The 'What if...?' Writing Exercise

 

I attended a writer's meeting on Zoom last night. The people there were all from California plus me all the way from Kansas. In one conversation about inspiration--where you find it--, an old exercise was mentioned. It's called the "What if...?" and is meant to stir your imagination.

For those not familiar with playing the "What if...?" game, it's not difficult and can reap many benefits. It also helps you develop your writer's eye so that you become more observant of your surroundings.

Let's say you're walking your small dog in the park. There are kids on bikes, mothers pushing strollers, and other dog walkers. In the distance, you spot an older man who has a large dog on a leash. The dog is pulling at the leash with every step. Your mind starts the exercise by saying 'What if that big, strong dog gets away from his master? What if the big dog runs toward me and my dog? What if he knocks over a small child on a bike? What if people start yelling? What if a policeman comes running, captures the dog, and returns him to the old man? But, what if the dog reaches my little Daisy-poo, picks her up in his massive jaws, and runs straight to the road running by the park? What if he suddenly stops and lays down in the grass with Daisy between his paws and gently licks her head? 

You can see how this goes. Your mind can develop several scenarios for this situation. Which one would make the best story? So many possibilities.

Another possible use of this exercise is when you're at a point in your story and find yourself without a clue as to where to go next. Play the "What if...?" game using as many possibilities as you can think of. You'll discard some right away as they are impossible or ridiculous. Others are ok but don't grab you. You're going to hold on to the one that makes you say, "oh yeah, that would work." 

You could be having a fine time at the beach, lounging on a chair in the sand watching a little boy digging in the sand by the water's edge. His mother is nearby. Your mind starts asking "What if the little boy ventured farther out in the water? What if the mother turned to talk to someone and didn't see him? What if some older boys are roughhousing and knock the little boy down? What if he goes underwater, sand pail and shovel still in hand? What if no one sees what happened?" Of course, in real life, we hope that little boy stays perfectly safe with Mama by his side. 

Use this exercise to move a story along and for inspiration for a new story to write. Do it often enough, and your mind will automatically start saying 'What if...?"

An Idea Doesn't Always Become A Full Story

Looking for story ideas is a never-ending process for writers. Everywhere we go, we keep an observant eye open to what is happening around us. An overheard conversation in a restaurant can lead to a full story. It's not necessarily eavesdropping. In some places, the tables are so close, there is no way you can NOT hear what the people next to you are discussing. 

We ate at a barbecue place in Texas once where the customers all sat at long tables together. A woman across and down one seat was talking to a few men across from her. It was the most fascinating conversation ever. I've never forgotten that woman who ran a ranch single-handedly, scared rustlers off with her shotgun, killed a rattler by the back step and more. She'd be the perfect protagonist in a novel.

But that turned out to be just an idea, not a full story. We find plenty around us to write short snippets that never do turn into a finished project. We have lots of unfinished pieces in our files. We have a great idea, start out with a bang, then hit a major snag and quit. Maybe we have the middle of a story but can't quite come up with a good beginning or a smashing ending. Or, we might have a super beginning that ends up going nowhere.

I mentioned in a post several days ago that I have the beginning of a short story for middle-grade kids. It's a good beginning, but every ending I've come up with is pretty lame. No one wants a story that starts with a bang and then fizzles out like a 4th of July sparkler. 

What should you do with those ideas that come to you but aren't' a full story or essay or memoir piece? Don't get disgusted and toss them. Start a file for those bits and pieces. Some day, they could be very useful. One might end up as a chapter in a novel or the opening of a new short story. A description you wrote two months ago could be perfect for the memoir piece you are working on. All those small ideas or little bits of description might be very useful down the line. Save them! I've saved the story beginning I mentioned above. A good ending may come to somewhere in the future. I surely hope so!

One of my sisters-in-law is a writer. She writes supernatural/ghost stories for the YA group of readers. You may have noticed her blog title posted at the right side of my blog. It's called Ubiquitous Ghosts. Her posts are based on her writing life and the novels she's published. Earlier this week, we chatted via her Facebook page about the 'idea vs story' topic since she had written a post on the subject. Pondering on what she wrote and what we chatted about led to my post today. Do read her post regarding this topic here. Her name is Ophelia Julien, and while we write altogether different kinds of stories, we still have a lot in common as writers. Saving Jake was one of her earliest novels which received fine reviews. In this case, she had an idea that turned into a full story. Check it out at Amazon if you're looking for a book for your kids or grandkids to read on these hot summer days.

Keep watching for story ideas. Even if they don't pan out immediately, the day may come when they will inspire you to develop the idea into a full-fledged, publishable piece of writing.