I wrote this a while back for my local RWA Chapter's monthly newsletter. I've been giving it some thought lately and figured I would pull it out and read it. I think I will post it here for motivation.
What if dragonflies were human size? What if your neighbor was an undertaker? What if Santa Clause divorced Ms. Clause? The ‘what if’ factor opens up a world possibilities to us as writers. In fact, it’s what gave me the motivation to start writing. I love the idea of ‘what if’. It is an inspiration on a blank page. When you ask ‘what if…’ and your imagination takes off it is the most inspiring feeling. It doesn’t matter if you are starting a new story or opening up a WIP, ‘what if’ can get you rolling when nothing else seems to help. Daydreams are made up from the answers to ‘what if’. Whole novels are written in answer to the very simple question of ‘what if…’ If you type ‘what if’ into the search bar of Google it will give you billions of results. There are entire websites devoted to ‘what if’. There are companies named ‘What if’. Those are two very powerful words when we put them together and challenge ourselves as writers. Give it a try and see where ‘what if’ will take you. Challenge yourself with “what if…” the next time you are surfing the web instead of working on your current WIP.What if I opened my WIP and starting writing just a few sentences to answer ‘what if’ __________ happened next. You might come up with a breakthrough in the story you’ve been waiting for or you might end up with a whole new idea. The next time you sit down to the computer for a quick computer game - before you start writing - challenge yourself to a specific amount of time to play while thinking about the answer to ‘what if’ _________ happens next in my story. Heck, set a kitchen timer and when it goes off, open your WIP and start writing. Use ‘what if…’ as a way to get motivate each time you sit at the computer or take a pen to paper. The possibilities are limitless.
It is the motivation to keep me writing.