Cover of On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
>Stephen King’s book, “On Writing” has a great tip for when you don’t know what to say next, or if you are trying to think up an idea for your novel play the “What if” game. It’s easy to learn, just pick a subject. Say you like Zombies. Now play “what if” with the idea of Zombies:
What if Zombies were teachable?
What if you could train them to do mundane work like mowing the lawn or bicycle repairs?
What if they accidentally ate your neighbors cat while mowing the lawn because you had them on too long a chain?
What if there was a movement to free the poor worker ant Zombies?
What if someone proposed a Zombie Bill of Rights?
What if the Zombies came unleashed and ate their owners?
Would the Zombies still mow the lawn out of habit?
There. Considering that was “What if” on a single subject, how many other possibilities or impossibilities are there to write about? Now you get the idea!
Playing “What if” brings you to ask and add more questions. Soon you’ll have plenty of questions asked that need answering! So, the next time you don’t know how to begin writing your novel, or are stuck for ideas in the middle of your manuscript, look around your neighborhood and start playing, “What if…”
Kate Dancey 