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What if?

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 the dogs? - bake a cake? - pour myself a glass of wine? - help Littlest with her Spanish (I don't know any Spanish so help is perhaps a little misleading)? - have a bath? - finish the ironing? - do the next Duolingo Italian lesson (I do want to learn Italian)? - read the newspaper? - plant the cyclamens I bought earlier today? - empty the washing machine? - delete some emails? - stop procrastinating?!

What if - still procrastinating - I could think of something witty to say next?

Like, for example - okay, so the following may not be terribly witty, but - what if



.
.. Four-legged-friend and Bertie Baggins were just dogs?

What if ... they were just dogs who




... just happened to have a fondness for apples? And had spotted a basket - at muzzle height! - unattended!! - full!!! of apples.

What if a malevolent apple grower noticed




and what if Four-legged-friend could speak? "What! Me! - Nooo, noo, no, I was just looking. Look, I'm looking over there now."

What if Bertie-butter-wouldn't-melt-in-my-mouth-Baggins could speak too?




"I wasn't ...




... just looking!"


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