Beth Rodgers's Blog: A Fresh Perspective: A Blog by Beth Rodgers, Author of "Freshman Fourteen" - Posts Tagged "questions"
Asking 'What If?': A Stimulating Activity
Sometimes asking 'what if?' can be bothersome and frustrating, making you wonder if you really made the right decisions. Second-guessing yourself is never much fun. However, sometimes playing the 'what if?' game can be extremely thought-provoking and can stimulate some of the deep-seated knowledge that you didn't even realize was rooted right in your very mind.
Be creative with your 'what if?' questions, though. If you only ask yourself, 'what if I had become a doctor rather than a writer?' you may come up with some interesting answers, but they may not prove as fruitful as 'what if Cheerios tasted like tiny donuts?' or 'what if we could understand dogs when they bark?' - or maybe they just might. It all depends on who's asking and how that person is answering.
Even if you think a 'what if?' question sounds stupid, I guarantee there is some creative response, whether it is fictional or realistic, that you can gain from it. Think about all the topics you've wondered about throughout your life. What made these issues and ideas so curious and caused you to question them? These are the questions to ask. Even if you think you'd like to write non-fiction instead of fiction, you can still use creative 'what if?' questions. You just have to think of how you can phrase your responses to lend them to the appropriate genre. For example, think back on the Cheerios example above. If you were writing a non-fiction book, or maybe even an article for a newspaper, about ways to make people want to eat certain foods, maybe proposing solutions for how to gain more interest in those foods would be beneficial.
So, what if you tried this activity? What if it worked and you came up with new, exciting, relevant, and engaging topics? Good luck!
Beth Rodgers is the author of Freshman Fourteen, a young adult novel.
Be creative with your 'what if?' questions, though. If you only ask yourself, 'what if I had become a doctor rather than a writer?' you may come up with some interesting answers, but they may not prove as fruitful as 'what if Cheerios tasted like tiny donuts?' or 'what if we could understand dogs when they bark?' - or maybe they just might. It all depends on who's asking and how that person is answering.
Even if you think a 'what if?' question sounds stupid, I guarantee there is some creative response, whether it is fictional or realistic, that you can gain from it. Think about all the topics you've wondered about throughout your life. What made these issues and ideas so curious and caused you to question them? These are the questions to ask. Even if you think you'd like to write non-fiction instead of fiction, you can still use creative 'what if?' questions. You just have to think of how you can phrase your responses to lend them to the appropriate genre. For example, think back on the Cheerios example above. If you were writing a non-fiction book, or maybe even an article for a newspaper, about ways to make people want to eat certain foods, maybe proposing solutions for how to gain more interest in those foods would be beneficial.
So, what if you tried this activity? What if it worked and you came up with new, exciting, relevant, and engaging topics? Good luck!
Beth Rodgers is the author of Freshman Fourteen, a young adult novel.
A Fresh Perspective: A Blog by Beth Rodgers, Author of "Freshman Fourteen"
Check back often for tips on writing, including ways to deal with getting past writer's block, as well as posts by the characters of "Freshman Fourteen," Beth Rodgers' new young adult novel.
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