write what if 1280

Write for Fun 2!: What If…

Hi, everyone! I’m Ms Geraldine, a teacher and curriculum writer at Lil’ but Mighty. As someone who grew up with a love for creative writing, I hope to make it less intimidating for my students through fun free-writing exercises. In my first blog post, I shared a writing exercise that allows you to rewrite the stories of your favourite characters, especially if you were disappointed in how they were represented in the film, game, or storybook they came from.

Today, in my second blogpost, I will be sharing how to get our creative juices flowing by pondering the age-old question:

blog-whatif-1

Growing up, I am sure all of us have asked numerous questions starting with those two magic words. For example, here are some of the questions that plagued me when I was little, and still bother me today:

blog-whatif-2I am certain some of you find the above questions relatable. After all, most of us do not take the world for granted. We wonder why things are the way they are, and we also wonder how things would be different even if there were small changes to our universe.

Today, as part of our creative writing exercise, we will imagine a world that is indeed different from the one that we currently reside in. We will immerse ourselves in an alternative universe and pretend that it is our actual reality. Most importantly, we will attempt to tackle the “What if?” questions that have likely haunted us since childhood.

We will be writing at least one paragraph (but you can always make your story as long as you like) about one specific “What if?” question. Let’s start by brainstorming some ideas for this alternative world following the steps below. To help, I will also be carrying out the steps along with you — you can find my own answers in the images below each question.

Step 1: THE QUESTION

Let’s grab a piece of paper and write our chosen “What if?” question in the centre of the page. Make sure you choose a question you are curious and passionate about!

blog-whatif-3

Step 2: THE CHARACTERS

Choose at least two main characters that will feature in your story and add them as a branch extending from the circle in the middle of your page. The characters you choose should be directly relevant to your chosen “What if?” question. For example, since my chosen question is about animals, I should therefore feature an animal as one of the main characters in my story.

Tip: It is easier to choose yourself as a protagonist and write in first-person perspective. After all, how exciting would it be to imagine yourself in this different world?

blog-whatif-4

Step 3: THE UNIQUE MOMENT

What if… animals could talk?

Now that we have identified our characters, choose a unique moment to include in your story, and add it as an additional branch extending from the centre. This unique moment WOULD NOT happen in your everyday life, but only occurs because your chosen “What if?” question is true in your alternate universe.

blog-whatif-5

Step 4: WRITE THE STORY

Now, you have all the necessary elements needed to put together your unique story. You can choose to write a short paragraph in response to your own ideas, or you can even turn your ideas into your own novel. The choice of length is up to you—but importantly, just make sure you have fun with your writing!

If you are curious, here’s my short excerpt in response to my own prompt above:

blog-whatif-6

And there you go! My step-by-step guide on how to answer some of the questions you must have about our mysterious universe. I hope that this exercise has shown you that you can have a lot of fun writing about imaginary worlds and exploring your own thought experiments!

Do note, however, that you should not be introducing such fantastical elements into your own compositions in school, or even while you are attempting a composition examination question, as it is easy to get carried away about these questions we are so curious and passionate about. As a result, you might end up not answering the topic or using any of the given pictures, which could cost you your precious marks.

Leave a comment sharing what your chosen “What if?” question is! If you feel like sharing your piece, or a short excerpt from your writing exercise, why not type it out in the comments too? Till my next post, have fun writing!


Write and Shine

Group 48 24 1
Ms. Geraldine

In her free time, Ms Geraldine enjoys writing her own prose and poetry, online gaming with friends, as well as critically analysing movies by penning down reviews. A die-hard fan of Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as an avid consumer of Netflix shows, she draws on such material in her process of lesson planning and curriculum design, with the goal of boosting student engagement and interest.

Have something to share? Drop us a comment below!

Leave a Reply

Share

Other related posts

Creative Writing | 3 Easy Steps to Write Your Own Haiku!
Verbs: More than Just Action Words! | Part 3: Changes in Verb Forms
Ketchup on English! – is, are, was and were!
Audience In Visual Text | Visual Text Comprehension
Exploring Points of View (POV) in Composition Writing
Metaphors For? | Part II – Implied Metaphors
10 Beautiful Vivid Verbs to Boost Your Writing and Oral! | Primary School English
Metaphors For? | Part I – An Introduction to Metaphors
3 Family-Friendly Shows on Netflix (Educational & Entertaining)!
Verbs: More than Just Action Words! | Part 2: Tenses
2021 Father’s Day Contest Winners
Verbs: More than Just Action Words! | Part 1: Subject-Verb Agreement
10 Beautiful Words You Can Use in Narrative / Descriptive Writing | Secondary School
Ways To Create A Well-Rounded Character | Creative Writing
Understanding Purpose-Related Questions in Visual Text Comprehension
How Playing Video Games Can Improve Our English (With Practical Tips for Parents!)
Primary School Composition | Onomatopoeia – What’s That?
2021 Mother’s Day Contest Winners + Our Founder’s Journey (Mother’s Day Special)!
Composition Revision: Using Your 5 Senses in Your Writing
How to Create A Dynamic Piece of Writing Using Idioms
Ketchup on English! – Subject-Verb Agreement
Punctuation Marks: Colon Vs. Semicolon
4 steps to Create Suspense
That Simile Though 2 | Using Stronger Similes
Common Myths About Owning an Education Franchise – Busted!
PSLE ORAL | Compiled Prelim 2021 Oral Topics + Questions!
If you’re looking at getting recent PSLE Prelim Oral topics and practice questions, this will be an excellent resource for you!
5 Steps to Convert a Newspaper Article into a Cloze Passage
I would like to share with you 5 steps on how authentic articles can be transformed into cloze passages easily. Read on here!
PSLE English | Oral Conversation: Free SG50 Sample Practice + Model Answers
In this blogpost we will be touching on the oral stimulus-based conversation topic of National Day and SG50! Read on here!
PSLE English | Oral Conversation: Filling your Story with Details Easily + Free Revision Cards
By simply using the 5W1H, your children will be able to lengthen their stories (hence, the conversation!). Read on here!
Primary School Situational Writing: Q&A + Formal vs Informal Writing Comparison Chart
To aid you in your situational writing revision, here is a comparison chart that shows the differences between formal and informal writing!
PSLE English Tips | Oral: Stimulus-Based Conversation Checklist
To help my children handle the Stimulus-Based Conversation examination, here are some instructions again about using the checklist!
A Little Encouragement | DIY Motivational Bookmark (Easy to personalise too!)
A bookmark with a quote to motivate is also a chance for them to see the power of words and how words can mean more than what they seem.
Situational Writing: Step-by-Step Guide + Free Revision Card
I believe a walkthrough on the process of doing situational writing is in order. Here are the requirements for content and language!
I Love Reading | 5 Ways to Motivate Reluctant Readers
One of the most important ingredients necessary for a child or anyone learning English is the habit of reading. Get motivated to read now!
PSLE English | Printable Ultimate Grammar & Synthesis Summary
Today, we are sharing two lists of essentials in our Ultimate Grammar and Synthesis Summary Printable. Download them free here!
How Well Do You Know Your Past Participles?
While we are familiar with the past, present and future tenses, the little less known but equally important tense is the past participles.
Primary Composition Writing | Starting Sentences with Introductory Clauses
Today, we'll be revising the use of sentence starters to help you create variety in your sentence structures. Read on here!
The Sentence Train | Lower Primary English
Today, we are going to learn what makes up a sentence. It will come in handy when you do the word order activity in school! Read on here!
PSLE English Tips | Oral: Reading Checklist
This Oral Reading Checklist can be used by children when they practise reading on their own. Download it now!
Language of COVID | 10 Words Added to the Dictionary
Using Personification to Show, Not Tell!
Expressing Character Feelings Too! | Using Show-Not-Tell (Part 2)
How to Choose a Book to Read: 8 Ways
How to Dress Up A Boring Paragraph | Creative Writing
Ketchup on English! – Halloween Special: Prepositions of Time!
Ketchup on English! – Verbs Are Not Just Action Words!
Expressing Character Feelings | Using Show-Not-Tell
Which Picture Should I Use? | Choosing the Best Picture to Use for Composition!
Oral: Reading Passage | Long Vowels – Have You Been Reading Your Vowels Correctly?
Previous
Next

Like what you are reading?

Subscribe now to receive news and tips hot off the press!

shape icon 06
shape icon 05