idea is to work your way through a bunch of crap ideas.
Ira Glass (“This American Life”), arguably one of the most knowledgeable people around today re storytelling, said this:
“You have to record and get rid of a lot of crap before you find something special.”
Same thing with screenwriting: You have to generate a bunch of crappy ideas before you find something special. Still don’t believe me? How about the wisdom of Linus Pauling:
“The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.”
And Linus Pauling should know, one of the few people to win multiple Nobel Prizes.
So why focus on generating a bunch of story ideas? Because most of the ones you come up with will be crap. However somewhere along the line, you’ll find some that a pure gold.
Today’s story idea: Ancient ‘Temple of the Feathered Serpent’ found to contain “mysterious orbs”:
For centuries, Mexico’s ancient city of Teotihuacan has concealed a mysterious secret, only recently revealed by the help of robots equipped with lasers and infrared cameras.
The small, remote-controlled devices have explored several rooms beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, a structure described by Discovery as a “six-level pyramid decorated with snake-like creatures.” The probes revealed hundreds of mysterious yellow orbs that range from four to 12 centimeters across. Indiana Jones would most certainly approve.
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Jorge Zavala, an archaeologist at the excavation, called the metallic orbs an “unprecedented discovery,” adding that the scientists “do not know their meaning,” via Discovery.
LiveScience notes that the odd spheres were found deep within the temple in three burial chambers that are believed to house some of Teotihuacan’s ancient leaders.
According to a report by NBC’s Today Show, the tunnel concealing the three rooms had been sealed off 1,800 years ago and was rediscovered in 2003 after a heavy rainstorm caused the ground to sink, revealing the hole.
At its peak between 300 and 600 A.D., Teotihuacan is believed to have been home to a population of about 100,000. The city was abandoned for unknown reasons around 700 A.D., leaving behind an estimated 14 square miles of development, centered around the “imposing” ceremonial center and its immense pre-Columbian pyramids.
Damn straight, Indiana Jones would approve. Check out this photo of the temple:
You’ve got the temple. The mystery of why the city was abandoned. Sealed off for nearly two centuries, then an act of nature reveals the some secret rooms. Remote controlled robots. And dozens of “mysterious orbs”.
I mean, come on!
You could easily go Action Adventure with this setup. Use the tried and true trope — scientists unwittingly unleash a shitstorm — and suddenly, those mysterious orbs are activated and become…
What do you think? The ghosts of ancient warriors? How about a battalion of feathered serpents which can only mean one thing: These suckers can fly!
It’s Raiders of the Lost Ark meets The Mummy… with flying feathered serpents with freaking lasers on their heads!
Or… you could go science fiction.
What if these orbs are actually eggs from an ancient alien civilization? Look at this photo of the orbs in question:
Doesn’t this:
Remind you of this:
It’s Aliens… on Earth!
Or a group of scientists get stuck inside and now you’ve got a contained horror movies, quite literally like the movie Alien.
Okay, it’s your turn. What would you do with mysterious orbs found in the Temple of the Feathered Serpent?
There you go: My second story idea for the month. And it’s yours. Free!
Each day this month, I invite you to join me in comments to do some brainstorming. Gender bend, genre bend, what if. Take each day’s story idea and see what it can become when we play around with it. These are all valuable skills for a writer to develop.
See you in comments. And come back tomorrow for another Story Idea Each Day For A Month.
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