“The what-if game can be played at any stage of the writing process, but it is especially useful for finding ideas. Train your mind to think in terms of what-if, and it will perform marvelous tricks for you.” (James Scott Bell, Write Great Fiction – Plot & Structure)
Writing Exercise: Twisting Character Assumptions with “What-If”
Key Techniques Illustrated by the Quotation:
1. Speculative Divergence — using “what-if” to disrupt the expected and inject narrative momentum through contradiction or tension.
2. Character Reversal — reimagining a character’s core traits or decisions under altered conditions.
3. Situational Pressure Testing — forcing a character into a surprising or uncomfortable situation to expose hidden dimensions.
Writing Prompt (500 words):
Choose a character you’ve already written or briefly sketch a new one using five core traits: their dominant desire, a defining fear, a moral belief, a key relationship, and a public-facing role (e.g. parent, mayor, thief, surgeon).
Now play the “what-if” game against one or more of these elements. Use it to break the character open.
Write a 500-word scene that begins as an ordinary moment in this character’s life. Midway through the scene, introduce a sharp “what-if” that undermines or reverses one of the character’s core truths. Don’t just drop in a plot twist—engineer the disruption so it forces the character to make a choice that challenges who they think they are.
Examples of strong “what-if” shifts:
• A surgeon who believes in saving lives at all costs is asked to falsify a death certificate for a beloved colleague.
• A morally rigid teacher discovers her child cheated on the entrance exam she proctored.
• A charming con artist learns that his estranged father is one of his current marks.
Avoid “what-if” turns that rely on external chaos alone. Make the shift a test of the character’s internal architecture.
Evaluation Criteria:
• The “what-if” disrupts the character’s status quo in a way that challenges one of their core traits or beliefs.
• The character’s reaction reveals new dimensions rather than confirming the expected.
• The scene creates a complete emotional arc: tension builds, the character faces a dilemma, and something changes.
• The writing demonstrates intentionality in tone, pacing, and detail, with language choices aligned to the character’s internal state.
Strong vs. Weak Response Examples:
Strong:
A devout pastor is called to identify a body found in a brothel, only to discover it’s his estranged son. The narrative avoids melodrama, focusing instead on the quiet unraveling of the pastor’s certainty as he must decide whether to protect his son’s secrets or expose the truth to the congregation. The story ends not with closure but with a loaded silence as he returns to the pulpit.
Weak:
A soldier receives a letter that his dog has died and reflects on childhood memories. The “what-if” (dog dying) adds emotion but doesn’t challenge the character’s core beliefs or provoke a meaningful decision. The character ends unchanged.
Workshopping/Revision Questions:
• Does the “what-if” genuinely destabilize the character, or does it reinforce what we already know?
• What internal conflict does the “what-if” provoke? Could the stakes be made more specific or personal?
• Is the character’s response surprising yet believable? Are you avoiding safe or expected outcomes?
• What lingers after the scene ends—has the character’s world shifted emotionally, morally, or psychologically?
Recommended Reading:
Tobias Wolff’s “The Chain” — A masterclass in what-if escalation. A father, after a seemingly minor incident, is pulled deeper into a chain of moral compromise. Each “what-if” progression presses harder against his self-image, revealing how fragile—and flexible—principles can be under pressure.
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