In a post on the BookBaby blog, Michael Gallant says that looking for stories in the global news media can give you some bold ideas and a perspective far different from your own.
“The world is complex, beautiful, cruel, and often unfathomable. Mundane and extraordinary stories happen everywhere, all the time,” Gallant writes. “And for fiction writers seeking creative fuel, those stories can provide endless inspiration.”
For example, Gallant recently read a story about a man who danced naked at a sacred site in a foreign country, and was arrested and faced deportation. When questioned, the man explained he just wanted to feel alive. “There’s a lot to unpack here, and with judgments suspended in all directions, the story presents a tremendous amount of material one could begin writing about,” Gallant says. “If I were to craft a short story either closely or loosely inspired by this event, how would I flesh out the dancer’s character and motivation? What in the minutes, weeks, and years prior to the incident led him to that pivotal moment, and what was going on in his head when it happened?”
Gallant suggests scanning international headlines to see what catches your interest. In addition to grabbing story ideas, you might find your other perspectives expanding or changing. “Staying on top of what’s going on around the world can show you what humans everywhere have in common and what makes individual communities unique, how the same events can be interpreted fifty different ways in fifty different countries, and how others can have perspectives on key issues that you never could have imagined — perspectives that may be as vital and persuasive as your own,” he says.
