Creation Begins with “What If?”
The thing about What if is that it’s the beginning of…everything. Every successful entrepreneur asks, What if? Every inventor, every teacher, and every person who creates asks, what if?
Then there are the people who nurture people, often (but not limited to) those people who create people, parents we call them, so many what ifs….
What ifs that keep you up at night. What ifs that you celebrate. What ifs you didn’t even think of…
From before our children are even born until forever.
In advocacy we encourage others to think of What if?
Change Begins with “What If?”
What if every room was accessible? What if we provided a complete and approproate education to every student, regardless of privilege and perception? What if everyone had a place on the platform?
What if we listened?
Oh my! And so many more.
“What if?” is the Finish the Sentence Friday question. This week I’m also also posting a “Love Blog” on the topic of Inspiration. In my creative life, stories come from what if.
Stories Begin with “What If?”
For me that’s where most stories start. And then, where the stories build and twist.
What if our shoes were programmed to walk for us and then, what if they gained cognizance? (As I wrote in a story called, “Lucky Shoes.”)
What if while on a “survival training “ trip the leader dies early of a mysterious illness and now the whole camp is stranded, with others also dying…? (As in “The Survivor’s Pack”)
Marcus imagination follows what if’s in his stories too. In his current book, What if a boy wants to join a monster rock band?
Some of Marcus’ ideas in progress include: What if a boy who’s bullied takes an invisibility potion? What if there were a brain store? What if a monster was the good guy?
Next weekend I’ll be out with some writer friends, selling books (hopefully), having drinks (most likely), sharing what-if’s.
Can you come up with a What If…or two? from this photo by my brother Timothy Wright? I’ll bet you can.
Quieting the Uncontrollable
There’s a downside to an active imagination and a sensitive heart. The What If that is just a worry cycle – there is so little control in life…really. Yet, how often we torment ourselves with the what if’s that we can never balance. Sigh. Everyday we see the news of the worst what if you can imagine happening to a person/family/community in real life.
Oh. No.
Deep Breath.
I won’t take you down that rabbit hole, because I know you have your own.
I write sometimes because I feel like with words I try to reign it in…a little. I’m not alone in this reaction and speculation. I know many artists have this bubble of hope that words, song, art, dance, poetry, theatre, photography, sculpture…whatever – can bring balance. Can put the world to right. Can heal, provide hope, can…What if it’s true? What if we could? That’s why I write.
Guys and Gals, I’m keeping it short today. I want to hear from you and your “What if?” Link up here, or comment. Also, there’s an extra day in February this year, so take your extra day and link up here too, about inspiration.
I love this prompt and way of thinking about writing fiction. It’s a small perspective shift, but a good way to “write into” a scene. “What if this happened?” is a crucial question for fiction writers — thank you!
There really is so much less control than we think. It’s a hard one for me to get a grip on – that me sitting in the back with my son when he was little had nothing to do with “what if,” but it seemed like it did, you know? And Marcus’ questions are too awesome. “What if there were a brain store?” If there’s one, and he discovers it, let me know? I could use a brain store. xo