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Fugitive Writing Ideas

The concept of the fugitive is a major theme in writing. In fiction and nonfiction, it is able to capture a desire, urge or fear faced by many people. Using people's identity with the fugitive or with the person chasing the fugitive, you can create quality stories packed with nuance and meaning. Remember as you write to pay attention to your own reactions to the concept of the fugitive; your gut reactions can make you a better writer and perhaps help you process your own feelings along the way.
  1. Fugitive Detective Fiction

    • Write a detective story about a fugitive who is on the run from the law, a classic mystery novel scenario. Or turn it around and write about a wrongly accused fugitive who must prove that the detective pursuer is the one who committed the crime. To add complexity to fugitive detective fiction, you can have the story take place in an apocalyptic setting, a historical setting or in any other setting popular in genre fiction. Remember that fugitive characters can come with widely varying personalities, but they must be believably clever enough to remain on the run while pursued.

    Nontraditional Fugitive Fiction

    • Write about someone who is a figurative fugitive, whether from parents with overbearing rules, others in the neighborhood or a dark secret of his own making. This type of story could make for a psycho thriller, a commentary on society or even throw the reader into a warped science fiction world. Use the concept of "fugitive" as a figurative or metaphorical term or give it new contexts that couldn't exist in the reality-bound world. Take inspiration from concepts, such as "fugitive of love" or "fugitive of the past."

    Fugitive Nonfiction

    • Write a nonfiction study on a historical or modern fugitive; include her thoughts, motivations and her ultimate fate. You can choose someone famous or unknown. To make this a good write, you need to be able to get inside her mind or the mind of the pursuer. You can, alternatively, write about multiple fugitives and compare them. Be sure to pick fugitives that have some kind of unifying theme, such as "innocent fugitives," "political fugitives" or "fugitives who slipped up."

    Personal Fugitive Memoir

    • Write your own story about being a fugitive. If you have ever run away from a person, event, institution or idea, you probably have some kind of story to tell. Remember to include your motivations to become a fugitive, how it felt to be a fugitive and how long you remained on the run. Give hints as to how real an outside threat was and how you felt when you were caught or decided to stop running.

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