What are the three most basic questions every writer should ask before getting started on a story? We went searching to see how fellow authors would answer. Several had useful ideas.
Colin Fleming, author of eight books and myriad forms of literature, film, art and cultural ideas, answers the question succinctly:
Who is the writing for?
What is it for?
What is the point?
He says, “If you cannot provide real and honest answers to those questions, there is no reason to write what you’re writing.”
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Another writer who wrote on Medium.com answers in a similar fashion(paraphrased here):
Question 1: What happens next?
If you’re a plotter you have a very detailed outline for your story and know exactly how it will unfold. Still, it’s important to frequently ask yourself what should happen next, and whether the scene you’re writing really fits at this point in the story.
For someone who creates without a detailed outline (a pantser), a written plan may feel uncomfortable. When you approach a story like an adventurer you are constantly asking yourself what will happen next. You discover while you write.
So, what happens to your character now?
Where are they and what will happen to them?
Question 2: Why is this important? Does the scene help move the story along toward a goal or a decision point?
Question 3: What if…?
‘What if?’ must be the most asked question amongst all kinds of writers. It’s a magical question. Anything can happen. It’s fantasizing about possibilities. Turn your fictional world upside down with this question. Let your characters do things outside their comfort zone to see what will happen. Maybe they’ll take a different path in life.
So, what if your hero breaks a leg?
What if the forest is blessed, instead of cursed?
What if the hero shrinks in age when they return home?
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USA-Today best-selling author Susie May always asks herself three big questions before she begins developing her characters and deciding on the obstacles they’ll face on their journey. (We’ve shortened or expanded on some of her answers).
- What is your novel about?
- Why should anyone pick up your novel?
- What is your novel’s Story Question?
To understand the importance of these questions, let’s take the Big 3 one by one.
- What is your novel about?
Keep your answer to this question simple. One to three sentences. If you don’t know where to start, write down your genre. Then give a straightforward explanation of your story’s plot. EX: Contemporary Romance. Susie’s novel, Somebody Like You, is about the relationship between a young widow and her husband’s twin brother.
If you’ve written or published more than one story, examine the plots to to learn what your stories are about. EX: family, life not going according to plan, messy relationships, mistakes defining us, estrangement, widowhood, secrets.
By considering the plots, you begin to see the recurring issues you write about. Publishers’ marketing departments love the answeres to your underlying motivatioins.
- Why should anyone pick up your novel to read?
The answer to this question might be key to whether you land a publisher. What will readers love about your book? What makes your book un-put-downable? Does the cover of your novel or author profile alert the reader about the kind of story to expect.Will the story resonate with something in the reader’s own nature? EX: Rachel Hauck has a literary voice and is known for royal romances and slip-time novels — two intersecting time periods. Susan May Warren is known for family stories, as well contemporary romances laced with adventure and action. Susie writes contemporary romance with strong women’s fiction elements.
Again, step back and take a big-picture look at your stories. What defines you as a writer? Humor? Happily Ever Afters? Supernatural elements? Gritty reality?
- What is your novel’s Story Question?
Susie May has written about Story Question before and, yes, it’s vital to know your novel’s Story Question (SQ) because it fuels your novel and keeps it moving forward. Your main characters and subplot characters are trying to answer your SQ — and your readers are subconsciously wrestling with the SQ, too. EX: Some of Susie’s Story Questions in her novel are:
- Is it ever wrong to love someone? (Somebody Like You)
- What if you discovered that what you thought was your worst mistake was actually the right choice? (Crazy Little Thing Called Love)
- How do other people’s opinions about us influence our choices? (Almost Like Being in Love)
By answering the Big 3 Questions, you are discovering more about yourself as a writer: what you write, why you write, and how to connect with your readers on an emotional level through your novel’s Story Question.
So what about you? Will you take the time to answer the Big 3 before starting to write your next story? Leave us a comment on Authorlink.com
