What if?

The two little words "what if?" can be both harmful and beneficial depending on how we use them.

In our daily lives, if we constantly ask ourselves that question, we will become chronic worriers. "What if I loose my job?" or "What if he/she never speaks to me again?"
As writers, that question can be harmful too. What if no one likes my book/s? What if I don't get any positive reviews? Or, worse yet - What if the only reviews I get are negative?
The list can go on and on, taking on a life of its own, overwhelming us. We are tense and stressed, which wears on our health and our happiness. I try not to ask that question in my personal or professional life.

My fiction is another story, pun intended. I've learned that those same two words can provide the plot for a scene or an entire book and they can create tension and suspense.
For example:
What if the reader knows that the killer is hiding in the basement but the main character - let's call her Laura - doesn't know?
What if Laura is about to go down there?
What if Laura's next-door-neighbor is a voyeur, always secretly peeking in her windows?
And, what if, while he's watching, he sees a man attack Laura and rushes to her rescue?
So many "what ifs."

In my new release, Secrets in Storyville, Kate has made some shocking discoveries, long buried secrets which, if she chooses to reveal them, could have disastrous results. As she struggles to decide what to do, she finds herself constantly asking "What if?"