My barista said my story idea sounded like a 'what if' question

I was describing a character who finds a door in their apartment that wasn't there before, and she just said, 'So, what if it only appears when it rains?' It reframed my whole approach from describing a scene to asking a prompt. What's a simple question that recently unlocked a story for you?

3 comments

3 Comments

ruby_fisher13mo ago

I heard a writer say to ask "what does the character want right now?

coleman.avery2mo ago

But that's a dead end for flat characters, @ruby_fisher1. People are messy and often don't know what they want.

hayes.tara3mo ago

Notice how often a simple "what if" solves a real problem. My friend was stuck on a work project until someone asked "what if you did the last step first". It cuts through the noise and forces a new angle.