[stylist] What is your Major Dramatic Question?

[LoriStay at aol.com]

The following is one of an occasional reprint from our magazine Slate & 
Style:

The ABC's of Your MDQ
Lori Stayer

[Originally published in Slate & Style, Volume 7, #1, January 1989]

It's never too late to learn more of the alphabet, especially when you 
write fiction that you hope will sell.   If you don't have your MDQ in mind when 
you write, you're bound to get more of those depressing rejection slips.   
What is it?   Very simply:   MDQ stands for “Major Dramatic Question.”

The good writer sets up his MDQ in the first ten pages of his novel, or the 
first ten paragraphs of his short story, but doesn't resolve it until the 
climax, which should not come until the last ten pages or paragraphs.   What 
else keeps the reader on the edge of his seat but that burning question?    …
Once s/he knows the answer, s/he will stop reading.

Does every writer set up an MDQ?   Perhaps not in those terms, but every 
successful writer aims for that goal.   An MDQ begins with the word “Will…?”  
 Will the detective catch the crook before the crook catches him?   Will 
this romance end in marriage?   Will this novel sell?

The MDQ will act as a beacon to lure errant writing back on track.   The 
trick sometimes is to define precisely what the MDQ is in any piece of 
writing.   Go over your latest work.   See if you can set up one sentence that 
defines the path and pattern of your novel.    Can't?   Have a friend assist.   
Often it will be evident to your readers before it will be evident to you.   
If neither you nor your readers can find your MDQ, some deep plot analysis, 
and more importantly, some rewriting is in order. 



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