Asking Questions when Writing Fiction

The thesis of this argument would be simple: Read any work of fiction, and you will see an inherent question in it the majority of the time.

This can easily be seen in the novels of Stephen King. In "Carrie", King asked what would happen if a young girl going through puberty and the annals of being an outcast were to develop telepathic powers which could hurt people.

In "The Shining", Stephen King worked out a formula for his own madness, but asked the question of what would happen to a writer isolated from the world and battling an addiction with alcohol.

L.E. Modesitt Jr. asked many questions in his fantasy novel "The Magic of Recluce." As Robert Jordan mentioned on it, it was a look into the temptations that evil presented for each of us. What would happen to a young adult who couldn't live happily in his own land? Modesitt Jr. worked into the narrative many other questions - like on character - but he only focused on a few chief questions.

In the novel "City of Glass", Paul Auster centered his whole story around one question. What would happen to a man mistaken for another and thrust into a mystery? There is much more to it than that, but it all came about as the result of missed call and a question. Auster started with a question, and went from there.

Lastly, questions can be found in short stories as well. What would happen to a man alone in the wilderness who suddenly had a series of misfortunes? This was worked into a famous story, "To Build a Fire", by Jack London. London worked in a desperation to the story which gave readers many questions from the beginning of the narrative.

So, if major writers are delving into questions, it should be at least thought of for aspiring writers. It doesn't take years of work, and it will make the fiction better.

Being the next Stephen King, L.E. Modesitt Jr, Paul Auster, or Jack London is a tough enterprise, but breaking into fiction isn't an easy task anyways. Looking to these writers should be done in order to understand the process of writing fiction.

Which leads to my next point: Writing can be made easier by working in questions in fiction.