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Story Ideas – Note to Self
By Deb Gallardo
In a newsletter that I received via email today, several commenters had sent in responses to “Postcard to Your Younger Self.” The idea is to tell the you-whom-you-once-were something important that could be life-altering. It’s a new spin on “I wish I’d known then what I know now.”
This topic set me to thinking about what I might want to say to my younger self. But the way my mind works soon had me wondering how to adapt this idea into a book. It seems to me it would most easily adapt itself to a non-fiction book, as a collection of “notes to self” of one person or many. But I think it’s also a great central idea for fiction.
Story Idea Takeaway:
What if a protagonist makes such a list and with each note to herself (or himself), the past is altered? Each chapter could tell the changes (if any) wrought in her/his life by receiving this advice from the future.
What if the notes to self come at particularly critical junctures in her/his life? What are the ramifications? Does each alteration in thinking and resultant change create a cumulative effect?
What if, at the end of all the notes to self, the protagonist’s life is not changed for the worse? Is the process reversible? At what point should s/he stop making changes?
Just a little something to get those little gray cells to vibrating. Enjoy!
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