Thread: What if What if is switched off? Or, how do you develop a “What if?” way of thinking?

Prompted by the question of: "What If, 'What If?' is switched off? I looked up a few figures. (Bloody Hell - how do you punctuate that question?)

I have been a contributor to the Forum for 18 months and in the time I have started 44 threads. In addition I have contributed to numerous threads posted by others. In my opening introductory thread I advised members on a few of the subjects I was likely to write about and with the benefit of hindsight I see that I fulfilled my promise. (Pun intended).

I take the knack to be in composing the article in such a style as to attract both readership and some posted comments. On this Forum I rarely have the right to claim a runaway success indeed most of my work seems to pass unnoticed but surprisingly that doesn't matter so much to me nowadays. That is partly because I have a loyal readership on a horse forum.

Does it matter if I suffer from a bout of topic starvation for a week or two? Of course not.
What does matter is that I am still in contact across the world with a similar minded group of writers in the English language. Oh, and I don't seem to have developed Parks yet.

So please keep up the one liners Ox. I for one would miss your acid comments.
I don't get out much these days.

Dv

Originally Posted by luckyscars

7. Finally, address the 'message' of the story: I don't normally do this until I've pretty much made up my mind about the story, written a good bit of it, and figured out what the outcome will be. But it is nevertheless something interesting to think about while you are writing. Of course, there's no law that says your story must have a 'message', but most if not all great works do.

Splutter, splutter! - Blimey! I nearly choked on me kedgeree...I trust your use of the word 'message' is elastic and can be stretched to cover theme, or what's-the'story-about?

Off Topic:

Originally Posted by qwertyman

splutter, splutter! - blimey! I nearly choked on me kedgeree...i trust your use of the word 'message' is elastic and can be stretched to cover theme, or what's-the'story-about?

This takes the “only in” label well and truly away from America. Only in Britain could one even think of eating a dish as revolting as kedgeree. Boiled fish, and for breakfast! No wonder Brits all have such pasty complexions. Urrgh!

(No wonder Brits all have such pasty complexions)

Ooh Ox, can't let that one pass without a comment.

Kedgeree is a dish going back to wartime, when we Brits were surrounded by
enemies across the waters. The tiny fishing boats went out and caught the cod and the haddock, which was smoked to keep it edible whilst the fish was taken to market and onwards to home usually for serving at teatime as a main meal. It was served with a poached egg and, if any was available, with HP brown sauce.
Once the war was over and rationing had ended (for some items as late as the mid'50s), the dish lost its popularity - largely because it wasn't the only meal to eat. Personally I have not eaten it since my Grandma died.

As for pasty faces, well we Brits, who still live on a windy, rain swept island, travel for our sunshine ration to Southern Europe. Those that
fancy a tan and don't fancy flying on cut price Ryanair, might use a sun bed. Some prefer to wipe on the brown liquid which converts the pink skin into a bronzed torso. Women do this for some odd reason.

Some of us men still do have rosie cheeks, usually because we have had one too many. Or we might have been standing outside in the wind.

As for me, well I do have rosie cheeks, I still have a peaches and cream complexion and that is largely my reward for spending a good clean life.
To touch the skin of my cheeks, is to feel the sensation of a finger tip on a baby's bum. Many is the time that I have made a wench quiver from the slightest of caresses.
Yet no ungents, thick or thin, sweet smelling or odourous, have ever been applied to the area of my face not sheltered by a luxiant but silvery grey
beard, the hairs of which also feel as soft as strands of silk. The
underlying skin is pure and natural and without a blemish.

Such men as I dare not travel to the Great Downunder, where the sun shines bright and hot. We fear the rays will damage our delicate complexions.

Anyway, there are all those White Sharks swimming in the sea.

White Pointers, we call 'em. Also what the topless brigade display, on secluded beaches at the beginning of summer.

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

White Pointers, we call 'em. Also what the topless brigade display, on secluded beaches at the beginning of summer.

Excitement on the waduh, excitement on the beach. Sounds like a lovely place to me.
That other place, that dismal sounding place, do they still eat that imported stuff, "spam"?

I don’t know if I really buy the “what if” thing as a means of generating ideas. I’ve had this conversation with other writers – and when pressed, they say they can apply the “what if” in retrospect to an idea they were able to develop – but it wasn’t part of some method they follow. It’s the same for me.

So how would I determine what event or scenario is worthy of the “what if?” and what makes determining that any different than just coming up with something out of the blue?

I don’t think there is any difference -- so it’s usually just a matter of an idea popping into my head that I think might work as a story. And I've yet to come across any method or formula for making it happen.