A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 4

This is the fourth 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:

You can evolve into being a writer-producer.

Let’s face it, you can only write so much. But sitting on your side of the table, all those story meetings you’ve had to endure, you’ve probably developed a pretty good sense of what it takes to be a producer at least on a creative level.

Why not don that hat, too?

A quick way to jump start you producing career: Come up with story ideas. Here’s a great example: “Woogles”, a pitch that sold last year from writers Nick Antosca and Ned Vizzini. Who is producing the movie? Screenwriter Max Landis (Chronicle) who came up with the story idea for the project that sold.

Today’s story comes from Amos Posner (@AmosPosner): Man goes to hospital with a kidney stone… and discovers he’s a woman:

A man who went to hospital with a kidney stone was stunned when a nurse gave him his results — and revealed that he was actually a woman.

Steve Crecelius, a photographer from Denver, Colorado, was born with both male and female traits and had long repressed his feminine side.

But after an ultrasound made the discovery, he no longer lives as a man and goes by ‘Stevie’ — a move that his wife and their six children support.

‘I remember wearing my mom’s clothes and makeup, very secretly, not telling anybody,’ Crecelius, who chose to hide behind a male persona, told Fox31.

But 40 years later, the nurse gave the explanation for his feelings, revealing that he was intersex.

‘I had a kidney stone and we’re in the emergency room,’ Crecelius said. ‘The nurse is reading the ultrasound and says, “Huh, this says you’re a female”. It validated everything I had always felt inside.’

While Crecelius appeared to have male genitalia, the ultrasound indicated he also had internal female sex organs — just one of the conditions under the umbrella term ‘intersex’.

Okay, so this is a shocker. Guy discovers he’s a woman. But now check this out:

When they arrived home, his wife Debbie forced him to talk about it — a conversation that Crecelius had avoided in fear that he would lose his family.

But rather than walking away, she was supportive, choosing to deal with the news by taking Stevie shopping for her first bra, The Denver Post reported.

Debbie admitted it has not been easy and feared that she would never get her husband back — but stood by Stevie, saying: ‘You will be who you are’.

‘I didn’t sign on for this, but who signs on for anything?’ Debbie told Fox31. ‘She’s the same person she was as a he on the inside.’

— —

The couple, who have now been together more than 25 years, still share a room and a bed together.

‘She still relates to my heart and soul, and I still relate to hers, and I think that that’s the essence of true love,’ Crecelius said.

There is the story development tactic known as gender-bending, where you switch a character’s sex. Think Ripley in Alien and how much more interesting that role became. But here is an actual case of gender-bending.

Most movies are about self-identity, Protagonists who through a series of experiences undergo some sort of transportation. Speaking psychologically it’s a process where the character gets in touch with their authentic self and allows that to emerge, the basis of their change.

Well, this seems like a perfect setup for a metamorphosis story.

So what genre? As I’m spreading the wealth this week — action on Day 1, then comedy, then horror — let’s go with an indie drama with a healthy dose some humor.

A guy. Married. Father. Someone like this:

Pillar of a small community in the heart of America like this:

Hell, let’s make him the mayor of this small idyllic town. He goes to the doctor for some tests.

“You’re a woman.”

Imagine the reverberations. The shock to the guy’s psyche. Relationship with his wife. Relationships with his children. Relationships with townspeople.

Everything upturned. Nice normal people thrown for a loop by an abnormal circumstance.

It’s In & Out meets Lars and the Real Girl, the latter in terms of its tone and sensibilities.

How about you? What would you do with Her In Him?

There you go: My fourth 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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