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?

2 comments

2 Comments

ruby_fisher120d agoMost Upvoted

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

hayes.tara19d 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.