A Story Idea Each Day for a Month — Day 9
This is the fifth year in a row I’ve run this series in April. Last week I provided a daily explanation about why you should make it a habit to be generating story ideas. This week, I’ll give you some tips on how to come up with stories.
Tip: Look at news sites.
I’ve been demonstrating that in this series, every idea from a news article. While you can surely keep an eye out when reading the NY Times or LA Times, you’d better believe there are plenty of writers already eyeballing those pages. So troll smaller newspapers. Offbeat news sites. Have you ever checked out Weekly World News? I used to subscribe to the print version way back when and actually wrote a spec based on one of their articles: “Couple Adopts the Child From Hell.” Unfortunately the spec script “Problem Child” beat us by 2 weeks: same premise.
Today’s story: Famed 83-Year-Old Jewel Thief Pleads Guilty To Stealing Diamond Ring.
For many people, their 80s are a time for quiet reflection — but Doris Payne didn’t get that memo.
The 83-year-old walked into an upscale jewelry store in Riverside County, Calif., last October and said she wanted to spend a $42,000 insurance check. She tried on necklaces, earrings and rings during two visits to the store that day, according to the LA Times, before settling on three pieces. One of them was a diamond and white gold ring priced at $22,500.
The woman then said she’d come back the next morning with the money. But later that evening, employees discovered the ring was gone.
On Monday, Payne, a fabled international jewel thief whose rap sheet dates back six decades, pleaded guilty to stealing the ring. She was sentenced to four years in custody, two of which will be spent in county jail and the remaining two under mandatory supervision. She was ordered to stay away from jewelry stores during that time.
— —
And The Washington Post adds: “Payne acknowledges being an international jewelry thief with some 60 years of experience. She has worked under 20 aliases, she has been linked to five Social Security numbers and she has nine dates of birth on file, according to ABC News. Her Interpol record stretches back to the early 1970s and her U.S. rap sheet is nearly 20 pages long.”
As she says in the 2013 documentary made about her: “There’s never been a day that I went to steal that I did not get what I went to do. I don’t have any regrets about stealing jewelry. I regret getting caught.”
I’ve got two ideas for this one, but only one actress who I envision for the lead role:
Helen Mirren! I have adored her since the Prime Suspect series on PBS. While she has made numerous dramas, she’s also had roles in RED and RED 2, so clearly she’s not averse to action or action comedies. By the way, she turns 70 this summer, so she’s young enough to pull off what could be some challenging physical acting for either of these stories, yet also slot into the senior citizen age group.
Story #1: In the spirit of Catch Me If You Can, Helen plays a lifelong con artist and thief. After opening the movie by using her sweet old lady act to scam yet another victim, she is accosted by a fan of her work:
Amy is more of a two-bit grifter desperate to break into the big times. Of course, Helen works alone, doesn’t want anything to do with this chaotic young woman, but Amy cons Helen by pulling off a theft which appears to be the work of the pair, so now the two are stuck together as they are chased by a bevy of skip tracer type toughs hired by various insurance companies to nail the “thieving wenches”.
Hijinks and mayhem ensue in this buddy action-comedy. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels meets 48 Hrs..
Story #2: Helen pulls together a group of female senior citizens who used to be all up in cons and thefts. So many great actresses in their 70s: Susan Sarandon, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith. It’s Ocean’s Eleven meets Last Vegas.
Young people may not feel much allegiance to movies, but Baby Boomers and Senior Citizens still do. As films like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel demonstrate, Old Farts show up in theaters for well-done stories targeting them. And how much fun to see their peer group get over on authorities, especially if they are the Younger Set.
There you go: My ninth story idea for the month. And it’s yours. Free!
Now it’s your turn. What would you do with this story setup?
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 (hit Reply to join the conversation). And come back tomorrow for another Story Idea Each Day For A Month.
Comment Archive