Questions are one of the best ways to improve. Why? Because they get you thinking! They help inspire too, which can be particularly helpful when stuck on a project. It’s those simple questions that help. Questions like: Where is this going? What do you want to accomplish? Is it working? What is or isn’t working? How can this be improved?

While questions are great for pushing a piece of art, literature, or a project to the next level, sometimes we need other people to ask the questions. Why? Because they often ask the questions we didn’t know needed to be asked, or the ones we stubbornly ignore.

For writing, this is particularly helpful! As a writer, it can be difficult to see what is or is not actually written. I’ve been guilty of omitting important information on several occasions! I’m talking about information that is necessary to figuring out what is going on. Sometimes a reader can guess or try filling in the blank, but should they? Oh, they might guess right, thanks to other available context, but they could also guess horribly wrong! Or worse yet, they might give up on reading your work entirely!

Here’s a quick example:

Rosy had to reach home soon! If she didn’t get the eggs back to her mother, it would be over!

This could have a few questions, but here’s one for now: What would all be over?

When writing something, it can be easy to omit a simple detail. When you leave it up to the reader to figure it out, sometimes the story takes on an unexpected and unintentional twist as they replace 'it' with things like: her life "would be over", a cooking competition "would be over", her mother’s life "would be over", or the world "would be over"!

So, if you’re feeling stuck, try asking questions. If you have someone you trust will ask pertinent questions, ask them for help too! The more questions you have, the more flushed out the piece.

Happy creating!

PS. If you are wondering what will be over for Rosy should she fail to reach home in time...there is no answer. Feel free to make one up though! If it's particularly good, feel free to share it in the comments below :)

PPS. Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!!

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