What if...?

Possibly the greatest two words in your arsenal as a writer. Together they inspire endless opportunities to spark your creativity and make your novel the best it can be. They are the writer's best friends, and magic weapon. Seriously.
So today I pushed my computer back, and pulled out my red, college rule notebook labeled SITU. I opened up to the first clean, white page and scrawled at the top, "What if...?" Then I let my imagination go. I asked as many what if questions I could think of, some crazy, some brilliantly great. They go along the lines of this:

• What if the Captain kills Lark?
• What if the "good" king was really evil?
• What if someone lost a limb?
• What if someone dies on the journey to the castle?

Plus about a page and a half more of rambling what if questions. Then I flipped the page, and wrote in big letters at the top: What is expected?

•  It's expected that they will win all their battles. But what if they don't? What if they all get captured? What if Cooper gets captured, and simply disappears from the book? But that leaves a loose end for the reader...
• It's expected that Captain and Lark will fall in love. And they will.
• It's expected that they'll live happily ever after. But what if Cap become alcoholic and abusive?
• It's expected that the Cap is good. But what if he's an assassin? What if he's a traitor?

Next page: What's unexpected? And you get the point. This generated so many fantastic ideas. I encourage you all to harness the power of "What if". If you haven't already, sit down and try it. Do it with every story you're writing, and before you start writing a new story. It won't disappoint.
The trick is to write down EVERYTHING that comes to mind. Every silly, crazy, questionable answer that dares to peek it's head in. Slap it down on the paper, and don't think about it again until you're done writing. Some of my seemingly most stupid ideas have grown into amazing twists and turns that make my story all that much better.
I hope you guys take this, and use it to the best of your abilities. In your hands I've placed a great weapon, a wonderful thing that will help transform your writing. You can take it and use it to better yourself and your stories, or you can leave it sitting there in the dust. Your choice.


(I thank K.M. Weiland, who first gave me the inspiration to use this writing tool. Thank you for placing the weapon in my hands. :))