My “What If” Journal: The Simple Method I Use to Capture Story Sparks Before They Disappear

We’ve all been there. You’re washing dishes, driving, or just about to fall asleep. Suddenly, a brilliant little idea flashes into your mind. A story spark. “That would make a great scene,” you think. You smile, feeling that tiny jolt of creative energy. You tell yourself you’ll remember it later. And then… it’s gone. It vanishes, leaving you with that frustrating, empty feeling, like forgetting a dream.

For many authors, this is a constant battle. The other common struggle? Staring at a blank page, feeling like every idea is boring or has been done before. This is the heart of writer’s block. It’s not just a lack of ideas; it’s a lack of a *system* for catching and growing them. I needed a way to stop these sparks from disappearing. I found it in a method so simple, it almost feels like cheating: The “What If” Journal.

Before we break down the method, let me share a bit about my own journey. My name is Bahreldin Adam, and I’ve been exploring and writing about stories for years. As an imaginative author, my goal is to craft stories that transport readers to enchanting worlds full of adventure and wonder. It’s this passion that led me to write my two books, “The Lost Kingdom of the Moon” and “Benny the Bear Found a Basket of Apples.” I work to weave narratives that explore courage, resilience, and the depths of human (or bear!) emotion. This entire career is built on capturing those tiny “What If” moments and having the patience to see where they lead. You can see more about my published work on my Amazon profile and see how I bring simple concepts to life for kids on my YouTube channel.

Why “What If” is the Most Powerful Question for a Writer

Let’s break this down. The problem with “I need a story idea” is that it’s a demand. It puts your brain under pressure. And when your brain is under pressure, it freezes. It gets critical. It tells you, “That’s a dumb idea,” or “That’s been done.”

The question “What if…?” is different. It’s not a demand; it’s an invitation. It’s an act of pure curiosity. It’s permission to play without any stakes. A “What If” question has no wrong answer. It just opens a door. This simple shift in language moves you from a place of pressure (criticism) to a place of possibility (creation). This is the key to getting past that “unoriginal” feeling. You’re not trying to invent something new from scratch. You’re just taking one small, normal thing and twisting it.

Setting Up Your “What If” Journal: A No-Pressure System

This system works because it’s simple. The more complicated you make it, the less likely you are to use it. You need to make capturing an idea as easy as possible. Here’s how I do it.

Choosing Your Tool (Digital vs. Analog)

This is a personal choice, but it matters. The best tool is the one you will actually use. Many writers I know get stuck trying to find the “perfect” app with tags and folders. That can come later. For capturing, you need speed.

• Digital: A simple notes app on your phone is great. It’s always with you. You can use voice-to-text if you’re driving. The downside is that it can feel like “work” or you might get distracted by other notifications.
• Analog (My Preference): I use a small, cheap, unlined notebook. It fits in a pocket. It’s not precious. An unlined page feels more freeing than a lined one—there’s no “right” way to write in it. It feels like a sketchbook for words. This separation from my phone also signals to my brain that this is “play time,” not “work time.”

Pick one. Just one. Don’t try to use three different things. The goal is to build a *single* habit.

The Only Rule: There Are No Bad Ideas

This is the most important part of the entire process. The “What If” Journal is *not* a “Good Idea Journal.” It is a *capture* system, not a *judgment* system. You must give yourself permission to write down the most boring, silly, or unoriginal ideas you can think of.

Why? Because “boring” ideas are often the seeds of great ones. A “bad” idea might combine with another “bad” idea three weeks from now to create something amazing. If you stop to judge the idea before you write it down, you break the habit. You re-introduce pressure. Your only job is to write the question. That’s it. You win the day if you just write it down.

How I Use the Method: From a Spark to a Story

This process has three simple steps. It’s what I’ve used in my own work for years. It’s how I find, filter, and eventually develop ideas into full-fledged stories.

Step 1: The Daily Spark (Observation)

You can’t ask “What if…?” in a vacuum. You need input. Your ideas come from the world around you. Your job as a writer is to be a professional “noticer.” I spend time just observing, but in an active way. I’ll go to a park, a coffee shop, or even just read a weird science article. I’m not looking for a *story*. I’m just looking for a *thing*. An object. A person. A weird fact. An emotion.

For example:

• I see a single red shoe on the side of the road.
• I overhear someone at a cafe say, “He just didn’t understand the rules.”
• I read a fact that octopuses can edit their own RNA.

These are not ideas. They are sparks.

Step 2: Asking “What If…?” (The Journal Entry)

Now, I take that spark and I run it through the “What If” filter in my journal. This is the fun part. I just let my mind wander for 60 seconds. I write down as many questions as I can, as fast as I can.

Using the sparks from above:

• Spark: A single red shoe.
  • “What if the shoe wasn’t lost, but was running away?”
  • “What if you put on the shoe and could only walk backward in time?”
  • “What if it belonged to a giant, but only when he was a child?”
• Spark: “He just didn’t understand the rules.”
  • “What if they were playing a game where the rules changed every minute?”
  • “What if a man woke up in a new world with physical laws he didn’t get?”
  • “What if ‘the rules’ were for a magical spell he cast wrong?”

This is how I get my ideas. I don’t “invent” them. I *find* them by connecting two unlike things: a real-world observation + a curious question.

Step 3: Letting the Ideas Sit (The ‘Crock-Pot’ Method)

After I write down my “What If” questions, I do the most important thing: I close the notebook. I don’t try to outline a story. I don’t try to find a main character. I let it sit. I let my subconscious chew on it. This is a vital, pressure-free part of the process. The journal is a “Crock-Pot,” not a “microwave.” Good ideas need time to simmer.

Then, once a week or so, I’ll flip back through the journal. I’m not looking for anything in particular. I’m just browsing. And I always find a question I wrote down weeks ago that suddenly feels exciting. It’s ready.

Real Examples from My “What If” Journal

To show you this in action, here are some (non-spoiler) snippets that are similar to what’s in my actual journal. You can see how these simple questions could easily grow into bigger stories, like the ones I love to write.

• “What if a kingdom wasn’t on land, but was hidden inside a giant, hollowed-out moon?” (This is the kind of thinking that led to *The Lost Kingdom of the Moon*).
• “What if a puzzle, when solved, didn’t show a picture but opened a real door in the wall?” (This connects to the kind of interactive, magical logic I explore in my YouTube channel content).
• “What if a little bear found something in the woods… not just berries, but something human?”
• “What if a librarian found a book that was writing itself, describing what she was doing *right now*?”
• “What if a toy robot wasn’t a toy, but was just a very, very small… and very lost… alien soldier?”
• “What if you could only tell the truth, but everyone else in the world could only lie?”

Notice that none of these are full stories. They are just a starting line. They are a compass pointing in an interesting direction. That’s all an idea needs to be.

How to Filter and Develop Your “What If” Sparks

Okay, so you have a journal full of hundreds of “What If” questions. Now what? How do you find the *good* ones and turn them into a story? This is where filtering comes in. But it’s a filter based on *energy*, not *logic*.

The “Spark” Test: Which Ideas Won’t Let You Go?

As I review my journal, I look for the ideas that give me a little jolt of energy. Which one makes me smile? Which one makes me ask *another* question? That’s the one to follow. It’s not a logical choice. It’s an emotional one. I trust my excitement. If an idea feels like “work” to develop, I leave it. If it feels like “play,” I grab it.

The “Benny the Bear” Case Study

A great example of this is the process that led to *Benny the Bear Found a Basket of Apples*. This came directly from a “What If” session.

The original spark was “What if a little bear found something human?”

My journal entry looked something like this:

• “What if Benny the Bear found… a wallet?”
• “What if Benny the Bear found… a spaceship?”
• “What if Benny the Bear found… a basket of apples?”

Now, let’s filter these.

• A wallet? This is interesting. It’s an idea about honesty and money. What would a bear do with money? Would he try to return it? It’s a good concept for an older kid, maybe. But it felt a little too complex.
• A spaceship? This is fun and wacky. A bear in space! It’s a big adventure. But it didn’t feel like *Benny*. It was a bit too wild for the simple, gentle world I wanted to build.
• A basket of apples? This one felt… right. It was simple. It was visual. It immediately brought up more questions: Who left the apples? Are they for him? What will he do with them? Will he share them? This simple idea had heart. It connected to themes of sharing, curiosity, and even simple counting (like in my fruit puzzle video!).

The “basket of apples” was the winner. Not because it was the most “original” idea in the world, but because it was the one that sparked the most *joy* and the most *follow-up questions* that felt right for the story I wanted to tell. The other ideas weren’t “bad.” They just weren’t *this* story. I can always use “bear in a spaceship” for something else!

Why This System Beats “Waiting for Inspiration”

Waiting for inspiration is a passive act. It’s like standing in a field hoping to get struck by lightning. The “What If” Journal is an active system. You are building a lightning rod. You are creating a habit that makes inspiration a predictable outcome, not a random accident. You build a bank of ideas, so you are never creatively “broke.”

Here’s a quick comparison of the two approaches:

Overcoming the “My Ideas Are Unoriginal” Feeling

This is the biggest hurdle for most writers, and the “What If” journal is the perfect tool to clear it. Here’s the truth: Your *idea* doesn’t have to be 100% original. Your *execution* is what makes it unique.

There are thousands of stories about bears. There are thousands of stories about apples. But there was only one way *my* Benny the Bear would react to that basket. Your voice, your experiences, and your unique perspective are the original part. The “What If” question is just the key that unlocks the door to *your* voice. Don’t worry if your question feels simple. “What if a boy found out he was a wizard?” was a pretty simple question, too. It’s what you *do* with the answer that matters.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are a few common questions I get about this method.

1. What if I’m not a “creative” person?
This method is perfect for you. “Creativity” isn’t a magical trait; it’s a habit of curiosity. Can you ask “What if”? Yes, you can. You don’t need to be “creative” to be curious. This is a system for practicing curiosity, and the result of that practice is creativity.

2. How often should I write in my “What If” journal?
Aim for once a day, but don’t be hard on yourself. The goal is consistency, not volume. Try to write just *one* “What If” question a day. It can take 30 seconds. Doing that for a month gives you 30 story seeds. That’s a huge win.

3. What if my “What If” questions are all boring?
Great! Write them down. Remember, “boring” is just a judgment. “What if a man is late for work?” is a “boring” prompt. But… “What if he’s late for work *because a dragon is asleep on his car*?” “What if he’s late for work *and when he gets there, his office doesn’t exist*?” Let the first “boring” question be the starting point.

4. Can I use this for non-fiction writing or blogging?
Absolutely. The system works for any kind of problem-solving.

• “What if my readers don’t understand this complex topic?” (Leads to an analogy).
• “What if I explained this process in a table instead of a paragraph?” (Leads to a better format).
• “What if my reader’s real problem isn’t X, but actually Y?” (Leads to a more helpful article).

Your Story Bank Starts Today

The blank page doesn’t have to be scary. Writer’s block doesn’t have to be a permanent condition. They are often just symptoms of not having a system. The “What If” Journal is that system. It’s a simple, powerful, and pressure-free way to build a habit of curiosity.

It turns you from a passive waiter into an active hunter of ideas. Your world is full of sparks. You just need a place to keep them. So here’s my challenge to you: Get a notebook or open a new note on your phone. Title it “What If?” Look at the nearest object. Ask a question about it. Write it down.

You’ve just started. You’re already on your way.