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Craft of Writing

George W. Bateson

The ‘What If’ Factor In Fiction Writing

"What if?" How many times have you asked this at a possible missed meeting or lost chance? They may be only two rather small words but apply some positive thought to them and ask, “What if—so what?” and kick-start an idea into a short story or even a full length novel.

Everything starts from an idea of some description or another. It is the basis of your novel or short story and needs to have life breathed into it—that spark that will set the flames of passion burning and turn that simple idea into a STORY.

The Idea
You see a man and a woman meeting in the street. She reaches out her hand to him, but he ignores this gesture. This gives you an idea for a short story. You write down what you saw that gave you the idea in the first place, so you won’t forget it, but on its own, just as it stands, it is nothing but an idea. To make it into a story try using the “what if” factor.

The “What If” Factor
Ok, so you’ve got your idea. Joe met Alice in the park. What of it? It’s nothing new.

But what if… Joe was having an affair with Alice?

Now that has put the idea into a totally different ball game. This is no longer just a friendly casual meeting. They are in your plot. They belong to you, and you can do whatever you want with them. So they are having an affair.

And what if … Joe had met Alice to break the whole thing off?

And what if … Alice had told him nothing doing?

Wow, things are beginning to heat up a little. The original idea is now beginning to fill out. It is starting to develop into a fairly sound plot, but so far we have only put the bones of the idea together. We now need to ask, “so what” in order to put flesh on those bones.

The “So What” Factor
Here we have Joe standing in the park facing Alice. He is pleading with her to break the relationship up, but she won’t. So what?

So, maybe Joe loses his cool and strikes out at her in his temper.

Maybe Alice falls to the ground, catches her head against the stone edging to the path, and is killed.

Now those two little “so what’s” have laid a whole lot of flesh on those bones. They are beginning to take on some shape, but, as yet, it is a somewhat indefinable shape. Maybe we need to go back to “what if.”

The Best Answer to the Question
There we have it then. Joe met Alice, and in a fit of temper, killed her. A good idea so far.

Now, what if Joe decides to call the police and explain that it was all an accident? This is a logical choice, maybe, but hardly one to make the reader sit up and shout for more.

So what if, instead, Joe decides to just slip away and say nothing?

The amount of meat on the first “what if” probably equates to a small steak, whereas the second has all the potential of a whole side of beef.

Turning your Sirloin into a Fillet
Just think of it. From the original friendly meeting you saw in the park, Joe now has a dead Alice on his hands and has decided to scarper. But what if—as he is fleeing the scene, he bumps into an old friend who wants to chat, but all Joe wants to do is get going, and what if that old friend says, “I’m meeting my fiancé in the park. You remember her, Joe. Her name is Alice.”

Bingo! With that, as much flesh as you can wish for has been piled onto that frame.

There you have it then. What started off as an idea that, on its own, really amounted to very little, has suddenly changed, simply by applying two little words—what if. Your little idea has grown into a full-bloodied plot, capable of anything from a short story to a mega sized novel. Of course the “what if” factor only puts flesh onto bare bones. The next step is to breath life into that mound of flesh and bones using elements like character and voice to create something that will ooze vitality and spirit. It is at this point that “what if” can have a negative influence, as you ask yourself “What if I can’t?”

Well, there is only one way to find out. Simply turn the question around and ask, “What if I can? “

So, pick up that pen and write, and at the end of it all, you could be sitting holding your published book saying, "What if … I hadn’t?"


About the Author
George W. Bateson was born in England where he still lives with Marjorie, his wife. He has had articles and short stories published in various magazines and newspapers as well as having material broadcast on BBC local radio. He contributes a regular feature in a UK quarterly magazine and at the moment is working on a crime genre novel.