In our prologue, we introduced three aspects of the inquisitive writer's mindset: curiosity, skepticism, and flexibility. In this post, we will explore the first of these cornerstones in detail.

Curiosity, in short, is the desire to know something -- oftentimes whether it concerns you or not. In order to write competently about any topic, you have to be motivated to ask questions and listen to the answers. For us curious types, this prying into the business of others should come as second nature. Our end-goal here, though, is a well-researched and well-written composition, so it's important that we temper our curiosity so that we aren't wasting our efforts. To that end, we must ensure we are asking the right questions in the right sequence to get the right answers, so, speaking generally, the queries we form should be:

1. Relevant

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Meaning they connect directly to the topic you're writing about.

2. Precise

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So that they target specific bits of information.

3. Productive

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Which allows them to open new avenues of inquiry rather than dead ends.

4. Feasible

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Because you're only going to be able to answer them with your available resources.

5. Significant

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As your goal is to uncover fresh insights rather than rehash surface-level details.

And how do you generate such questions, I hear you asking? There are three approaches I've found quite useful: Scope Narrowing, Hypothesis Testing, and Stakeholder-Perspective Mapping. We will be covering them, in addition to tips on question sequencing, in the subsequent posts.