The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.
Mark Twain
Why? It’s the first big question kids ask as they start to learn about the world. When you write a book, you are like a little kid learning about a new world. That is why, as I have learned from Lisa Cron and Jennie Nash, asking why is the most powerful question you can ask when writing a book.
But why do you have to ask yourself why? You are about to spend hours and hours alone with words and imaginary people, and if you don’t know WHY you will lose your way or your interest somewhere around hour 5,000 (maybe earlier). This doesn’t only work at the macro why this book level. It also works at the micro why this word level.
When I get stuck in my story, I find that if I just sit down and ask myself WHY I can get unstuck and keep going. Go ahead and try it. It might just do the trick for you too!
Maya P. Haberland 