Words are your secret weapon—wield them with precision and change the world!
Questions are found at the start of any good idea. When I find a new question, it means I’ve noticed something that I wasn’t expecting. Sometimes I just sit down and write out as many questions as I can think up and then see if they spark any ideas for a writing project. Most people classify questions by the words they use: who, what, when, where, why, and how. I classify them by their focus. Are they about people, their needs, or are they really insights dressed up like questions. That last kind of question comes up a lot in Q&A sessions: “How do rectify your theory with the fact that it’s total and utter nonsense?”
Strategy:
Feeling stuck in the idea department? Don't worry, it happens to the best of us! The key to unlocking your creative potential lies in asking the right questions. It may seem counterintuitive to write when you feel like you have nothing to write about, but by articulating the questions that are on your mind, you'll be amazed at how quickly the ideas start flowing.
Instructions:
Identify Your Task: Make a note of the type of writing task or project you want to explore. At this point it’s okay to be vague.
User Questions: Create a list of three questions focused on people and their behaviors. If all you know is the genre you’re working in, these can be random questions about topics that caught your interest throughout the day as long as they’re focused on people.
Needs Questions: Create a list of three questions focused on people's needs, both external and internal. These questions should explore goals or problems.
Insight Questions: Create a list of three questions that are more like insights posed as questions. These questions should present unique perspectives, observations, or hypotheses that can solve people’s needs.
Review and Select: Look over your UNI questions and choose one or more to focus on. How might you adapt this question to the writing project you’re working on?
Interrogative Opening: Write an opening that ends with the question, or introduces it as a theme.
Tags: idea generation, user behavior, human needs, unique insights, question generation
Category: Discover Ideas > Observation, Culture, Folklore, and History
Example:
Identify Your Topic: The task is to write a short story that explores the theme of nostalgia and the impact of technology on personal relationships.
User Questions:
How do people's past relationships affect their present selves?
What memories do people cherish most from before the digital age?
How do individuals react when confronted with digital remnants of past relationships (e.g., old texts, social media posts)?
Needs Questions:
What do characters need to reconcile with their past to move forward?
How do individuals seek closure from relationships that ended abruptly due to technological misunderstandings?
What role does technology play in fulfilling or hindering a character’s need for genuine connection?
Insight Questions:
Could a story set in a world where digital memories can be physically revisited help people understand the impact of technology on their personal growth?
What if a character discovers a way to "edit" their digital past—how would that affect their real-life relationships?
How might reconnecting with a past love through virtual reality challenge a character’s perception of reality?
Review and Select: The question, "Could a story set in a world where digital memories can be physically revisited help people understand the impact of technology on their personal growth?" is particularly intriguing. I wonder what would happen if someone could steal another person’s memories. Would those memories change who they are?
Interrogative Opening:
Mallory squatted beside the sleeper and whispered. “Hello, mister drunk man. Are you passed out?” She reached out and pretended to brush his white jacket, checking his pocket. Something bulged out beneath the fabric, like a cellphone with a lens attached. Mallory glanced over her shoulder towards the rest of the alley. She could see Alex’s eyes peaking from the corner, opened wide with concern. Mallory slipped her hand in and pulled the device out. She stopped for a moment to make sure the man hadn’t woken up.
She stood back up and started stepping backwards, slipping the object into her own jacket. In the next moment, she turned and ran on the balls of her feet back around the corner where Alex was waiting practically pulling her hair out.
“Mallory, are you nuts?”
“What a stupid question.” Mallory slipped the device out and held it with two hands, trying to hide as much of it from anyone that might pass by. “Cheesy waffleballs! This is one of those memory stick thingamajigs.”
“What?” Alex looked closer at the device. “Put that away! You’ll get rolled if anyone sees that.” Alex tried to push the device back into Mallory’s pocket.”
“Wait, I want to see if this has any memories recorded. How cool would that be?”