A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 23

This is the fourth year in a row I’ve run this series in April.

Today’s story idea: A Town Abuzz Over Prostitution and a Client List:

KENNEBUNK, Me. — The summer people who clog the roads here are long gone and the leaves have turned crimson and orange, but the prevailing sentiment in this postcard-perfect coastal town these days is one of dread.

For more than a year, the police have been investigating reports that the local Zumba instructor was using her exercise studio on a quaint downtown street for more than fitness training. In fact, the police say, she was running a one-woman brothel with up to 150 clients and secretly videotaping them as they engaged in intimate acts.

Now, the police have started releasing the names of her clients who have been charged with patronizing a prostitute. This has set the town buzzing because the list is rumored to be replete with the names of prominent people. (The Portland Press Herald identified one suspect as a former mayor of South Portland.) The first 21 people, whose names were released Monday, are to appear in court on Dec. 5.

The release of the names has stirred chatter everywhere here — in coffee shops, parking lots and the small shops along York Street, the main drag — about who was on the list. It has also prompted debate over whether the names should be released. And it no doubt has led to less academic discussions behind the closed doors of many homes across this region.

One local entrepreneur tapped into the zeitgeist and printed up T-shirts that read: “I’m not on the list. Are you?” They sold out instantly.

This story has sex, a key narrative element to exploit in marketing a movie. This story has a ticking clock, the threat of one’s name being revealed as a prostitute’s client. There’s sex. There’s found footage, grainy video of guys involved with said hooker. There’s sex. There’s conflict, guys desperate to avoid getting found out.

Did I mention there is sex?

You could go comedy, that seems obvious, right? Or thriller, one or more guilty parties set out to wipe out the evidence and the hooker. But there’s one genre we have not explored this month.

What if we approached this as a satire?

Now let’s be clear: Satire is perhaps the single most challenging type of movie to make. Beyond Dr. Strangelove and Network, and some mockumentaries, how many satirical movies can you name that were successful both artistically and commercially.

Not many.

So we must approach this satirical take on the story conceit carefully.

But what if we start out with a small Midwestern community. Stalwart Lutherans and Catholics. Think Lake Woebegone. Then a young woman moves into town, starting up a yoga business. Yoga? In Lake Woebegone? But she’s successful. Suddenly Norwegian bachelor farmers are tramping into town bearing yoga mats and togs.

Strange, but manageable.

Then a bust. And videos. And a bunch of really nervous guys. Under the watchful eye of a bunch of really unhappy wives, girlfriends and mothers.

Hijinks and mayhem ensue, one I’m thinking involves some seriously uptight Midwesterners learning the joys of Tantric sex.

How about you? What would you do with this story concept?

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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