What if...

On the heels of my discovery post, it's interesting how thoroughly one small (in a manner of speaking) fact can significantly change/add to/recreate a story. I originally wasn't going to have my protagonist in my new book have children. But she insisted so I gave in. And within a day, that simple little decision had created a new subplot. It took a scene I already had in my head and turned it in a slightly different direction. With the same scene, it beefed up a conversation, added to characterization ....

Melissa Marr has talked quite a bit lately on her blog about extras to put on her site and such, and one of the things she was considering were alternates -- directions she opted not to go. Coming from fan fiction, I've seen firsthand how a little change can make a world of difference in a story. It can change how a character develops, who lives and who dies, whether someone spends his life an optimist or bitter at the world. We're well aware, I think, of the big differences -- i.e., what if Luke Skywalker had killed Vader at the end of Empire Strikes Back? But do we ignore the smaller differences? What if Han Solo hadn't been in that particular cantina? What if the Falcon had been caught by the Death Star a day later?

Even the smallest changes can make a huge differences. I know I, as I'm writing, don't give nearly enough thought to the directions I take. Maybe I need to start asking myself "What if..." a little more often.