Conspiracy!
Take an event from history and write a fictional account describing a conspiracy theory about what “REALLY” happened. Or, if you prefer, write a scene about a character who believes in one or more conspiracy theories.
The other day, I procrastinated on the development of this writing prompt by reading about the numerous conspiracy theories surrounding the tragic assassination of American President John F. Kennedy, Jr., on November 22, 1963. It seems the event may perpetually be synonymous with this vast array of hypotheses concerning the "true" perpetrator. From Woody Harrelson's father to the CIA to the Mafia, potential unconvicted culprits abound in the public imagination. According to author and former Los Angeles District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi, conspiracy theorists "have accused 42 groups, 82 assassins and 214 people of being involved in the assassination" over the years. You can read a summary of the predominant theories here.
And the JFK assassination is far from the most conspiracy-laden historical event or under-explained occurrence: Many people believe the moon landing was faked, that Paul McCartney was replaced, that chemtrails are composed of mind control drugs.
The Prompt:
Take an event from history and write a fictional account describing a conspiracy theory about what "REALLY" happened. Or, if you prefer, write a scene about a character who believes in one or more conspiracy theories. Outlandish or realistic, recent or ancient—anything is fair game, but do please make it convincing. I want to believe.
Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.
Jess Zafarris is the Executive Director of Marketing & Communications for Gotham Ghostwriters and the former Digital Content Director for Writer’s Digest. Her eight years of experience in digital and print content direction include such roles as editor-in-chief of HOW Design magazine and online content director of HOW and PRINT magazine, as well as writing for the Denver Business Journal, ABC News, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal. She spends much of her spare time researching curious word histories and writing about them at UselessEtymology.com. Follow her at @jesszafarris or @uselessety on Twitter.
