Open-Ended Questions

We ask questions to learn.  It's always a good idea, no matter what you're doing in life.  Knowledge is power.  But not all questions are equal.  Some of them give you more information than others.

Your standard yes/no question is good.  It's direct, to the point, and gives you exactly what you asked for.  It also gives you nothing else.  Say you meet a man and you ask if he's an artist.  He says, "no."  Now what?  Are you going to go through a list of jobs to figure out what he does or where he works?

Obviously not.  You're going to ask an open-ended question. Perhaps, "What do you do for a living?"  Now you get the answer you're looking for, which a yes/no question would be more hard-pressed to get.

It is by no means a new thing to be told to ask open-ended questions.  However, it is still a good thing to remember.  Our habit is to ask yes-or-no questions.  It's easier and safer.  But it is also longer.

Apply this to all of your life.  When you talk to people, learn as much as you can this way.  When you are dissecting a story, do the same.  Don't ask if it works or not.  Don't ask if it's good or if you like it.  Ask what works.  Ask why they work.  Do the same thing when dissecting your own writing, too.  Before you write, ask these questions to learn about your characters and their world.