{"id":26167,"date":"2022-11-07T03:00:25","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T11:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=26167"},"modified":"2023-04-04T04:20:24","modified_gmt":"2023-04-04T11:20:24","slug":"18-what-if-and-your-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"What if&#8230; and Your Brain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Episode-18-1.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-26376 size-medium\" title=\"What If... and Your Brain - How To Write the Future\" src=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Episode-18-1-300x300.png\" alt=\"What If... and Your Brain - How To Write the Future\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Episode-18-1.png 300w, https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Episode-18-1-80x80.png 80w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In this episode titled What If&#8230; and Your Brain, creativity coach and podcast host, Beth Barany shares an exercise with you that can be completed in minutes and invites readers to get involved by sharing their What-If ideas.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Listen to the podcast on: <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/id1641025914?i=1000585296328\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Apple Podcasts<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8yMDEyMDYxLnJzcw\/episode\/QnV6enNwcm91dC0xMTY0MjU4OA?sa=X&amp;ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwjwvMrYoJ_7AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Podcasts<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/5QzVJSrwjJTrUAL0Fy0ycE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2012061\/11642588-18-what-if-and-your-brain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Buzzsprout<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/ca590618-5630-4450-aa17-7e2f35359a76\/episodes\/ab354b96-912b-4374-90be-2acdf5839a3e\/how-to-write-the-future-18-what-if-and-your-brain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon Music<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/podcastaddict.com\/episode\/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzsprout.com%2F2012061%2F11642588-18-what-if-and-your-brain.mp3&amp;podcastId=4025186\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Podcast Addict<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.podchaser.com\/podcasts\/how-to-write-the-future-4789102\/episodes\/18-what-if-and-your-brain-154577431\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Podchaser<\/a><\/span>| <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/y2HEQ7K9sx4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Youtube<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y2HEQ7K9sx4\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2012061\/11642588-18-what-if-and-your-brain.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-11642588&#038;player=small\" type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><b>ABOUT BETH BARANY<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/2022_02-Beth-Barany-image_2020_06-23-copy-e1666044659719.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24956 size-full alignleft\" title=\"Image of Beth Barany\" src=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/2022_02-Beth-Barany-image_2020_06-23-copy-e1666044659719.png\" alt=\"Image of Beth Barany\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/2022_02-Beth-Barany-image_2020_06-23-copy-e1666044659719.png 200w, https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/2022_02-Beth-Barany-image_2020_06-23-copy-e1666044659719-80x80.png 80w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beth Barany is an Award-winning Novelist, master neurolinguistic programming practitioner, and certified creativity coach for writers, including being a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Workshop Leader &amp; Keynote Speaker. Beth has published books in several genres including young adult fantasy, paranormal romance and science fiction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn more about Beth Barany at these sites:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/author.bethbarany.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Author site<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \/\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/bethbarany.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coaching site<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \/ <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/baranyschooloffiction.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">School of Fiction<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \/ <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.writersfunzone.com\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Writer&#8217;s Fun Zone blog<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><b>RESOURCES<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go to <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/speakpipe.com\/howtowritethefuture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">speakpipe.com\/howtowritethefuture<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to leave your What-if positive future scenarios, up to 60 seconds, and get featured on an upcoming How To Write The Future episode. Be sure to include your name and your book title, if applicable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HORIZONS MODEL<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2012061\/11553661-16-the-horizons-model-for-story-telling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2012061\/11553661-16-the-horizons-model-for-story-telling<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MIRROR NEURONS<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mirror_neuron#In_humans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mirror_neuron#In_humans<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WHAT THE BRAIN THINKS IS REAL<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drdavidhamilton.com\/does-your-brain-distinguish-real-from-imaginary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/drdavidhamilton.com\/does-your-brain-distinguish-real-from-imaginary\/<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brainworldmagazine.com\/imagine-that-imagination-is-lot-like-the-real-thing-to-your-brain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/brainworldmagazine.com\/imagine-that-imagination-is-lot-like-the-real-thing-to-your-brain\/<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisonescalante\/2021\/05\/25\/scientists-discover-what-really-happens-in-the-brain-when-we-imagine-the-future\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/alisonescalante\/2021\/05\/25\/scientists-discover-what-really-happens-in-the-brain-when-we-imagine-the-future\/<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2018\/12\/181210144943.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2018\/12\/181210144943.htm<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SHOW NOTES\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe best our imagination has, in my opinion, is the question: what if.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this podcast episode of How To Write the Future, your host, creativity coach and science fiction and fantasy novelist Beth Barany, asks the question, \u201cWhat If?\u201d in different scenarios. She shares an exercise you can complete in minutes to inspire you to think differently. Lastly, she invites listeners to get involved by sharing their What-If ideas in a 60-second or less audio to be featured for an upcoming episode.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>ABOUT THE <\/b><b><i>HOW TO WRITE THE FUTURE<\/i><\/b><b> PODCAST<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How To Write The Future<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> podcast is for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to write positive futures and successfully bring those stories out into the marketplace. Tips for fiction writers!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This podcast is for you if you have questions like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do I create a believable world for my science fiction story?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do figure out what&#8217;s not working if my story feels flat?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do I make my story more alive?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do I determine my genre, especially if I&#8217;ve created something not seen before?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This podcast is for you, if you\u2019re at all curious about the future of humanity.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TRANSCRIPT for Episode 18 What If\u2026 and Your Brain<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you would like to get some promotion for you and your books, and you have some fun quirky interesting wacky potential positive future scenarios to share with us, I would love to hear it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And I&#8217;ve created an opportunity for you to share it in a 60-second message or less with me, and with all the listeners of this podcast.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&#8217;re up for that and you want to play, all you need to do is go to speakpipe.com\/HowToWriteTheFuture to leave a message have up to 60 seconds. And you will get featured on a future episode of How to Write The Future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I really want to hear from you. Whether you&#8217;re a writer. Whether you&#8217;re a reader, whether you like thinking about the future, or you just like to wonder what-if, please do share your vision with us.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WELCOME<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><b>BETH BARANY 01:17<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hi everyone. Welcome to our next episode of <\/span><b>How to Write the Future.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This is a podcast for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to create optimistic stories because when we vision what is possible, we help make it so.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I&#8217;m your host, Beth Barany. I am a science fiction and fantasy writer myself and a creativity coach, focusing on helping science fiction and fantasy authors with their stories.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE THE FUTURE?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>BETH BARANY 01:51<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why is it important to learn how to write the future? From a biological perspective, humans seem wired, so that what we envision in our mind feels real to our brain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At least that&#8217;s what brain scientists have shown. They&#8217;ve also shown that our brainwaves mimic what another person does or describes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So another person doesn&#8217;t have to be doing a thing for our brain to match it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They just need to tell a story about it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Imagine you could tell a story that induces the listener or viewer or reader to forget about their now and to feel they&#8217;ve gone there. In that way, places like the bridge of a starship, or the dusty planet of Tatooine, or the castle wall of Helm&#8217;s deep seems real.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We go there. Not only do we forget our lives for a little while, we get a break, we also get to rehearse what it would feel like to face those challenges that in our normal lives we&#8217;d never usually run toward.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a previous podcast episode, I shared about the horizons model.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That was an episode 16 called the Horizons Model for storytelling. You can see the link in the show notes. In that episode I shared what was the Horizons Model and I&#8217;ll summarize it for you here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In essence, people and therefore the organizations and companies and institutions that we create can have primarily one of three orientations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They can either be focused in the past. We call that H one or they could be focused in the present. That would be H two, or there are primarily future-focused, that would be H three.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now of course, people and organizations can be a mixture of these.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the future is always unknown. That is what makes it the future, we can prepare for it. We can write multiple scenarios.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We can imagine a world that for example, stays a lot the same but is worse for most or all of the people or organisms or, and organisms. We share the planet with, or maybe it stays a lot the same, but better.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From most or all of the people and organisms that we share this planet with. Or we could imagine a world that changes radically from the way it is today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And this is where the power of the imagination comes in.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The best tool our imagination has, in my opinion, is the question: what if.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What if kindness was the currency we measured success by?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What would that look like? Feel like? Smell like? Sound like?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What if hugging was the new norm? Even with strangers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What if learning how to tell jokes and make people laugh was part of our school&#8217;s curriculum at every level?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And what if crying, being sad, being angry, and other big emotions was also considered currency on par with kindness?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I just came up with these four what ifs?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And now I step back and I asked myself, What kind of world have I created here?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I&#8217;m not sure, but I&#8217;m actually really curious to explore this, and by the way, these four what if questions were inspired by an article I read as research for this podcast. The article is called, &#8220;If you live from your heart. It&#8217;s good for your heart&#8221; by David Hamilton.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And the link is in the show notes. So, what about you? What \u2018What Ifs\u2019 are you curious about exploring?<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EXERCISE<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here&#8217;s an exercise for you:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Write several what-if statements in a row off the top of your head, whatever is top of mind for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then pause and reread them, and see how they inspire you to think differently about what could be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What implications for the world you are creating show up?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do you see yourself in that world?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And how can you bring the five senses?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Actually, there&#8217;s more than five senses. How can you bring the senses into the moment of this world that you are brainstorming to bring it alive for you and for the readers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want to get some promotion for you and your books?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And do you have a potential positive future to share with the world?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because when you share your potential positive future, you help it become real in the minds of your listeners and your readers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As my show tagline says, &#8220;When we share our visions with the world, we help make it so.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through story and compelling communication, potential can become actual.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I would love to hear from you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I would love to hear your what-if, or multiple what ifs in audio for a future broadcast of my podcast.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you would like to get some promotion for you and your books, and you have some fun quirky interesting wacky potential positive future scenarios to share with us, I would love to hear it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And I&#8217;ve created an opportunity for you to share it in a 60-second message or less with me, and with all the listeners of this podcast.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&#8217;re up for that and you want to play, all you need to do is go to speakpipe.com\/HowToWriteTheFuture to leave a message have up to 60 seconds. And you will get featured on a future episode of How to Write The Future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I really want to hear from you. Whether you&#8217;re a writer. Whether you&#8217;re a reader, whether you like thinking about the future, or you just like to wonder what-if, please do share your vision with us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2012061\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2012061<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or in your podcast home of choice.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>ABOUT YOUR HOST, BETH BARANY<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beth Barany is an award-winning novelist, certified creativity coach for writers, and a international workshop facilitator. In addition to her how-to books for writers, Beth has published over 12 books in young adult fantasy, paranormal romance, and science fiction mystery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Show notes by Kerry-Ann McDade.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Production by Beth Barany.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">***<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>CONNECT<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact Beth: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/podcast\/#contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/podcast\/#contact<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email: <\/span><b>beth@bethbarany.com<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LinkedIn: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/bethbarany\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/bethbarany\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>CREDITS<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.descript.com\/?lmref=_w1WCA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.descript.com?lmref=_w1WCA<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MUSIC: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/uppbeat.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uppbeat.io<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/?referrer_id=1994465\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/?referrer_id=1994465<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 2022 BETH BARANY<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">***<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more \u201cHow To Write the Future\u201d episodes, go <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/podcast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019d like to invite Beth onto your podcast, drop her a note <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/contact-beth\/#contactbeth\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this episode titled What If&#8230; and Your Brain, creativity coach and podcast host, Beth Barany shares an exercise with you that can be completed in minutes and invites readers to get involved by&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":26376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5099],"tags":[140,5098,4607,5096,129,2319,5112,628],"class_list":["post-26167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-write-the-future-podcast","tag-beth-barany","tag-fiction-writing-teacher","tag-fiction-writing-tips","tag-how-to-write-the-future","tag-mirror-neurons","tag-podcast","tag-positive-future","tag-science-fiction"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What if... and Your Brain &#183; How To Write the Future Podcast<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Titled What If... and Your Brain, Beth Barany shares a writing exercise that can be completed in minutes and invites readers to get involved.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What if... and Your Brain &#183; How To Write the Future Podcast\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Titled What If... and Your Brain, Beth Barany shares a writing exercise that can be completed in minutes and invites readers to get involved.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Writer&#039;s Fun Zone\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bethbarany\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-07T11:00:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-04T11:20:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Episode-18-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kerry-Ann McDade\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BethBarany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BethBarany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kerry-Ann McDade\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/07\\\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/07\\\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kerry-Ann McDade\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/07ecbacbbbd997ce56d9d5cd6f303c73\"},\"headline\":\"What if&#8230; and Your Brain\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-07T11:00:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-04T11:20:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/07\\\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1740,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/07\\\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/Episode-18-1.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Beth Barany\",\"fiction writing teacher\",\"fiction writing tips\",\"How To Write The Future\",\"mirror neurons\",\"podcast\",\"positive future\",\"science fiction\"],\"articleSection\":[\"HOW TO WRITE THE FUTURE PODCAST\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/07\\\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/07\\\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/07\\\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\\\/\",\"name\":\"What if... and Your Brain &#183; How To Write the Future Podcast\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/07\\\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/07\\\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/Episode-18-1.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-07T11:00:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-04T11:20:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"Titled What If... and Your Brain, Beth Barany shares a writing exercise that can be completed in minutes and invites readers to get involved.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/07\\\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/07\\\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/07\\\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/Episode-18-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/Episode-18-1.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"What If... and Your Brain - How To Write the Future\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/2022\\\/11\\\/07\\\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What if&#8230; and Your Brain\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Writer's Fun Zone\",\"description\":\"where we go to the edge to play and become better writers\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Beth Barany Productions\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/cropped-cropped-WFZ_BANNER_DRAFT_NEW_mock_1C_w_edits.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/cropped-cropped-WFZ_BANNER_DRAFT_NEW_mock_1C_w_edits.jpeg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":246,\"caption\":\"Beth Barany Productions\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/bethbarany\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/BethBarany\",\"http:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/bethbarany\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/c\\\/BethBarany\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/bethbarany\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/07ecbacbbbd997ce56d9d5cd6f303c73\",\"name\":\"Kerry-Ann McDade\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/219e2d9d2bc9a28e1fcd724451ca41542241b0a5b34d2fa8197d2f48aa1229e8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/219e2d9d2bc9a28e1fcd724451ca41542241b0a5b34d2fa8197d2f48aa1229e8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/219e2d9d2bc9a28e1fcd724451ca41542241b0a5b34d2fa8197d2f48aa1229e8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kerry-Ann McDade\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/writersfunzone.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/kerryannmcdade-editor\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What if... and Your Brain &#183; How To Write the Future Podcast","description":"Titled What If... and Your Brain, Beth Barany shares a writing exercise that can be completed in minutes and invites readers to get involved.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What if... and Your Brain &#183; How To Write the Future Podcast","og_description":"Titled What If... and Your Brain, Beth Barany shares a writing exercise that can be completed in minutes and invites readers to get involved.","og_url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/","og_site_name":"Writer&#039;s Fun Zone","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bethbarany\/","article_published_time":"2022-11-07T11:00:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-04T11:20:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":300,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Episode-18-1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Kerry-Ann McDade","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@BethBarany","twitter_site":"@BethBarany","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kerry-Ann McDade","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/"},"author":{"name":"Kerry-Ann McDade","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/07ecbacbbbd997ce56d9d5cd6f303c73"},"headline":"What if&#8230; and Your Brain","datePublished":"2022-11-07T11:00:25+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-04T11:20:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/"},"wordCount":1740,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Episode-18-1.png","keywords":["Beth Barany","fiction writing teacher","fiction writing tips","How To Write The Future","mirror neurons","podcast","positive future","science fiction"],"articleSection":["HOW TO WRITE THE FUTURE PODCAST"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/","name":"What if... and Your Brain &#183; How To Write the Future Podcast","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Episode-18-1.png","datePublished":"2022-11-07T11:00:25+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-04T11:20:24+00:00","description":"Titled What If... and Your Brain, Beth Barany shares a writing exercise that can be completed in minutes and invites readers to get involved.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Episode-18-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Episode-18-1.png","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"What If... and Your Brain - How To Write the Future"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/07\/18-what-if-and-your-brain\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What if&#8230; and Your Brain"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/","name":"Writer's Fun Zone","description":"where we go to the edge to play and become better writers","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Beth Barany Productions","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/cropped-cropped-WFZ_BANNER_DRAFT_NEW_mock_1C_w_edits.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/cropped-cropped-WFZ_BANNER_DRAFT_NEW_mock_1C_w_edits.jpeg","width":1024,"height":246,"caption":"Beth Barany Productions"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bethbarany\/","https:\/\/x.com\/BethBarany","http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/bethbarany\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/BethBarany","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bethbarany\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/07ecbacbbbd997ce56d9d5cd6f303c73","name":"Kerry-Ann McDade","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/219e2d9d2bc9a28e1fcd724451ca41542241b0a5b34d2fa8197d2f48aa1229e8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/219e2d9d2bc9a28e1fcd724451ca41542241b0a5b34d2fa8197d2f48aa1229e8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/219e2d9d2bc9a28e1fcd724451ca41542241b0a5b34d2fa8197d2f48aa1229e8?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Kerry-Ann McDade"},"url":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/author\/kerryannmcdade-editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26167"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27015,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26167\/revisions\/27015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}