Ripped from the Headlines

Inspired by every episode of “Law & Order” and from re-watching “True Lies,” one of my favorite films, comes this swap. If you watch “Law & Order,” you know that many of the storylines are straight from the evening news. And in “True Lies,” a big fight scene in a men’s room that had national security implications, was whitewashed and written off in the newspaper as a little brief.

This is about generating ideas and thinking outside of the box.

From your local newspaper, clip (or rip) a story or two that prompts an idea for a story, an essay or some other creative work. Send a copy of the item and tell your partner how and why the piece in the newspaper inspired you.

Examples include, but ARE NOT limited to:

• A headline, photo, maybe a name or the entire article sparks an idea for a novel plot or a short story

• A recipe in the Food section reminds you of your grandma or best friend and an essay or blog post comes to mind.

• A photo is the inspiration for a poem.

• An article about a crime sends you into what if land.

• And here’s an example from my own writing: The local paper runs a weekly feature showcasing expensive homes for sale. Just as soon as I saw a photo one day, I knew that that was the house where my fictional victim was going to die.

To recap: Send one partner via snail mail a copy of one or more items ripped from a newspaper and an explanation for why the item prompted a creative effort on your part. You don’t have to send the actual words you write unless you want to for shorter pieces.

International. Snail mail. Group membership