Walking The Dog

Stuck? Not sure which path to take? Creativity blocked? There are two words guaranteed to unlock your imagination - What if? Apply 'what if' to any scenario and watch as a kaleidoscope of opportunities, suggestions and ideas appears. Let the 'what ifs' run and see where they take you. Build a story - what if, what if, what if - follow as it veers off on unexpected paths, reign it in and guide the journey: you are captain, master and passenger on this sea of what ifs. Why didn't I know about the magic of 'what if' before? It's so obvious, so simple, so brilliant. As a device for story telling, I suspect it is unparalleled. Suddenly, I can see. And plan. And dream. And write. All I have to do now is edit 1,000 words of my young adult novel to send to my new writing group. Gulp! What if ... they don't like it? What if they do? What if I stop procrastinating right now and get on with it? But what if I make dinner first? - walk t...

"Close your eyes and dream." "What about?" How do you conjure up the dream that fills your "night without a stir" (J. Keats) or that "stretches away, elusive" into the "infinity of space" (P. Gaugin)? The prospect of meeting the demand to instantly invent a dream, to then dream about, is as agonising as the "Make a wish!" moment that accompanies cake cutting - "Wait a minute ... wait a minute ... oka-a-ay, yes ...  no, wait a minute ... fine! Yes!" You screw your eyes up to make the wish. And wish whilst holding your breath. And cut the cake. Then worry that you made the wrong wish. You worry so much that you say out loud what you wish you had wished. When this is met with groans, rolled eyes and nodding the why-did-you-wish-for- that  nod,  you remind your friends that you didn't make that wish - "Of course not!" - and a fanfare of relief explodes inside your head. You resolve, before you put...