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Investigative questions are not just the tools of the journalists' trade. They need to be asked for all writing. What are those questions? Rudyard Kipling, 110 years ago (ie 1902) made these questions famous for all writers in his Just So poems: I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who. Well of course, you might say! They're so obvious. Yet, the obvious can be overlooked and even forgotten, so let's look at these 'six honest men' and see what we can learn from them: · What? This is the most important question, I think. If you don't actually know what you are writing about, why would you bother with the rest of the questions? Yet when you read some articles or stories, they waffle and wander here and there, with no clear theme, leaving you wondering if the writer really knew if he or she could actually answer that 'what' question. To help you get this one right - try to summarise your topic in one short sentence. If you can do that clearly, then you know the answer to your 'what' question. · Why? This question is probably the hardest one to answer, and often leads to deeper philosophical ponderings. Of all the questions, this one could be left unanswered, with the simple 'I don't know why' admission included somewhere. However, where you can answer it, do so to the best of your ability, because it will probably be the one question really burning in your reader's mind. · When? This can usually be answered simply. If you're writing non-fiction, such as an article, be sure to remember this most basic detail. If you're writing fiction, this question could well be pivotal to your story, and - in the case of crime stories for example - be an intriguing part of your plot, and will be alluded to until finally revealed for that 'a-hah' moment. · How? Like the above question, this could really be drawn out in fiction, or answered simply for non-fiction. However, it also has more potential for intrigue or disturbing lack of solutions for either fiction or non-fiction. Like the 'why' question, the 'how' question could actually be the primary reason for your writing. · Where? This could be a simple factual question to answer, or it could be the typical spy-story cliff-hanger question, or then again, you might be wondering where you actually are in the whole wide universe as you are zapped through space in a science fiction story. · Who? Once again - this could require either a simple or complicated answer. This could be the basis for a 'who-dunnit' (I couldn't resist that), or a deep investigative issue. I find that it is easy to forget some of the questions that are not pivotal to what we are writing, and thus leave our readers wondering about things we left out. You don't have to be a journalist, therefore, to ask these 'six honest men' to teach you all they know. Do you need help to write better? Do you want some inspiration to put your thoughts into words? Could you do with some encouragement to develop your writing skills? college paper writing service reviews
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