“Why?” x Five
It's not always easy to get to the heart of your story. Sometimes, you'll find yourself struggling to understand your characters' motivations or hit a plot wall.
When that happens, it can be helpful to ask yourself "Why?" five times.
The "5 Whys" technique is a problem-solving method developed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota. It involves asking "why" five times to get to the root cause of a problem. This technique can help you dig deeper into your story.
Ask yourself why you're stuck. Then, ask yourself why again, based on the answer to the first question. Repeat this process five times, and you'll often find you've uncovered something deeper than you had originally thought was there.
Let's say you're struggling with a motivation. You might start by asking why a character is doing what they're doing. The answer might be "because they want to save their family." You can then ask why again: why do they want to save their family? The answer might be "because they love them." Keep asking why until you've asked it five times, and you might end up with something like this:
Why does the character want to save their family? Because they love them.
Why do they love their family? Because they're the only ones who've ever supported them.
Why does the character need support? Because they're afraid of being alone.
Why are they afraid of being alone? Because they've always felt like an outsider.
Why do they feel like an outsider? Because they grew up in a foster home and never had a real family.
By asking why five times, you've uncovered your character’s deeper motivation. Now, you can use this info to write more complex and nuanced scenes that are true to that character's inner life.
The "5 Whys" can also be used to get to the heart of a theme. If you're struggling to identify a theme, ask yourself why the story matters.
Why does this story matter? Because it's about a person who overcomes great odds.
Why do we care about that? Because it's inspiring to see someone overcome adversity.
Why is that inspiring? Because it gives us hope that we can do the same.
Why do we need hope? Because the world can be a difficult and scary place.
Why do we need stories about overcoming adversity? Because they remind us that we're capable of greatness.
Now, you can use this information to write more meaningful and resonant scenes that reflect the themes at the heart of your story.
Why not give the "5 Whys" a try the next time you get stuck? Why not? Why not? Why not? Seriously…Why not?
