Writing and the "What-If" Game

When I get stuck on a story, I find that I like to play the "What-if" game with my stories. I think I arrived at this idea from a combination of different sources (I recall Orson Scott Card giving advice in a book on character that worked into it), but it has become a key tool in my own writing, and sometimes I use when criticizing other stories.

The "What-if" game is pretty simple in theory: Reading through my story, I look for things I imagine to be important, and I ask "What if things turned out differently?" Maybe Character A has wronged Character B and asks for forgiveness. Character B forgives him and the story moves on, but later I feel like the story is lacking in something. So I go back and ask, "What if Character B had not forgiven him? How would it change the story?" I then go to the appropriate notebook and start listing how I think the new scenario would change the story. Sometimes it is a great way to get over writer's block.

It can also work in the outlining phase of story writing. I have been working on one story for a while, and I used the "What-if" game to try all the different permutations of my characters. What if Character A was female? What if Character A was older? Not all of these decisions drastically affect my story; I would not, for example, assume that a female character could not do anything a male character could. But it might affect how I think other characters might respond, or how I think readers might respond. And when a given relationship seems too cliche, nothing helps like changing the characters' identities. And if I start out by imagining several different permutations for each character (instead of insisting that any character has to have a given set of traits), then I am able to outline several different scenarios and pick the one that interests me most.

The game is helpful when considering a different turn of events that has serious consequences on the plot. But what about where I cannot see a significant change to the story by changing a given detail? Well, that is a good sign that the detail I am considering is not too important, for one. Changing a character's gender might or might not change the course of the story (although it might have broader cultural implications); if a character could be male or female with no significant change to the story, I have no need to insist on one gender, beyond what I think is more interesting. But it could be kept in the background, or maybe even left to the reader's imagination. On the other hand, whether a certain character lives or dies probably will change the course of the story significantly. If it doesn't, I probably should not bother with that plot point at all.

The "What-if" game is a pretty basic writing tool, maybe, but I think it is good to keep in mind. If you are stuck in a story, try it out as a way to get creative. Even if you are not stuck, try it out and see whether it leads to any new ideas you like more. Our first ideas for stories often come from what feels natural, but that's not always the most interesting. Sometimes thinking of all the alternatives can help you find the great idea you would otherwise miss.