The Power of “What If”
Ever have those moments where you wonder if you should have made a different decision? Maybe not dating that jerk in high school? Or you should have ordered sushi instead of steak? We’re always second-guessing ourselves, wondering if we made the right choices, especially if life isn’t running as smoothly as we think it should. But there are no do-overs. We can’t rewind the clock to turn down the person who would break our heart or decide to take that risky job offer across the country. And, truthfully, we wouldn’t really want to. What we did in our past—good and bad choices—make us who we are today. If you didn’t know what kind of significant other you wanted, maybe you wouldn’t have found your perfect partner today.
But our minds still whir with “what-ifs?” What to do with them?
Write about them! We can take instances from our own lives—decisions we made or didn’t make–and give them to our characters. Let your imagination take over. What if your character turned down that jerk? What if your character flung away a secure job? What if your character chose sushi?
As writers, we’re blessed with the ability to explore these questions in very satisfying ways. And if your character is worse off because of their choices? Well, all the better that you know you made the right ones for you at that time. 🙂