The "What If" Technique
If faced with writer's block, one twisted little way to squeeze a story out of your subconscious is the "What If" technique. Quite a few of my short stories came into being this way. The core part of this technique's to look at something in the real world and ask yourself "What if . . . . ?"
Think about it. Odds are you've seen a movie or read a book based on a "What if" scenario.
Some examples:
Think of Underworld (a classic movie): "What if vampires and werewolves had a war?"
Then there was Saving Private Ryan : "What if 8 soldiers were sent into insanely-hostile territory to rescue 1 soldier – a mere private, no less?"
And, of course, there's Kick-Ass : "What if a comic book geek decided to become a vigilante 'super hero': with no powers, fancy gadgets, or even training?"
The advantages of the "What if" are powerful. For one thing, you give your story an instant, solid foundation to build upon. Second, you can explain an idea a lot faster to someone else through a "What if" – which helps when dealing with potential buyers with short attention spans.
Now, how do you dig up a good, solid "What if" that no one else has gotten to yet? Just look around your everyday existence and let your creativity hunt one down. Odds are you're sitting on top of several and don't even know it. And they can come from anywhere.
Just of thinking of stuff I've seen this week, here are some "What if" moments for myself:
1 I saw a guy with a "Will Work For Food" sign (as I'm sure we all have). But what if someone came across a homeless man with a slightly different sign. Maybe the sign says: "Will Kill For Food"? You give him a ham sandwich and the name of your annoying next-door neighbor, just as a joke. And the next day, your neighbor is dead. And when you come across that wino's path, he thanks you for the sandwich . . . with a strange, crazy grin on his face.
2 It was snowing like crazy around where I live, in post-holiday January. Hmm. Let me run with this a bit . . . What if you found yourself Christmas shopping in the midst of a zombie apocalypse? Your kids are all bummed out about having to stay hidden, seeing as zombies are all over the place. And you're dumb enough to risk your life to give 'em some holiday cheer. So you grab a machete, some 12-gauge rounds, and stroll off with some buddies – through a raging blizzard – to a long-abandoned Wal-Mart ('cause they have everything).
3. I heard of an iPhone app that lets you talk in a Darth Vader voice (kinda' cool, I thought). Anyway, what if some unsuspecting person got an iPhone knockoff with thousands of apps and stumbled across one marked "Super Hero"? And, with the press of a button, the damned phone sprouted arms, legs, a cape . . . then flew to fight evil?
C'mon. Give it a try. Anyone who dreams up some particularly awesome "What If" concepts are free to post with their comments (just no full stories, please).
Good luck.
Think about it. Odds are you've seen a movie or read a book based on a "What if" scenario.
Some examples:
Think of Underworld (a classic movie): "What if vampires and werewolves had a war?"
Then there was Saving Private Ryan : "What if 8 soldiers were sent into insanely-hostile territory to rescue 1 soldier – a mere private, no less?"
And, of course, there's Kick-Ass : "What if a comic book geek decided to become a vigilante 'super hero': with no powers, fancy gadgets, or even training?"
The advantages of the "What if" are powerful. For one thing, you give your story an instant, solid foundation to build upon. Second, you can explain an idea a lot faster to someone else through a "What if" – which helps when dealing with potential buyers with short attention spans.
Now, how do you dig up a good, solid "What if" that no one else has gotten to yet? Just look around your everyday existence and let your creativity hunt one down. Odds are you're sitting on top of several and don't even know it. And they can come from anywhere.
Just of thinking of stuff I've seen this week, here are some "What if" moments for myself:
1 I saw a guy with a "Will Work For Food" sign (as I'm sure we all have). But what if someone came across a homeless man with a slightly different sign. Maybe the sign says: "Will Kill For Food"? You give him a ham sandwich and the name of your annoying next-door neighbor, just as a joke. And the next day, your neighbor is dead. And when you come across that wino's path, he thanks you for the sandwich . . . with a strange, crazy grin on his face.
2 It was snowing like crazy around where I live, in post-holiday January. Hmm. Let me run with this a bit . . . What if you found yourself Christmas shopping in the midst of a zombie apocalypse? Your kids are all bummed out about having to stay hidden, seeing as zombies are all over the place. And you're dumb enough to risk your life to give 'em some holiday cheer. So you grab a machete, some 12-gauge rounds, and stroll off with some buddies – through a raging blizzard – to a long-abandoned Wal-Mart ('cause they have everything).
3. I heard of an iPhone app that lets you talk in a Darth Vader voice (kinda' cool, I thought). Anyway, what if some unsuspecting person got an iPhone knockoff with thousands of apps and stumbled across one marked "Super Hero"? And, with the press of a button, the damned phone sprouted arms, legs, a cape . . . then flew to fight evil?
C'mon. Give it a try. Anyone who dreams up some particularly awesome "What If" concepts are free to post with their comments (just no full stories, please).
Good luck.
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