The Emotional Seed Method

Ready to turn your own life into fiction? Grab a notebook and follow these three simple steps:

Step 1: The Memory Vault 

Close your eyes and think of a time you felt a strong, physical reaction: your face getting hot, your stomach dropping, or your heart leaping. Write down the “Facts” in just one sentence (e.g., “I was five and got lost in the grocery store for ten minutes.”).

Step 2: Extract the Seed 

Now, strip the facts away. What was the universal emotion? Was it the fear of being invisible? The panic of losing your “tether”? Write that one word or phrase down. This is your seed.

Step 3: The Fantastic Pivot 

Ask “What if?” three times to move away from your reality and toward a story.

• What if the child didn’t just get lost, but accidentally walked into a grocery store for monsters?

• What if every time the child turned a corner, the aisles changed into a different world?

• What if the child was looking for their parent but found a lost robot instead?

Step 4: Ground the Magic 

Pick your favorite “What If” and write one paragraph. Use a sensory detail from your real memory (the cold linoleum floor, the hum of the freezer cases) to make your fictional world feel real.