A story question, for me, is any question that pops into my reader’s head as I read. They appear in fiction and nonfiction, books and newspaper articles, blogs and business plans. Without them, writing can seem flat or boring.

There can be many in any given story; ideally, they are planted at one point and paid off—answered or satisfied—somewhere in the story. A good way to think of them is as nesting brackets. The largest question is usually planted first and paid off last, while smaller questions can be planted and paid off in different places in the story.

In literary fiction, they don’t all have to be answered. They can be left open, but bringing them back serves to satisfy them.

Genre fiction usually answers them: “Should you mess with time travel? No, you should not. But if you do, you’d better fix what you messed with” (the big story question and answer in Stephen King’s novel 11/22/63.); “Will the bad guy get away with it? Never!” (just about any detective story); “What will happen to Elizabeth Bennett when her father dies and the family home goes to a distant cousin? She’ll be the lady of her own grand house, thanks to her personal integrity and stubborn adherence to what she knows is right.” (the story question and answer in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, which is usually considered a foremother of the romance genre even though it’s also considered lit fic).

Any other great examples of story questions, either resolved or left open, that come to mind?