Use Powerful Questions To Grow Your Writing And Your Life

Ever been asked a question that stopped you dead in your tracks? That hit a nerve and changed your outlook? That challenged assumptions and set you on a new course?

When it comes to communication and transformation, questions are among the most powerful tools we have—but not all are created ...Ever been asked a question that stopped you dead in your tracks? That hit a nerve and changed your outlook? That challenged assumptions and set you on a new course?

When it comes to communication and transformation, questions are among the most powerful tools we have—but not all are created equal. Take the ones I just asked, for example. Did you pause to answer yes or no? Do you even remember what they were?
Punctuation alone can’t elevate an impotent question to ‘powerful’ status. Simple, direct and open-ended, powerful questions come from a place of integrity and genuine curiosity. They stimulate discussion, encourage reflection, touch on deeper meaning and loose to the surface underlying information that often lies dormant within the recipient.

“So what?” you might ask. “What does that have to do with writing?”

Good question. See the difference? Powerful questions stimulate creative thinking, generate interest and open up vectors to explore. They typically start with ‘how,’ ‘what,’ ‘when,’ ‘who,’ or the writers favorite, ‘what if.’ Writers can use them to drill down into creative problems, flesh out characters, explore new angles and find solutions that might otherwise have eluded us. At their best, powerful questions can raise our awareness, jog us out of limiting habits and patterns, motivate fresh thinking and lead us to the future.

Notice how the following examples are structured to elicit meaningful responses, and that the answers are rarely known until the question is asked. Pay attention to how each question lands; you’ll know which ones are right for you. Create your own. Adapt and apply them to yourself, your writing, your characters, your business, your relationships and anything else in your life you want to grow.

• What would you try now if you knew you couldn’t fail? - What’s the first change you would make if you were to fully embrace your life, writing, business, relationships, etc.? - What are three things you’re doing regularly that don’t serve or support you? - What three actions can you take to move fearlessly in the direction you want to go? - What are you doing well? What can you do better? - What’s your favorite way of sabotaging yourself? How will you overcome it? - What are three of your greatest strengths? How can you capitalize on them? - How will you fortify your new mindset? What new habits will you put in place? - What’s your life purpose? What’s your protagonist’s/antagonist’s life purpose? - What if you were looking at this problem, situation, opportunity from someone else’s point of view? What would he/she tell you to do?

As you explore the answers, you’ll probably find that more questions arise. Use them to get focused and drill down to specifics until a potential course of action becomes apparent. Regardless of whether you ask powerful questions of yourself or of a character in your novel, nothing meaningful will result until you take steps in the right direction.

So take them. What’s holding you back?