story starter the 'Why on Earth Would He Do That?' technique.
Here's some background before we get to the exercise proper. As writers, we are often instructed to 'write what we know'. It's a frequently chanted mantra in most creative writing classes. And it's sound advice. By writing from our own lives, we are able to add depth, texture and verisimilitude to our writing. However, if we were to only write from our own experience, we would soon find ourselves in the role of biographer rather than in that of novelist or fiction writer.
In order for a piece of writing to really take off, to fully engage with the reader's imagination, there has to be an element of surprise, something they didn't see coming. If we only write from our own lives, it's almost impossible to achieve that element of surprise (unless we've been fortunate or unfortunate enough to have had an unusual life).
A piece of writing about a man repairing a photocopier is unlikely to seize the reader if all it does is depend upon everyday experience. The story would progress as follows: the man turns up, is taken to the broken appliance, checks it over, looks at his instruction book, opens up the photocopier, takes out a ball of tattered paper and says, "That was your problem, right there. Sign here." Not exactly a page-turner, is it?
But what if the photocopier engineer did something that made you think, 'Why on Earth would he do that?' What if the photocopier repairman took a small tobacco tin from his toolbox, opened the tin to reveal a hideous cockroach and then let the horrible thing loose in the inner workings of the photocopier?
Why on Earth would he do that?
You tell me: you've got the foundation for a story now. A peculiar story, true, but a story all the same.
This method can be applied to almost any everyday situation to generate an (inspiring story starter. It needn't be as creepy as the example above.
Try these:
1. What if the driver of your bus suddenly stopped his vehicle in the middle of a hectic junction and began to weep?
2. What if the mailman, instead of posting letters through your door began posting frogs?
3. What if the woman who sits next to you at work suddenly began cutting off all her hair?
Why on Earth would they do that?
I hope you've found this writing prompt helpful. The very best of luck with your writing!
