A New Spin on It...
We all know that old saying; Where there's smoke, there's fire. My take on it is: Where's there's fire, there's smoke...in other words, you can take the truth or reality of anything and imagine a different direction or ending.
Here's a good analogy. I like to hand spin, and the main skill is learning to tease out the raw wool fibers until they are just fine enough to grab each other (without breaking) when the spindle is twirling, and thus to become a strand in fact.
Sometimes it's a news item, but it can be somebody else's story, or an element of a bio that is the starter 'strand' for me , and then I can weave my own ideas and thoughts on to it. It's not esoteric, just a practical skill as is weaving itself.
There is a short story contest currently with On Prem Magazine: https://onthepremises.com/current-contest/ due Feb.25/2019. The theme or strand is 'Hidden'. I had a story , Sin Eater which fit the bill and have entered it. Perhaps if you're reading this , you'll do the same.