Shop Talk: change one thing

Wondering. Why couldn’t that scene be here? I couldn’t for the life of me remember why I’d placed it where I did. I experimented, bringing it forward in the manuscript, and wonder of wonders, it not only went a long way toward clarifying an important relationship, but in this new space it’s opened up a plot point I’d totally overlooked. A delicious moment!

Change one thing. It’s an old exercise from writing workshops. Change the sex of the character who’s giving you so much trouble. Aha!

In science fiction workshops this is often used to stimulate new ideas for worlds–change one thing about this world, follow the ripple it causes. Two suns, one gender, no dry land….

Change one thing. Try it!