Importance of using Questions in writing

Importance of using Questions in writing 

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There is a secret. But if I told you about it you’d probably tell everyone, wouldn’t you? And then it wouldn’t be a secret.

However, here’s a hint:

Every night just before going to bed, the greatest writer in China would first take a large pot, place it on the fire, stare into the steam drifting up, and… are you still reading?

Apologies. I just invented that story to make a point. My objective was to get you wondering. I wanted you to have a question in your mind:

‘What is this secret that he’s reluctant to tell me about?’

Look at most great writers and they not only hold you by using great style, they also hold you by giving you questions.

We love questions. They tease us, annoy us, and frustrate us because we want that satisfying sense of completeness that comes with discovering the answer.

Many things can put questions in our mind, but one of the best is a good story. Stories pull us in, make us wonder, and help us learn. If we read about, say, the invention of the computer, we will understand it best if it comes in the form of a story. In my work as a therapist people want to create a story around a past trauma in order to really understand it. Only then can they fully break free.

We are story-making creatures, but to work best a story has to provoke interesting questions. So as you write, ask yourself:

‘What question is in my reader’s mind at the moment?’

If you think there isn’t one, or it’s not that interesting, find one that makes the reader so curious s/he becomes reluctant to stop reading.

Create curiosity in your reader’s mind and your writing will soar.

Good luck.

…

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Thank you.

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