Questions or Plot Flaws?

You have to make sure that mysteries are doled out at a pace that readers can follow. You want them to ask "Wow, what happens next?" not "What? Huh? Why should I care?" Sometimes the only way to know if you've succeeded is to ask someone unfamiliar with the story to read the beginning and get their reaction.

One of my biggest problems is that (of course) I know exactly what I mean when I write something... however, I don't always understand why everyone else doesn't know what I mean. (I can keep 496,000 characters on page one straight... why can't you???? )

One thing that Lost does well - most of the time - is that as they bring up new questions, they answer old ones. The quickest answers are the smallest questions, while the main arcs peel away in layers so the big reveals don't come too soon. That's not a bad pattern to follow.

Think of it like a row of monkey-bars. You can let go of one mystery as you reach for the next one.

Lack of plot is when the questions serve no purpose, you want to make sure that all of your mysteries push the story forward - lots of red herrings with no actual resolved conflict. Muddled plot is when there are too many questions with overcomplicated answers - if you're just going half a block to the store, don't make the MC take 12 subway stops and a creepy taxi to get there, otherwise he might forget all he wanted was a box of raisins and diet coke. Good plots fire on all cylinders -- the innocent comment of one character in chapter one (that may be said in different ways by other subsequent characters) turns out to be the key to the whole thing.

Some people might disagree, but I cannot recommend you worry too much about the reader and what they want in your story. The reader should be challenged, and frankly, if they cannot follow along with your story while others can, they probably shouldn't be reading it in the first place.

As for the amount of questions, it depends on the kind of story you're telling. I've written all kinds of stories: a fast-paced action adventure, a deliberately paced space opera, a political thriller, all filled with social commentary, and one thing they have in common is an underlying mystery involving the relationship between the visible events to the actual events taking place behind the curtain. Most stories will probably have some kind of mystery, and that does not specifically mean there is no plot. If you know how to form a story, then you should know how to marry mystery with your plot.

That said, I don't think you can ever truly have too many questions in your story, so long as you answer them in the process of telling the story AND if the questions play a part in the story, and aren't there just for the sake of being there.

ccv707 - I have to disagree there. I've critted and beta read WAY too many works that were trying for 'mystery' and 'hooks' where by page five, I can't figure out who the character is, in the vaguest where they are, or what the first conflict might possibly be.

8thSamurai said:

ccv707 - I have to disagree there. I've critted and beta read WAY too many works that were trying for 'mystery' and 'hooks' where by page five, I can't figure out who the character is, in the vaguest where they are, or what the first conflict might possibly be.

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Absolutely.

You can definitely have too many questions, and doing so will not only confuse the reader but it stalls any chance of the reader caring what happens to the characters in the story. Then they stop reading and look for a book that makes sense.

I think it's important to regularly answer questions and replace them with new ones. So basically you shouldn't create questions much faster than you can answer them.

mamaesme said:

With any novel, you want the reader to have questions that will keep them reading, but when exploring the universe that you've created in those first few chapters, how many questions is a writer away from a lack of plot?

How many questions are too many (see: Lost)?

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If there's no payoff, there are too many questions. Lost lost me in Season 3 because of pile-on; question after question without explanation was irksome. Season 4 and the current season have done a much better job of balancing curiosity and satisfaction. Achieving balance is the key.

The reason LOST has managed such a great comeback is that they are now answering the questions. People lost faith in the middle seasons (I mean I didn't, but I'm obsessed with Ben so I didn't mind not knowing what the heck was going on), and when your audience doesn't have faith in your abilities as a story teller, then they will lost faith in your story. Prove to them you have an end game in mind. Answer smaller question along the way. Reward their loyalty. Then you can keep throwing the larger questions out there.

Cyia said:

You want them to ask "Wow, what happens next?" not "What? Huh? Why should I care?"

Lack of plot is when the questions serve no purpose, you want to make sure that all of your mysteries push the story forward - lots of red herrings with no actual resolved conflict. Muddled plot is when there are too many questions with overcomplicated answers - if you're just going half a block to the store, don't make the MC take 12 subway stops and a creepy taxi to get there, otherwise he might forget all he wanted was a box of raisins and diet coke. Good plots fire on all cylinders -- the innocent comment of one character in chapter one (that may be said in different ways by other subsequent characters) turns out to be the key to the whole thing.

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I think this about sums it up perfectly. You want readers to wonder about what you want them to wonder about. Not just wonder what's going on.

What I meant was if your questions are answered at proper points, you can put in as many as the particular story warrants. Some might only call for a couple, while other, much broader tales, might warrant many more.

Obviously, if you keep piling questions on without answering any of them, or put questions in to artificially create mystery where it is not warranted (most of season 3 of LOST, although there's been pretty good payoff in the last couple seasons), then that is too many. As I said, so long as you answer them in the process of telling the story AND if the questions play a part in the unfolding of the story, and aren't there just for the sake of being there, a question/mystery can work.

Having many small questions isn't a bad thing at all. You can have as many as you want, creating more and answering others along the way.

But this will only work well in one circumstance, IMO:

You need to have a huge, overlying question. This will focus everything and keep the reader from feeling lost. This question is clearly stated (or shown) at some point (usually during or just after the opening scene). And it's finally answered in the end (with hints along the way). If this is done properly, all the little questions and answers will just be part of the fun for the reader.