So, Dear Author, Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

Jeff–Saturday 

I doubt there’s an author out there who hasn’t been asked that question. Answers range from the comic to the cosmic, often citing sources as diverse as “my neighborhood Walmart” and “the Lord Almighty.” 

My personal favorite answer is Stephen King’s observation: “Amatures sit and wait for inspiration. The rest of us just get up and go to work.” 

Frankly, that advice applies to far more than just writers, for it’s a fair question often asked by folk who sincerely need a bit of guidance on the inspiration process. So, as a public service I’m going to offer an example of how I at times find inspiration. 

It's rather simple. I read the newspapers. 

Writing as I do about Greece, it’s usually Ekathimerini–Greece’s ‘paper of record– that I turn to for inspiration. Generally, it’s not the reported story that gets my plot and character development juices flowing, but rather what’s not there or left unanswered. 

For this post I’ve selected and set out below six articles from today’s Ekathimerini that suggested inspirational possibilities to me. What I wonder is whether they trigger any ideas in you? I’ve indicated in bold where I found what I think interesting plot and character inspiration possibilities. Do you see the same or something different? 

If not, perhaps Walmart isn’t such a bad idea.  

Article One: Questions abound as authorities review footage in case of drowned, unclaimed young girl.

 

Questions are mounting as authorities review CCTV footage related to the case of an unclaimed young girl, approximately three years old, who was found apparently washed ashore at Palaio Faliro beach in southern Athens in the early hours of Sunday morning. 

Investigators are concentrating on footage recorded Saturday night, several hours before the girl’s body was discovered. 

One video shows a woman walking in the Palaio Faliro area, accompanied by two young boys and pushing a pram containing another child. Authorities reviewing the footage believe the child in the pram appears to be wearing a long-sleeved swimsuit in fuchsia shades – matching the bathing suit worn by the girl found at Edem beach. The child’s face is covered by a kerchief and a hat. 

In subsequent footage, the same woman is seen stopping at a kiosk. The child in the pram remains in what appears to be the same position as in the previous scene. 

Later, another camera captures the woman abandoning an empty pram beside a shrub in a nearby park at Edem beach. 

[Inspiration:] The material gathered from the surveillance videos has prompted a number of observations. The two boys with the woman are not wearing swimsuits. The child’s facial features are fully obscured by the kerchief and hat, donned despite it being nighttime. Also, in all clips, the child seems to maintain an identical body posture. 

According to the coroner, the young girl died from drowning, estimated to have occurred 24 to 36 hours prior to the body’s discovery. 

Article Two: One man found dead, another injured in Athens apartment incident. 

A 31-year-old man was found dead and another injured at an apartment in central Athens on Friday afternoon after the survivor, a 48 year-old man who had been beaten and tied up, managed to free himself and alert police. 

Police officers arriving at the scene, at a flat in the capital’s Agios Panteleimonas district, discovered the victim tied up and severely beaten. 

The 48-year-old survivor, who was taken to Athens’ Evangelismos Hospital for treatment, claimed that four people entered the apartment and, after tying him and the 31-year-old victim, began beating them brutally. 

[Inspiration:] Forensic experts are assisting police in investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. 

Article Three: Driver accused of killing 22-year-old in Hania crash remanded in custody. 

A 45-year-old man, accused of causing the fatal traffic accident in Hania [Crete] that claimed the life of a 22-year-old, was remanded in custody on Wednesday following his testimony. 

Test results showed that the man was heavily intoxicated at the time of the accident. 

During his testimony, he expressed deep regret and apologized. He stated that he felt immense sorrow for the 22-year-old and even mentioned that he would have preferred to have been the one to die instead. 

He is facing felony charges, with penalties ranging from 10 to 20 years in prison, as explained by his defense lawyer. 

[Inspiration:] On Tuesday, Greece’s Prime Minister ordered the removal of senior officers at the Hania Police Department after it was revealed that officers on the island failed to detain the driver, despite finding him driving under the influence and without a license shortly before the deadly accident. 

Article Four: Man, 53, pulled dead from makeshift tunnel near Larissa A 53-year-old man was pulled dead from a makeshift tunnel near the central city of Larissa, [Greece] authorities said on Wednesday.

The man had been trapped inside the tunnel on Tuesday afternoon in the remote area between the settlements of Gonnoi and Kallipefki. Rescuers initially maintained contact with him, but his condition deteriorated rapidly during the final stage of the extraction, the fire brigade said in a statement. 

Twenty-seven firefighters from Larissa and specialized emergency units in Thessaloniki and Larissa took part in the rescue operation, which concluded shortly after midnight, the statement added. 

Authorities said the tunnel had initially been entered by a group of four to five people, several of whom experienced dizziness and discomfort. One man managed to get out and alert emergency services, followed shortly afterwards by the others. 

The cause of the incident is under investigation, and officials are also examining the purpose of the tunnel’s construction. 

[Inspiration:] Local reports suggested it may have been dug in search of treasure. 

Article Five: Police focus on will, forensic evidence in double murder case. 

Police are focusing on forensic findings, electronic devices and the contents of a will to solve the double murder at the Foinikounda campsite in the Peloponnese, where a 68-year-old business owner and a 50-year-old caretaker were shot dead. 

Investigators are placing renewed attention on the victim’s latest will, which is scheduled to be opened on Friday at 9.30 am at the Pylos Magistrate’s Court. The process was expedited at the request of authorities, who are comparing it with a previous version drafted about a year ago, looking for any changes that could reveal a motive. 

No arrests have been made, but police have questioned the sole eyewitness – the victim’s nephew – who described the shooter as young, fair-skinned and petite. He did not recognize any of the suspects shown to him in photographs. Forensic reports suggest the owner was shot twice in his office, while the caretaker was hit three times while trying to flee. A fourth bullet struck a nearby caravan, and police are investigating whether it may have been aimed at the eyewitness. 

Video evidence shows a vehicle believed to have been used in the escape passing through villages in Ilia. Authorities suspect the killer fled by motorcycle, though the vehicle has not been found. The absence of security cameras at the scene has hindered progress. 

[Inspiration:] Police are also looking into a previous incident involving the 68-year-old victim, who was lightly injured in a shooting with an air gun about a month earlier. 

Article Six: Judge shot dead in Albania courtroom, gunman arrested after fleeing. 

A judge at the Tirana appeals court was shot dead on Monday by a man involved in a trial, police in Albania said. The gunman fled the scene but was later arrested. 

Judge Astrit Kalaja was shot inside the courtroom by a 30-year-old suspect with the initials E. Sh., according to police. Kalaja died while being taken to a hospital. 

The gunman also shot two other people involved in the hearing, police said. Their injuries weren’t life-threatening. 

Authorities haven’t provided details about the motive, or the nature of the case being heard. The case found at the court’s website referred to a property. 

Police later arrested the suspect, who ran away after the shooting, and also found the alleged revolver he used. 

[Inspiration:] Following sweeping judicial reforms launched in 2016 with support from the European Union and US, tens of thousands of cases have been delayed for years. [AP] 

––Jeff