What If

"What if" is the beginning of the creative process. Depending on which part of the brain predominates, the result might be the Millau bridge or Star Trek. Sidewise thinking outside the box requires a willing suspension of disbelief that leads to paradigm shifts necessary to move beyond current conventions. In writing fiction, this is the trading stock of sci-fi and other speculative genres. I noticed this type of thinking in a Blogger Idol entry. John Carney wonders what happened to the gold the wise men brought Jesus. What if Joseph and Mary had to use that gold to escape to Egypt? Sounds like a good story in the making. Could this process apply to nonfiction writing, too? I think so. It is happening already: what if people could publish their books themselves? What if books didn't have to be printed on paper? What if we could read a publication on our cell phone? What if a cell phone/PDA/laptop were as thin as a piece of paper? What if WE were wired, wireless?

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