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  • #31
    Re: New Ideas

    Originally posted by sc111 View Post
    The Idea:

    A writer who does fairly well self-publishing different types of How-To digital books on Amazon, puts out a handbook on "How To Be A Successful Serial Killer."

    The author (I'm thinking a guy) did extensive research to compile these Do's and Don'ts.
    The handbook title should be "How To Capture Serial Killers". It's intended for law enforcement and amateur detectives, and is overlooked by censors. The serial killer, who is an avid reader and student of criminal behavior, stumbles on the handbook.

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    • #32
      Re: New Ideas

      Originally posted by sc111 View Post

      The Idea:

      A writer who does fairly well self-publishing different types of How-To digital books on Amazon, puts out a handbook on "How To Be A Successful Serial Killer."

      The book compiles all the "Dont's" based on mistakes serial killers made that led to their arrest.

      It also lists the "Do's" based on serial killers who continue to successfully elude capture.

      Soon after it's published online, there's a sudden string of killings in which the only clue are the initials of the book's author written in blood on the victim's forehead. And the killings take place in the city where the author lives.

      Does it have legs? Yes? No?
      I know there are members who have blanket bias against another serial killer story, but if a story has a unique story idea, then there is no reason why it shouldn't be written.

      To answer your question, yes, I believe this story idea has legs.

      If you don't mind, I'm gonna give some suggestions. If you do mind, you don't need to attack me. Just ignore.

      "How To Be A Successful Serial Killer."

      This is such an off beat publication, so, I suggest that the author's previous publications were also off beat and not mainstream. If the protagonist was a mainstream writer, then the serial killer how to book, will seem out of the blue and out of character.

      I suggest that he has some type of social media site, i.e., blog, twitter, whatever, with a niche fan following.

      The protagonist doesn't know it, in the beginning anyway, that one of his fans is the serial killer.

      The fan sets clues up for the murders to look like it was committed by the author, but it's circumstantial evidence, so the police don't have enough to arrest him yet.

      No clue such as the author's initials written in blood on the victims forehead, though carved would have been better.

      The fan knows the author's life because the protagonist blogs, or whatever about it on his social media site, so no alibi for the protagonist.

      The police focus their attention and resources on the author, so they're not even looking elsewhere.

      The goal/engine that drives the story is that the protagonist must find the serial killer who is setting him up in a frame job.

      The protagonist could reach out to his following for suggestions. The fans throw out suggestions. One fan being the real serial killer. It becomes a cat and mouse game.

      sc111, the twists and surprises are for you to brainstorm.
      Last edited by JoeNYC; 08-12-2020, 09:36 AM.

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      • #33
        Re: New Ideas

        Who is against serial killer stories? They are one of the most popular things I can think of.

        For some reason this setup feels like I've seen it before. A few horror movies come to mind like https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437857/

        So as Jeff Lowell would say -- research is key to see what else is out there.

        But overall the general idea of writing something and it being used for evil or good or funny -- is a good take.

        There is also comedy version -- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1542768...=nm_flmg_act_7

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        • #34
          Re: New Ideas

          Thanks all for the feedback. I'll likely never write it, though.
          Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

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          • #35
            Re: New Ideas

            That sum up 99% of Done Deal! Fighting over ideas that will never be finished or written at all.

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            • #36
              Re: New Ideas

              Originally posted by Bono View Post
              That sum up 99% of Done Deal! Fighting over ideas that will never be finished or written at all.
              Well -- it was about where we get ideas, right? I watched two documentaries in which Law Enforcement f-ed up royally overlooking clues and I thought that was the seed of an idea.
              Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

              Comment


              • #37
                Re: New Ideas

                Originally posted by sc111 View Post
                Thanks all for the feedback. I'll likely never write it, though.
                But if you do, I don't think serial killer stories ever go out of fashion. I read a lot of novels that have them in some form. They're sort of like zombie stories -- they may not be in popular for a couple of years, but they always persist and always have new runs.

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                • #38
                  Re: New Ideas

                  Originally posted by Bono View Post

                  Who is against serial killer stories? They are one of the most popular things I can think of.
                  I know, right? sc111 has a serial killer story idea. Cyfress has a serial killer story idea. I even have a serial killer story idea. My idea, which hasn't been written yet is:

                  A task force detective hunts a psycho bank robber who's killing one New Yorker a day until his captured girlfriend is released.

                  New Ideas are all around a writer as he goes through his life. The question to this writer is: Are you a sharp enough writer to see it?

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                  • #39
                    Re: New Ideas

                    Joe -- i figured you were responding to say some memeber saying "serial killer movies are out."

                    Your idea -- something there -- but ironciallly I don't think that's a serial killer as not enough time in between murders and they have a clear reason -- to save their girlfriend. Usually the have an MO, but often their reasons are impossible to figure out -- because they are insane to do it in first place.

                    I think that's just a good old regular version killer in your logline as your bank robber seems sane.

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                    • #40
                      Re: New Ideas

                      Originally posted by JoeNYC View Post
                      I know, right? sc111 has a serial killer story idea. Cyfress has a serial killer story idea. I even have a serial killer story idea.

                      New Ideas are all around a writer as he goes through his life. The question to this writer is: Are you a sharp enough writer to see it?
                      Or does your idea excite you enough to explore it and brainstorm it.

                      SC111's idea doesn't excite her enough to work on it. It intrigued me enough to think of a way to get around the issue of censorship and I came up with:

                      The handbook title should be "How To Capture Serial Killers". It's intended for law enforcement and amateur detectives, and is overlooked by censors. The serial killer, who is an avid reader and student of criminal behavior, stumbles on the handbook.

                      That leads me to:

                      Could there be a hook somewhere in that? What if the serial killer, an avid reader and student of criminal behavior, was a dropout from MIT ten years ago, and his father had told him that he would never amount to anything and to move as far away as possible.

                      What if the serial killer wasn't a serial killer until he stumbled on the handbook and was inspired to become the greatest serial killer in history to prove he could be great.

                      And now this genius serial killer uses the handbook to avoid detection. The great researcher and author must match wits with the serial killer he has helped create.

                      My point is you should be excited enough by your kernal of an idea to create a hook and a logline and then carry it through to a screenplay.

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                      • #41
                        Re: New Ideas

                        I love the serial killer genre. When done well they are a home run. Silence. Seven. You need an interesting investigator that has an open wound that happened in backstory but comes back into play as the plot unfolds. You need that psychological piece to the story and not just be chasing a maniac who is killing people.

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                        • #42
                          Re: New Ideas

                          Just annouced today -- Mrs. March follows a polished Upper East Side housewife who unravels when she begins to suspect the detestable protagonist of her husband’s latest bestselling novel is based on her.

                          So same wavelengths of the serial killer book idea we've been talking about...

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                          • #43
                            Re: New Ideas

                            Originally posted by Cyfress View Post
                            I love the serial killer genre. When done well they are a home run. Silence. Seven. You need an interesting investigator that has an open wound that happened in backstory but comes back into play as the plot unfolds. You need that psychological piece to the story and not just be chasing a maniac who is killing people.
                            Zodiac is an amazing movie and the lead investigator was a cartoonist who just seems to like solving puzzles. So it doesn't always have to be the broken cop character. But often is.

                            SEVEN now that was a freaking home run high concept wise. 7 deadly sins. Sign me up.

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                            • #44
                              Re: New Ideas

                              I love Fincher. I'll watch anything he directs. I saw Zodiac in the theatres. I think that's based on true events so I think they are in a box as far as what they could do with character. But to me Fincher focused on his obsession of the case and how it isolated him from his family and toyed with the notion that he may be a target of the Zodiac. I remember the scene where he's in the hous of the man that works at the theatre and the guy wants to show him something in the basement. Very eerie scene.

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                              • #45
                                Re: New Ideas

                                So we're doing new serial killer movie ideas? Hold on, give me a second ... ooh, here it comes ... ahhh, there you go:

                                BALLPARK MESSIAH

                                Crime Thriller

                                Tagline: Three strikes and you're dead.

                                The "baseball-bat murders" just appear violent and random until a devout virgin Catholic detective finds that each victim had filed for their third divorce.
                                Know this: I'm a lazy amateur, so trust not a word what I write.
                                "The ugly can be beautiful. The pretty, never." ~ Oscar Wilde

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