About a month or so ago, I came upon Big Pulp's invitation for writers to submit to a themed collection with the theme being "The Kennedy Curse." I've never written a story from anything other than inspiration, but I decided to take on the challenge.
I could have decided to write a story about a man who discovers a way to travel in time and decides to go back in time to stop JFK's assassination, but Stephen King already beat me to that idea.
As for taking on a theme, I found it both daunting and exciting. In most cases, I usually wait around for some sort of internal or external inspiration and when that hits, I'm ready to go. For instance, my story, "The Touch," came to me at one of my daughter's marching band competitions. I pulled out my phone and wrote out a couple sentences, then emailed them off to myself. This story is set to be released in an upcoming Static Movement anthology titled, "Gifted." So, I don't think I can count as to writing to a theme or specific topic. I just happened to get lucky and my story fit the parameters of this specific anthology.
I can usually spit out a Flash or shorter stories in one sitting, but working with a theme challenged me. For some reason, inspiration came more quickly than I expected, but before I could write, I had to do some research. It turned out that this research helped me out a great deal when writing the story. I was able to work in facts and then blend them into my fiction.
Anyway, I'm not going to spoil my story by giving away any details because while it is part horror (a ghost story), it also part mystery. Being that it comes under the theme of the Kennedy Curse, I think many readers will start to catch on right away, but I think some might not.
If you have had to write to a theme or a topic, let us know how it went for you.
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