Mystery to Myth: Drone Swarms and Community Storytelling

Reports of unexplained drone swarms have been popping up in New Jersey, the United States, and even in parts of Europe. These sightings, often described as eerie, coordinated, and untraceable, have sparked global speculation. Are they U.S. military testing? Foreign adversaries? Pre-invasion alien reconnaissance? Or just War of the Worlds hysteria?

The drone unknowns reminded me of how communities develop around mysteries to fill gaps in their knowledge through storytelling.

From TV shows like LOST, celebrity relationships like Bennifer, the Roswell crash, and the flight logs of Epstein Island, these narratives often blend facts, theories, and imagination to create sprawling, interconnected cosmologies.

I’ve been researching UFOs, now UAPs, for a project (I recommend Luis Elizondo’s new book, Imminent.). I can’t help but notice how the emergent, community-built stories around this phenomenon resemble how I approach crafting fictional worlds for TV.

What is Community-Based Storytelling?

A collaborative process where groups of people come together to weave narratives that fill gaps in their understanding. They’re grounded in a captivating mystery, powered by compelling characters, and driven by an unrelenting curiosity to uncover hidden truths.

Unlike traditional narratives tied to a single author or intellectual property, these stories grow organically, constantly adapting as new “facts” or interpretations emerge.

The parallels to fictional world-building are evident. Great fiction thrives on mystery, relatable characters, and the power of nemesis. Conspiratorial stories, like those surrounding JFK, UFOs, or Epstein Island, follow a similar pattern:

Grounding in Reality: These narratives often start with a real-world event that feels incomplete or unresolved. The Roswell crash is a touchpoint for decades of narrative expansion rivaling the expanded universe of Star Wars.

A Cast of Characters: Just as fiction relies on memorable heroes and villains, conspiracies hinge on figures of power (government entities, shadowy organizations, elites) or knowledge (whistleblowers, experts, or mysterious insiders).

A Sense of Mystery: The unknown fuels these stories. Information gaps open for speculation, like the unresolved plotlines in many of my serialized shows.

Opposition: Stories thrive on conflict. Conspiracies often pit “truth-seekers” against oppressive, secretive forces, adding stakes to the narrative.

It’s fascinating to see a similar evolution in community-driven narratives to the serialized stories we generated for Alias, Lost, and Heroes, despite oppositional executive and fan forces demanding logic, immediate answers, and expositional clarity.

Collaboration and Iteration: Each contributor builds on the existing ideas, creating dynamic and ever-changing stories. Theories are refined, expanded, or debunked like we evolved and retconned a show’s mythology over multiple seasons.

Adaptation to New Information: Like serialized TV adjusts to audience feedback or real-world events, community stories adapt when new puzzle pieces emerge.

Character-Centric Focus: These stories succeed because they center around compelling “characters,” whether real (politicians, whistleblowers) or symbolic (the archetypal figure of the oppressed truth-seeker).

Why Do People Engage in These Stories?

Conspiracies and emergent storytelling scratch the same itch as immersive fiction. They create:

A Shared Reality: These narratives foster community among believers and collaborators, much like movie and TV fandoms.

Resilience Through Narrative: For some, these stories offer a way to process a chaotic, unpredictable world by providing structure and meaning.

A Sense of Agency: Participating in these narratives gives people the feeling that they’re contributing to uncovering a greater truth, much like solving a mystery in a fictional world.

Scribbling serialized shows like Alias, Lost, and Heroes (even Citadel) taught me a lot about crafting stories that resonate (or don’t). I see those lessons reflected in community-driven narratives.

Mystery is King: Unanswered questions and tantalizing clues keep people engaged.

Anchor in Character: Whether it’s a TV protagonist like Sydney Bristow or a shadowy conspiracy figure like Sloane and SD-6, compelling characters drive long-term investment.

Foster Collaboration: While a room of scribblers is a “professional” construct, conspiracy theorists and community storytellers operate informally, collectively shaping their “world.”

Community-driven storytelling might seem chaotic, but these grounded, character-driven narratives resonate deeply with their creator-audiences, offering connection, meaning, and a shared journey into the unknown. They serve the same purpose as “Ye olde” fables and myths: explaining the unexplained, addressing fears, and inspiring moral or existential reflection.

Remember, you’re not facing the blank page alone. You have your scribbler’s toolbox. So, ABW. Always. Be. Writing.