Anita's Attic: What If...

I was looking at my folder of writing tips and ran across this list of possible plot devices from Patricia Kay. I took an excellent class from her a few years ago. As you can see, she isn't sure where she got the original list, but she's added to it. I thought it was worth passing on. We're always looking for plot devices and hooks. Here are some great what if's.

WHAT IF YOUR HERO OR HEROINE . . .

$          is caught in a hurricane

$          loses a job

$          has an accident

$          loses his or her memory

$          gets pregnant

$          has a miscarriage

$          can’t get pregnant

$          loses his or her parents

$          witnesses a crime

$          is kidnapped

$          is jailed

$          is bitten by a snake

$          gets lost

$          is being blackmailed

$          falls in love with a married person

$          is forced into marriage

$          is abused or has been abused

$          is on the run from someone or something

$          is raped

$          has been ostracized for some reason

$          has been tricked or duped

$          has been lied to

$          has his/her reputation ruined by a lie

$          is involved in a scandal

$          is accused of something by mistake

$          is knocked unconscious

$          is stabbed

$          is choked

$          loses his/her eyesight

$          is robbed

$          is poisoned

$          has an idea stolen

$          is thrown from a horse

$          loses an inheritance

$          is cheated out of an inheritance

$          is seduced

$          is tricked or duped

$          survives a crash that kills someone he or she loves

$          is unjustly accused of a crime

$          is forced to adopt a disguise

$          has broken a promise

$          must go into hiding

$          is exiled from his or her country

$          is being discriminated against

$          discovers he/she is adopted

$          falls in love with a forbidden person

$          is having an affair

$          is stealing from his/her employer

$          discovers the person he/she loves is involved in criminal activity

$          witnesses a murder

$          is an unwilling accessory to a crime

$          finds a body

$          is illiterate and trying to hide it

$          has something in his/her past he/she needs to keep hidden

$          is jilted

$          is ashamed of his/her past or background

$          is working undercover

$          is in the witness protection program

$          disapproves of the person his/her son or daughter wants to marry

$          is betrayed by someone he/she loves

$          has to choose between a lover or a child

$          has to choose between two children

$          has to choose between two friends

THE TOP 20 ROMANTIC CONFLICTS

$          arranged marriage

$          lovers from two different worlds

$          scarred from past hurt

$          revenge separates lovers

$          mistaken identity or masquerade

$          secret or lie threatens love

$          marriage of convenience

$          whose child?

$          finding one’s own identity before love

$          battle of wills

$          hero and heroine have common enemy or common goal from past

$          second chance at love

$          innocent vs. playboy

$          reversal of life

$          amnesia

$          Cinderella

$          selfless denial

$          rival for hero or heroine’s heart

$          comedy or errors

$          split loyalties

(Note from Patricia Kay): I no longer know where these lists came from or I would have attributed them.  Over the years I’ve added to them and found them very useful, especially as a brainstorming tool.

http://www.patriciakay.com/