Questions

A 2007 study estimated that children ask about 40,000 questions between the ages of two and five. This seems about right. I remember an exchange I once had with my three year old son. His side of the conversation went like this:

Where is apa?
Why he is working?
Who is that man?
Where he is going?
Why you don't know him?
Why you never met him before?
Do grizzly bears have lips?

I wonder how many questions a writer asks and answers in the writing of a novel. My side of the conversation with myself today went like this:

What is Vita wearing?
Should she cut her hair?
Would she cut her hair?
How long will she wait for Paul?
Will she even wait for Paul?
What does waiting do to the weight of the story?
Why am I writing this again?

At least you can Google "do grizzly bears have lips." I did, and they do -- apparently large and dexterous enough to extract seeds from pine cones.

Of course, you can also Google "why am I writing this." Which I did. I got 554,000 results but I don't have time to read any of them. I have to write a novel.