Are you asking the right questions?

 I’ve long been a question asker. The yearning to know the WHY and the HOW of . . . well, basically everything courses through my veins. And for the most part, I’m not afraid to voice my questions. My less inquisitive husband has informed me that I wonder about things that no one else even thinks about. Things that other folks give not one thought to.

Is that so? Well, whatever.

A friend echoed a similar sentiment when she said, “You ask questions I would never even think to ask.” A confession she murmured after realizing she hadn’t gleaned the needed information because she hadn’t asked the right questions.

So there.

I’ve always been into the details, the processes, and the thinking behind those details and processes. I ponder outcomes, too. WHY did it go this way or that? WHAT were the contributing factors? The impactful aspects—both the fabulous and the dreadful. I like evaluations. The dissecting of decisions and events before, during, and especially after. I find there’s a lot to be learned by asking the big questions. WHAT went right? WHAT went wrong? HOW could it have been better? Best accomplished when the answers and supporting data are still top of mind.

As writers, we have to ask questions. The right, relevant questions. The big questions. The hard questions. Questions that sometimes gouge like a red-hot knife. Like the time my critique partner commented on a scene in my YA novel. “It’s cute and it’s well-written,” she began. My thoughts exactly. But then she continued. “But how does it move the story along?”  

Ouch. As much as I loved the scene, I had to concede that she was right. The scene did not propel the story forward. “Save it. Use it as bonus material or something.” Her nudging to set the fav scene aside for possible future use, rather than trash the precious words, helped soothe the sting of seeing my words on the cutting room floor.

I don’t always like the answer, but “Does it/how does it move the story along?” now ranks high on my list of must-ask questions. It leads the way followed closely by other important inquiries, such as—

·       Is the character being true to who he/she really is throughout the entire story?

·       Would she say it like that? Would he really do that? 

·       Is the pacing too slow?

·       Does the storyline rush through the crucial moments?

·       Does the dialogue fit the character’s age? Does the body language? The internal thoughts?

·       And on and on. Asking the right questions and digging deep for the answers will make our fiction better. More realistic, more genuine, more relatable to the reader.

What are your go-to questions? Please share them in the comments.