Written by August 1st, 2013

Writing Prompt: Alternative Biography

When my father was young, long before I was born, he was accepted into Stanford for math. He planned to attend Stanford, but instead stopped at Washington State University and decided to stay after touring the art department. He met my mother in a watercolor class. They have now been married for over 35 years.

If I was writing an alternative version of my father’s life he might never have attended WSU. In this version of his life, he would have never encountered my mother, as they would have been in very different geographical locations. All sorts of other options would open up.

With this writing prompt you are given full permission to alter reality. But you start out by only changing one event, and then by exploring the repercussions of this event.

Give yourself about 15 minutes to start, but if the exercise really pulls you in I encourage you to try it more than once. Each time, alter different events or explore other possible repercussions. You can alter events in your own life or in the life of your family members.

This exercise is all about exploring the fork in the road. The possibilities that lie on the road less traveled by. It is also a good creative assignment, with a firm foundation in reality but plenty of room for discovery.

 

We Send You Publishers Seeking Submissions.

Sign up for our free e-magazine and we will send you reviews of publishers seeking short stories, poetry, essays, and books.

Subscribe now and we'll send you a free copy of our book Submit, Publish, Repeat

The Final Girl Review: Now Seeking Submissions

The Final Girl Review: Now Seeking Submissions

An online journal seeking fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art,

81 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (July 2025)

81 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (July 2025)

This list of publishers meet our guiding principles, but are only open to free submissions from historically underrepresented writers or focus on publishing content produced by historically underrepresented writers. Some of these publications are open to a wide range of writers including writers of color, gender non-conforming and LGBTQ+ writers, and those living with disabilities….

How and Why to Bring Novelty into Your Writing

How and Why to Bring Novelty into Your Writing

Prompts and techniques to reinvent your writing style.

How to Get Started With Writing Essays

How to Get Started With Writing Essays

By Ratika Deshpande The essay is a form that can take diverse appearances: travelogues, memoirs, lists, drabbles. As exciting as its variety feels, I’ve also found it frustrating that there are hardly any guides detailing how to work with the form. The following is a sort of beginner’s guide I wish I’d had when I…