Breaking the block with questions

[a_sharp]

Last week I tried something new for me. I posed a list of questions about my book's plot, characters, and even backstory. Such as:

- Where did Marjorie get the money to remodel?
- Who is the dead guy in the car outside the coffee shop?
- Why does Ellie keep standing up Tom on every date?
- What is Tom's greatest fear?
- Is Josh truly in Cabo San Lucas or someplace closer, like he never left town after all? Is he free or captive?

In providing the answers, I discovered a great deal about my characters and plot, but more than that, the sequence of precedents that had to take place in order for any given event to make sense.

The process really flowed, and in probably 30 minutes or so, I clarified a lot of muddy "ideas" churning around in my brain.

I'm interested to know what kinds of devices others have discovered and how well they worked.

[Libbie]

Great method! I like it. :)

[Cliff Face]

I do that in my head. I should probably write the questions down, because I had 2 major ones in my current WIP. One I only just resolved, which was a lucky break, and the other one is still unresolved, and I don't know how to work it in. Like, I know the answer to the question (backstory) but I don't know how to put it into the story in a fluid manner.

So I really should write these things down as they come to me.

[K.L. Townsend]

I find that is an excellent way to get insight into your story. And it's a good way to plug plot holes and find motivation :)

[Rhoda Nightingale]

I've conducted "interviews" with my characters--asked them things even if they weren't entirely relevent to the story, just to get to know them better and understand their motivations, goals, and all that good stuff. I've filled two notebooks and several Word doc files with those things now.

[Use Her Name]

Strange, but ai have been doing this when I get a block. A block is really when nothing is coming back.