You Must Learn to Ask Interesting Questions
For my writing class this quarter at CCM, I’m using Question of the Day to help students be curious, develop not-horrible-personalities, and, most importantly, seek out stories. One of the…
For my writing class this quarter at CCM, I'm using Question of the Day to help students be curious, develop not-horrible-personalities, and, most importantly, seek out stories.
One of the most critical qualities of any good writer—if they want to uncover meaningful stories—is the ability to ask an interesting question. Or really think through, "What if"? Or wonder about the story behind the story.
One question that my students went forth and asked was:
What are you absolutely certain of all the time?
And if you like prompts, then you should download the Question of the Day iPhone app, or go visit the site for more options.
Jane Friedman is a full-time entrepreneur (since 2014) and has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. She is the co-founder of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest. In addition to being a columnist with Publishers Weekly and a professor with The Great Courses, Jane maintains an award-winning blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com. Jane’s newest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press, 2018).
