Some what-ifs…
I keep a list of what-ifs and look at it every so often for the next story. I did that recently and came up with a sublist of what-ifs I can now state will never become my stories. In the spirit of providing writing prompts and ideas for new writers and those with writer’s block, I list a few of these orphaned what-ifs here…lightly edited and just for fun.
What if the many worlds of quantum mechanics theory is used to take a time traveler back to a nineteenth century in another quantum state of the Universe where that asteroid never destroyed the dinosaurs? Call it reptilian steampunk?
What if Charles beheaded Cromwell and not vice versa? That might lead to a good alternate history tale.
What if the Soviets reached the moon first? Would our space program be any different now? We could call that alternate future history!
Here’s a fun one: What if the Hardy boys grew up to be mobsters terrorizing…hmm, was it Bridgeport, Connecticut where they lived? Or what if Nancy Drew grew up to be one of the first colonists on the moon? Those have mystery/crime and space opera covered.
What if a gladiator is yanked from the Roman Circus to help fight against an ET invasion? I wonder if a light saber is heavier than a broadsword.
What if leprechauns decided to rise up against normal folk and take over the planet? They might do better at managing it, after all. A.B. Carolan might like this one. Would this be a fantastic militaristic sci-fi tale or a sci-fi warlike fantasy story?
And what if the little engine that could encountered a damsel tied up on the tracks? Would he stop to save her? Call this a steampunk romance?
What if Leonardo da Vinci was really an android who traveled back in time? That presupposes androids can make art, which isn’t obvious. Or maybe the time-traveling android just serves as a model for the Vitruvian Man.
What if global warming turns Earth into Venus? That might make a good disaster movie, and maybe those creatures that can live in those deep, steamy ocean fissures will take over. Or maybe global warming turns eastern NJ into beachfront property? (Maybe I should keep my house until I die just in case?)
What if LBJ had lost to Barry Goldwater? Would the Vietnam War had ended? If so, how? And would that Arizona White House increase or decrease the number of retirees settling in Arizona? More alternate history awaits readers.
What if all the hard-boiled school of mystery/crime writers had written romances instead? Would the romance genre be the same as it is today? And would hard-boiled take on a new meaning?
Okay, I’m tired. Readers and writers can add more to this list with their comments. Who knows? I might even use one of your what-ifs…but not any of the above.
More seriously, let me just say that writers, whether currently writing or thinking about storytelling, should always be collecting what-ifs. They lead to plots, characters, settings, and so forth. If writers have a long list of them, they should never suffer from writer’s block. The what-ifs should be a bit more serious than the above, of course (although that’s never a requirement when I add one to the list). But you knew that, right? Although I suppose many of the above might lead to a Hiaasen-like tongue-in-cheek story…go for it!
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Comments are always welcome.
Rembrandt’s Angel. “Are you going to haunt me, MacDougall? Maybe his ghost had been in the castle and was now following her around? But how did he find me?” Ex-MI6 agent and current Scotland Yard Inspector Esther Brookstone becomes obsessed with recovering a Rembrandt painting stolen by the Nazis in World War II. Interpol agent and paramour Bastiann van Coevorden tries to control her obsession and keep her safe. Their quest to recover the painting leads them to an international conspiracy that threatens Europe. Published by Penmore Press, this mystery/thriller is available in ebook and print format from Amazon and as an ebook version from Smashwords and its affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc.). Also available from the publisher or your local bookstore (if they don’t have it, ask for it). A sequel is on its way!
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
