Everywhere a story idea

One of the hardest things for me–as someone who dares to call himself a writer–is coming up with story ideas. (Of course, my other difficulties include staying motivated to write an entire story.)

But what’s cool is sometimes you find inspiration in the oddest of places. I’ve found some at one of my aforementioned favorite Web sites: RotoWorld.com.

It’s constantly updated with little news items, but each of them is fraught with “back story” possibilities.

Example:

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Cardinals optioned RHP Kelvin Jimenez to Triple-A Memphis.

Jimenez allowed one run in three innings during his eight days with the club.

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I know nothing about Mr. Jimenez; in fact, I had no idea he was a major league pitcher. But on the face of this item, I can infer that he did a decent job in a very brief stint as a relief pitcher in the big leagues.

Maybe Kelvin’s family really needed that major league salary, because he’s trying to move them from the Dominican Republic to the U.S. Or maybe he accidentally pissed off one of the veteran players or coaches. Or maybe he was just a victim of the “numbers game” and had to be sent back to the minors so the team could activate a newly recuperated player.

Lots of story potential from just a couple sentences. Food for thought.