Sometimes I read a book and swept away by its concept. Just where did the authors get their ideas?
So I thought I’d take a break from editing and I’d amuse myself coming up with some new story ideas. After all, it’s much more fun to start a new project than do the drudgery of finishing an old one. There’s so much promise, so many possibilities.
Just reading through the news and some blogs I follow gave me six great ideas. Here’s what I came up with:
Robot Surgery Gone Bad
An important person is having routine surgery, performed by robot. But the software was hacked, and the person dies. Is this a revenge murder, or the tip of the iceberg in some international intrigue?
No, no one really died this way. But some software developers did conduct a test to see if hacking robot surgery was possible. They found it’s surprisingly easy, as the networks the hospitals are using don’t have that much protection. Scary thought.
Supply Ship to Space Station Spinning out of Control
Supplies to the space station were delayed by terrorist attacks on space centers around the world. Most ships were damaged or destroyed. One ship was finally able to launch, but it’s spinning out of control. They determine its controls were hacked by someone on board the space station. The crew needs to find out who, before the cargo ship is lost and they starve.
This is inspired by an actual event: A Russian cargo craft en route to the International Space Station is out of the control. It’s believed it will be unable to make the planned delivery of supplies; instead, it will most likely fall into the atmosphere and burn up.
An Unconquerable Castle
Borrowing from an old sci-fi story, a castle is controlled by an evil king/lord that is unconquerable. It’s easy to get in, but what happens when you’re in there? How does our hero manage to capture the king and prevent him from seizing the world?
A Stolen Knork is the Clue to a Murder
And what is a knork? It is a combination of knife and fork, invented to help war veterans who lost an arm to eat with one hand. In my story, the murdered man’s knork will be stolen. Who would take it, and why?
Nuclear Codes by Night
A person starts dreaming sequences of numbers. Turns out they are high-level passwords and nuclear codes. How are they invading his sleep? And why?
http://io9.com/thousands-of-chickens-once-wore-glasses-to-stop-them-ki-1700343874
And on the lighter side:
The Chickens Wore Glasses
On one farm, the chickens wore glasses. That wasn’t the only eccentric thing about the farmer. He claimed it was to keep the chickens from killing each other. Then other livestock in town started dying. Was there a connection?
Where do you find your story ideas?