AMA

All the questions from the August 2019 Ask Me Anything writing exercise on the Lit Forum

Official daily questions

What job would you be terrible at?

Does your family have a "motto", spoken or unspoken?

If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

What is one thing you will never do again?

What three things do you think of the most each day?

What would your alter-ego be like?

What is something you're self-conscious about?

What feels like love to you? (How do you express and/or receive love?)

How was your life different one year ago?

What is the most annoying question that people ask you?

How would your friends describe you?

When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?

What are two pet peeves?

What are three interesting facts about you?

What do you take for granted?

Describe your *first. *first = crush, kiss, romantic relationship, or sexual experience

What's the worst thing that you've done (or said) to someone?

Have you ever had a secret admirer?

What's your favorite season and why?

Have you ever faked it? (You may interpret "it" as whatever your character would think "it" means.)

Who was the last person to make you cry?

Who was the last person to make you laugh?

What's the farthest you've been from home?

What is one responsibility you really wish you didn't have?

Have you ever tried to steal someone's significant other?

What scent triggers a strong memory for you?

What is the luckiest thing that's ever happened to you?

Why did you decide to do the work you are doing now? (Or for the younger set, what work are you hoping to do?)

When people look at you, what do you think they see/think?

What’s something horrible that everyone should try at least once?

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of love*? *romantic, platonic, or familial

Questions that came up during scenes

Do you dig in your heels sometimes because you feel like you'll lose something of yourself if you go along with what someone else wants to do? If that's true for you, do you think it's a strength, or not?

Have you ever loved someone with every ounce of your heart, yet loathed them in the same beat of the heart?

What are you most proud of?

Do you ever feel like you're surviving instead of living?

Do you have a hard time straddling more than one culture? Is there one you wish you belonged to?

What keeps you going? From where or what do you draw strength for facing yet another life? What do you enjoy the most of coming back for another life?

What would your life look like if you could choose every aspect of it?

When was the last time that life surprised you, and knocked down all your expectations? How did you make it through?


If you could wear anything you wanted, despite what others might think or because of what others would think, what would you choose?

Does it bother you that your cussing may reflect badly on your parents?

What food appears for you on Maxime's magic tray?

Have you ever given the completely foreign a chance?

What do you most hope to learn when you journey somewhere new?

Do you have a name for this dish?

How do you appreciate the small moments if you're always in search of something more?

Do you find it easy to make friends?

How was your life different one year ago?


How do you handle being out of your element? Without making the wrong move or saying something out of place?

Does it feel like a burden, the mail, axe, sword, and shield [your outfit]? Or does it feel like part of you is missing when you don't have it?

Some say that 'behind every great man is a great woman'. In whar way did your relationship with your mother (or another woman from your childhood) shape your personality today?

Do people fight in your world? What weapons do they use if they don't carry swords?

Have you been in many battles? What's the worst injury you've received, physical or otherwise?

Might I examine your axe?

How am I to cook without my hands?

What are you skilled at?


What is something difficult about being you?

Do you think fame would go to your head? What's the first thing you'd do if your film or novel became a big success?

Should I threaten to stop the massages[or equivalent] until they [fulfill my request]?

What is the meaning of your name? Have you any other names which you resent or prefer?

Do you know that your coat is lovely? How do you keep it so clean? Does your mask come off?

Are you wearing a mask?

When do you want to disappear?

What's the best gift you've ever given?


What sort of music do you like to play?

Do you feel closer to one sibling than the rest, or butt heads spectacularly with another?

Do you ever wish that you could wind back the clock? Pay more attention to the things you took for granted, so you could hold onto them for longer?

[Do you see your parents in yourself, e.g. in your hands?]

Did your parent do anything that embarrassed you? When you look at your hands, you see their own, and you admire all they did with them. Was it always that way, or did some of the things they did -- maybe even their job -- take some understanding on your part?

Is there anything you're self-conscious about?



If you could be anywhere you wanted right now, where would you go?

What do you hope to have done by the time you're older?

What do you want to start now, so that in your old age, you don't have regrets?

Do you watch or ride in horse races?

Do you like to be a leader, or do you prefer to be led?

Do you want your children to be boys?

Has there ever been anything you've had too much of, or done too often?

Do you have the freedom to choose your foods?

How much of our tastes are predetermined by the way we were brought up?

How did you dare?

[Are all men always on the attack?]

What scares you?

Are you good at negotiating?

Do you worry about what you cannot control?

Is a knife only a tool of the kitchen or have you ever used one for protection?

What do you hope for in a spouse?

Have you found your spouse? Do you offer enough to win out in the negotiations for them?

Have you ever had to deal with an urgent situation?

Can you keep yourself safe from beasts?

Who has taught you some practical skills, something you don't learn in school?

Is there someone you feel never got to teach you all they meant to?

Where do you call home?

How long have you spent in school?

If you could learn about anything you wanted, what would you go to school for?


Do you see your family often?

What's the next generation like in your family?

Do you have any planned life goals?

How do you get into a long-term relationship? How do you decide to focus on just one person?

What is one thing that you suspect might be true, but can't prove?

What is your best and/or worst pick up line?

How do you know when a feeling is really real? How do you learn to stop lying to yourself?

Has there been a time when deep down you knew you were on the wrong path, but you convinced yourself otherwise?

What lies are you trying to break?

How do you protect something precious?

What is your top priority to protect?

When was the last time you were giddy about something?

What is the diagnostic criteria for love?

Have you found a contender for love or are you figuring out more Not Rights?

What is a deal-breaker for you, relationship-wise?

What are your scratches and dents that might make someone pass you by? Or do you not let anyone look that closely under the hood?

Have you ever let go of what you think you should do, and just done something for the sheer and utter joy of living in the moment?

What was a big pivot point in your life story, a moment when you said 'yes' or 'no', that changed your course?

How do you weigh whether a risk is worth the reward? Whether you might give up something you want to get something better? Because that’s always the million-dollar question, isn’t it?

Who showed you how to be a man?

What is the worst trouble you've ever gotten in?

Have you even been let off the hook after doing something bad? Forgiven for something you thought was unforgivable?

What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you in the course of either your schooling or your job?

Has there ever been a time you wanted to impress someone, only to have it all fall apart?

What is the least adult thing that you still do on a regular basis?

What's something that you're afraid of?

What do men do that drive women crazy?

When you become old and look back on your life, what do you hope to see? What do you want to be remembered for?

Have you ever wished you could go back and redo one moment of your life?

Have you ever felt weak for needing something? Something you’d never fault anyone else for, but for some reason you think you shouldn’t need it?

Can I kiss you?
(also Do you want to dance?
also Are you determined to keep your mouth busy with eating pie?)

Is it really me you want to kiss, or am I the closest you can get to who you really want?

Do you like trees? In your day to day life, what are the little things make you smile? A tree? The way the dish soap hiccups bubbles when you pick it up? The way a bird plays in a mud puddle? What are the roses that you stop and smell?

Is there a little joy or ritual you have—not a guilty pleasure, like enjoying some dumb TV show while downing a bag of Cheetos or Oreos—but something intimate which resonates within you and how you tick, that’s a secret you keep to yourself?

Are you wondering what I taste like?

What have you been wondering about me all night?

Any last words for me, before this dance is over?



What have you had to let go of, in order to have the freedom of a life at sea?

Do you have any sea stories?

What is the weirdest place you've seen? And where would you like to go that you haven't been to yet?

Do you carry scars, whether inside or out, from a near-death experience?

[Did that raft take you home?
also How do you draw your maps?]


(How) do you appear stoic and controlled before the strangest sights?


Have you ever been pleasantly surprised by something you thought would be nothing but trouble?

Have you ever learned anything from a stranger?

What sort of pleasant surprise are you hoping for here?

Have you ever been the cause of trouble?

Have you ever had to do something you weren't ready to do?

Do you mind getting your hands dirty?

Have you ever acted?

Have you ever had to guard a treasure people knew about?

What do you do when the person you needed to learn from is gone?

If you could pick one year, which one would you highlight in a photograph album?

Did your father do right by you? Is there something he gave you that you wouldn't have otherwise?

Do your parents know the best of you?

Have you ever felt a need to find a true home?

When do you know if a promise isn't worth keeping?

Is there someone besides your family that you confide in? Someone you trust to steer you proper?

When was the last time you met someone new?

What is there in your life that you need to make right? And how are you going to go about it?

Do you have a favourite photograph?

Do you think the end justifies the means?



Which languages do you speak?

If you're from an aristocratic background, do you or your family have commercial interests as well, and vice versa?

What job would you like to do, and how does it match up with what your family and tribe might want you to do?

How do you sleep at night, snooping on other people’s business for a living?

How does one deal with the ethical minefield of falling in love when one's husband is away at combat?

What is your job? Where are you employed?

What's the maddest thing you've ever done for love?

Have you had a case in which the outcome was completely different than what you suspected?

What does peace look like for you?

What qualities do you look for in a worthy opponent?

Where do you call home? Is it a place for you, or is it people, too?

Have you ever been unwilling to commit to something because it went against your principles, but at the same time, you didn't want to be honest about your reason?

How do you feel about being attached to a piece of ground?

You are in a profession that requires emotional detachment. Have you had a case where that was difficult to maintain, and if so, what made it hard?

What's something difficult about your profession that the average person might not think about?

Do you know your personal family history? How has it shaped you?

If you loved someone very much, but did not feel you could take their love for granted, how would you navigate trust?

Do you ever feel guilty about pretexting? Do you think the end justifies the means?

Do you think the ends justify the means? Always, or under some circumstances? How do you decide?


What's the furthest you've ever travelled?

What's the worst advice you've ever received?

Where would you explore, if you had the chance?

Why are you travelling to __? How can you afford it?

Got a family?

How do you go about deciding whether the rewards justify facing legal penalties? What is your thought process?


You're not so keen on being here? Is that it?

What's the best book you've ever read?

Do you have a hard time taking advice?

(What year is this cognac?)

Have you ever been in serious trouble? What form would it take for you?

Have you nothing better to do with your life than haunt the shadows like this?

Why do you allow someone to hurt you?

Do you not wish, just once, to risk all to do something unsavoury?

Have you never done anything you've been conscience stricken by?

We shall burn; mayhap we will have company?

Is there anything you regret?

Is there anything about your betrothed that speaks to you?

Do you like s'mores?


So what is it about a party that brings out the worst or best in you?

Do you have a favourite book genre?

What's a difficulty that comes along with your job, something that makes you need a mental or physical escape?

How often do you read something just for enjoyment?

Would you go back to middle school again if you could?

If you couldn't read, what would you read first, once you learned?

If you couldn't read, would that make you more valuable in some people's eyes?

What's your favourite treat to bake for children?

Are you strict with your children, or do you have a more permissive parenting style?

What's your life like in your city? What three things do you think of the most each day?

What was your mother like, and what makes you think I'm so different?

So you're from a big family? Does that make you want to have a big family as well?

What sounds do you hear everyday? Do you like hearing them?

How do you keep the peace in your family?

Do you find that your life has mostly gone as planned, or have you had to come up with a Plan B?

Have you ever faked it?

Do you have siblings?

How did it feel to bring your children into the world?

What's your role in the family?

Do you have a spouse who cares for you? Takes you places, to see new things?


What do you like to do that's just for you?

What makes you so devoted to your work?

If you could choose any job, what would give you the most satisfaction?

What is the best thing you've ever given a traveller?

(Does that door lead out?)

Do you have anyone to share the future with?

Are you a traveller?

How long have you been here?

What brought you here?

Have you ever been lost?

How do you carve time for yourself and make sure your family or friends or employees give you space?

Do you work here?

Shall I cook something for you?


What if you fail?

Are you trying to make a change?

What about you needs bettering?

If you can help, should you?

Have you ever had a choice you were afraid to consider because you might disappoint someone special?

Who do you turn to for problem solving?

Do your thoughts ever run away from you? How do you keep from being misunderstood?

What do you do if you're so frustrated you want to scream? How do you let it out, if you can't...let it out?

Why do you speak so many languages? Are you a translator?

What do you do with two opposing groups? How do you get them to reach an accord?

How do you feel about burdening your child with a role they have no part in choosing?

Are you religious?

Does your role give you advantages?

What do you do if you have a bad teacher? One who's terrible at imparting what they know?

Any reason you don't yet have a child? Trouble finding the right partner?

What's the most difficult question you've ever had to ask someone? How did you work up the courage?

Can you live with not asking? Will you regret it? If you think you will then what do you have to lose?

What brings you here?

If you have a baby, do you get time off work?

Where do you go, in your thoughts, your mind, when you have a moment to sit on your own?

Do I look like a slut? What kind of friend would tell you to look for someone "just right" in a public bar?

What happens if you're not competent in your role?

Would you rather get married or stay single?

What happens if you realize you're with the wrong person?

What do you think of arranged marriage? How can you expect to be happy with someone that someone else chose for you?

Have you ever been given a weapon, then chosen not to wield it?


Don't I know you from somewhere?

How do you keep from doubting yourself? How can you be sure of your path?

Does it bother you to not quite fit within the lines, or do you like being different?

Which religion are you?

Why do you need a straw?

You say you trust your heart first. Has it ever led you astray?

Do you carry the blue cockade?

Do you trust your heart?

Is there something that you originally thought was of help or a convenience, only to find out that in the end, it did more harm than good?

What is this music?

How would you answer a question someone asked, that you really couldn't or didn't want to tell them the honest answer to?

What would you do if a man with a raw, violent temper threatened your family?

Have you ever had a burning need to do something nobody else would understand or condone?

Do you get along well with your mother? Or are you a daddy's girl?

Have you ever had hot eyes?

Where did you get your scars?

What do you make of this place?

Have you heard the music of Éduoard L'Oiseaux? Or any artist that lays their soul so bare?

Are you looking for friends?

How can one hang on to something precious, keep it safe, without hurting or ruining it?

Do you believe that if you keep your heart safe, nothing can harm it?


Will you drink the whisky now or after you answer the question?

Have you ever left a job without even trying?

Is this work or play?

Do you come here often?

Why are we here?

What were you doing 30 minutes ago?

What do you consider your greatest duty?

What's the furthest from home you've ever been? Have you ever really found your way back?

If you lost your wallet, what is in there that you'd be keen to have back?

Do you regret not fighting for [the one that got away]?

Do you have someone who would fight for you? No regrets, no looking back kind of fight?

Have you ever put yourself in the enemy's shoes? Found some understanding for those who've wronged you?

It is time to change the subject, no?

Come here often?

Do you feel justified in your anger and vengeance?

Is your lost love afraid of you?

Have you ever done harm by not forgiving someone?

What makes your love worth the risks you're taking?

Have you ever met someone and known they were your soulmate?

Do you think less of your lost love than you did before?


Is there something specific that makes you impatient? That you wish you could change or fix?

We all deserve to be the center of someone’s universe, don’t we?

What would you present at the ER/A&E with?

How far would you go to protect someone you loved? Would you kill?

Have you ever been in the ER?

Have you ever had to just get the job done, no matter how inadequate you are or terrible you feel, not because you're all that and a bag of chips, but simply because there was no one else?

What is it that makes you such a rolling stone?

Do you trust Fate to keep you both safe?

What's the longest you've ever been in the same place?

Do you have a self-defence plan?

Do you take after someone in your family?

What is your mission?

What’s at home that makes you so reluctant to be there?

D'you want the last slice?

What’s your idea of revenge? What would you do, how far would you go, for payback?

If there was a book written about your life, what would it be named?

If you were freed from duty, where would you go?

Have you ever been at the right place at the right time, and realised its importance later?

What would make you want to fight someone?

Are you a generous lover?

What do you find in the darkness that perfects your character?

Do you think settling down would make you die of boredom?

Why would/do you need a pistol? If it came to using it, would you be able to point it at a person and pull the trigger?

Who was the biggest influence in your life? Who put the dreams in your head and who set your feet firmly on the ground?

Would you pull the trigger to defend those you loved? Have you done so?

Does it not bother you to send a person to Hades?

Does your struggle against it banish your guilt?

When your happily ever after comes, will you open yourself to it? Will you believe you’re worthy of it?


Is this the worst you’ve ever eaten? If not, what is? And the best?

What is your earliest memory of food?

Do you think we should bring this tray out to the others?

Why are you laughing?

Are you sure you can eat all that?

What is this mess?

Is there anyone you love as much as you love cooking[or equivalent]?

How does your day look on days when you have no work or responsibilities?

Could photographs make food taste better?

What is your guilty pleasure? (Many of us have some kind of food as a guilty pleasure to escape work, but if your work involves food, what's a guilty pleasure of yours?)

What characteristic or trait do you value in the personality of the one you love?

Do you trust someone with your secrets?

Do you ever feel caught between the love of what you do, and the tremendous weight of obligation?

If your (family) business failed, what would you do?

What is it that you do? And when and where do you do it?

What food makes you think of home?

What was it like in your house, growing up?

If you've had an outburst that cast a long shadow of regret, what happened?

What does it mean to be a good sibling? How do you love someone, try to keep them safe, and stay out of their way?

If things have recently changed with a sibling, what do you think has changed for them?

Who raised you, if it wasn't your parents?

Do you believe that with survival, we learn the reason for it; that that which gives our life meaning can only become clear by living?

Why did you decide to do the work you are doing now?

Is there anyone you've vicariously lived through?

Are you close to your siblings?

Do you regret the kiss we shared?

If I went back on my word, what would you do?

Have you ever spent/had to spend time looking over your shoulder?

Have you forgotten something?


When was the last time you did something -- go to a party or a movie or a museum or whatever -- by yourself because you couldn't find anyone to share the experience with?

Have you ever had an experience you wished not to share?

Do you want another pint?

Has anyone ever deflated a major hope of yours?

How would you feel if someone in your family were keeping secrets?

Are you going to cry again?

When has the truth not served you?

Have you ever learned on the job?

What's the most difficult job you've ever had?

Have you ever hurt someone? On purpose?

Are you the sort of person who revels in a party? Or prefers the comfort of your own company?

How would you kill someone if they gave you the chance? And how do you know it would work?

Could you hide something from a bad person?

Are you hurt?

How did you escape?

Have you ever locked eyes with someone across a room, and there's no unlocking them for about three seconds?

What do you know of love?

Is love worth the risk?


Can anyone say they’ve lived their life so softly that they’ve never caused pain to another in order to survive?

What is it that you think the world owes you? And how are you planning to get it?

Did you get what you deserved? How will you feel when it comes to you?

Shall we dance?

Why did you clean it?

Do you care to know the outcome of the war?


Is there someone who you disliked, but respected anyway?

What's been your greatest success so far in life?

Do you have any thoughts that still buzz about like a fly over a puddle of honey?

Have you ever had something to celebrate that feels like a loss, because who you want to celebrate with isn't there?

Why is X your drink of choice?

When have you been wrong about something when you'd been sure you were right?

I think we're all pretending to be real grown-ups, don't you?

What's the most adult decision you've ever had to make?

What if your love dies before you've a chance to live the life you've promised one another? What if you die, leaving them to carry on without you?

Have you come out from under your parents' shadow?

What kinds of traditions and rituals are important to you? Are there some you repeat without even thinking about?

What happens if you don’t do it all the same way?

When have you broken your own rules?

Do you think that you've lived up to your parents' expectations?

What's something you've done to reward yourself?

What if a new love doesn't appreciate what they find out about you? What if you don't measure up to their standards? How do you know when you're enough? When you've given enough?

Where do you like to go when you need to see peace and beauty in the world?

How do you get your hair to do that?

Have you ever lost someone you cared very much about?

Are you a gardener or more of a brown thumb?

What does best dressed look like in your time? Are there any special occasions where you might wear something fancy?

How do you talk to someone in intensive care?

Is there something you've done for the memory of or to honour someone you love?

Why did you wait for the other person to walk away first?

Do you listen to soul music?

Have you had a patient[or equivalent] haunt you long after the fact?

Do you wanna dance?

What's the secret to being carefree?

Have you had a patient[or equivalent] that had a poor prognosis, but you helped change the course to something unexpectedly favourable?

One last dance?


What’s the worst mistake your younger self ever made? And does it haunt you, still?


Is it getting hot in here?

Do you think people can tell, when you tell white lies to get out of a relationship?

What is it like to be with someone who takes the time to learn your needs and respond to them?

The words get lodged in your head, they burrow themselves in: Why does that happen with criticism and rudeness, but never with praise?

Searching for someone?

How much have you drunk?

When was the last time you laughed until you cried?

How do you decide when to sleep with a guy for the first time? First date, to check for chemistry? Third date? Until you drop the L-word? Or something else?

What kind of mad adventures do you daydream of when you are all alone and must confess your thoughts to nobody?

How would you explain this back home?

Are you getting in or not?

What's the deal with the hot tub?

Are you asking these questions on purpose?

Will you play again?


Are you in the midst of a war?

If you are captured by an enemy, your first obligation is to try to escape, isn't it? But have you thought about how you would resist an interrogation?

Are you planning on capturing me?

What are you afraid of?

What was your first time in an airplane like -- as a passenger, not pilot?

Have you ever chosen something old over something new?

How do you decide, how can you be sure, you've found the one who's going to walk down the path of life with you?

How do you know you can trust someone?

Does your love make you laugh? Or have they ever given you reason to cry instead?

Is your relationship too new to judge?

Is it wrong to trust in love?

You can't foresee every contingency, so sometimes you just have to take a step forward, don't you?

What have you learned in your most recent relationship?

Maybe if you talked about your expectations together you might have a chance of making it work?

Have you ever missed out on something you wanted?

How do you measure what's worst?

What was the first thing you gave up when you left your family home?

Do you care what your parents think of you? Or are you your own person these days?

Have you ever worked together with someone on a project or task? Shared an idea or vision?

Have you ever been the teammate, not the boss?

Have you ever had to take responsibility for something frightfully important?

How do you do what's best for everyone around you, if they each have different needs and abilities?

Is it wrong to fake something if it brings happiness to someone else, just for a moment?

What is your favourite way to travel?

Have you had a difficult night?

Did I interrupt the fun?

Must you be suspicious?

Did you think I wouldn't find out?

Have you seen him/her without me?

Where's your ring?

Are you requesting a divorce?

Have you ever disposed of a body?


Did you go to parties as a teen and drink whatever the older kids had stocked up? Or were you the one with the fake ID scrounging up the cheap beer?

Is there something that takes you back to better times? Or do you believe the best is still to come?

Where would you most like to go on holiday?

What's the most ordinary day you can imagine?

Do you think there’s any truth to the notion that a man can achieve anything he desires, so long as he sets his mind to the task? Or do you think that true success is only for the few?

Do you believe in fate, or chance?

What would you change about your life if you knew the day you were going to die?

Did you ever manage to put it back together?

Do you believe there's anything beyond this life?

How many lives has your life grazed? How many bruises have you left in your wake?

What would you like to be remembered for?

Have you ever cared what people thought of you?


What's it all for?

Are you here with anyone?

What would you do if you ever found out your spouse had been unfaithful?

How do you know they're cheating?

What would you do if you caught them? If they were here right now?

Would you hurt one to get at the other?

Can you fix an engine?

Are you awkward at parties?

What project have you spent the most time on?

Have you ever had to fight for something you cared deeply about?

Have you ever had to hurt someone, whether you wanted to or not? Would you?

If you hurt one to get at the other, what does that say about you?

There's a definite grief to having what you love stripped away by someone else, don't you think?

What are you going to gain from that?

Have you ever shown mercy to someone you know has done you wrong?

A fistfight? A broken nose? Does that solve the problem?

If not hurting a woman isn't honour, what is?

How's your night going so far?

What’s the nicest thing you’ve ever done for your spouse? How did it make you feel?

Have you ever had to stand shoulder to shoulder with others for a common good? Have you ever been part of something bigger than yourself?

Shall we stand here all day, or will you tell me?

Is this the first time you've wanted something you can’t have?

Do you hunt? If so, what do you hunt?

Who can blame you for wanting to take it back?

What is it you’re looking for? If you could just reach out and take it, would you? What would it mean?


What the heck do you say to a room? Nice to meet you? You’re looking spectacularly rectangular today?

How did growing up in a house full of family and friends shape you? Are you better at relationships? Able to trust people right off?

Are you someone who trusts their intuition?

If you could create an imagined, utopian society, what would you take from the places you’ve been? What would you keep from the place you grew up?

Have you been someplace like this before?

Do you think you'll know when it's time to stop moving on? Do you think you'll ever meet someone that, even if things did go belly-up, you'd still not want to walk away from them?

Does riding a motorcycle[or equivalent] free you, or does it remind you of something you're missing?

Do you want a family, and if so, would you want the same type of household for them as you had growing up?

Apart from your work, is there anything you can remember that gave you a purpose and pulled you through a dark time?

You ever feel torn between two impossible choices? Between responsibility, and yourself?

Promise you'll never tell another soul?

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between wants and needs. When it all boils down, what do you need?

You heading our way?

Do you cook? Do you have a specialty?

Who doesn't choose their mother in a divorce?

You can make it up to them now, can't you?

What was the most significant period in your childhood?

What's the secret to your special dish?

If it’s pissing down and you’re stuck inside, what’s it going to be? Monopoly? Scrabble? Chinese Checkers? Or are you more of the card game persuasion?

As a parent, what's your greatest strength? What will your kids remember most fondly?


Where's the cheese tray?

Would you care for a drink?

What's so funny?

What do you think your name says about you?

Which side are you more like, your mother's family or your father's?

What's it like to be an owner? Does it keep, this feeling of wanting to make all the choices, of wanting to rule? Or does it fade, and you give up, and let someone else take over?

What is it you can't deny?

Are you worried about driving someone away?

What was the most difficult admission you've ever made? How did you find the strength for it?

Was it strange when your sibling[or friend] settled down and had a family of their own? Did you feel a sense of loss, so to speak? Not necessarily jealousy, but a regret that they're moved on to another phase while you're still...not?

Do you need structure at work? Do you have bosses you hate answering to?

Do you think life would have been better, simpler, or more enjoyable for you in another time?

Where did you go? Where did you end up?

What about the future? If you could pass only one thing on to the next generation, what would it be?

Everyone needs hope. That's what keeps us trying, right?

What was your favorite ride at the fair? Or did you spend all your time trying to win a prize, eating all the fried junk, or looking at animals?

Where did you learn the languages you speak?

Which language is your instinctual one? The language you use with your pet, or if you stop to pet a puppy, which language comes first?

Have you ever been up where you could get a bird's eye view of things?

What's the worst that could happen?

Do you want to have kids?

Why do so many people feel the need to interfere with others?

Is there something about the place where you grew up that just reverberates in your bones as home?

Have you ever been somewhere and instantly felt you were in a place where you belonged?

Order a whisky for a friend?

Do you want some coffee?

Is there someone I can call for you?

Who do you call when you are drunk and down and at your worst? Who will always come pick you up and make you coffee and tuck you into bed?

Other than when you were born, have you ever been hospitalized?

Why doesn't the stuff that came out of a suitcase ever fit back in?

Can a friend ever be as close, as easy to depend on, as a sibling?

Who takes care of you when you're ill?

Who comes to rescue you from whatever scrape you've gotten yourself into?

Are you good at delegating? Or do you try to do everything yourself?


Am I the first one here?

When was the last time you really felt like a kid?

How old were you?

Have you ever felt the urge to take off and leave it all behind? Ever done anything about it?

How close have you gotten to the edge of a cliff?

You needed you, didn't you?

Ever given up something you really wanted for yourself in order to make someone else happy?

It shouldn’t matter what it cost, should it?

Loved or love, which is it?

Why can't they join you?

Would you ask someone to make a sacrifice for you? What if they offered?

What does your sibling do to push your buttons?

What have you done to them?

Is there anyone who asks your advice but doesn't take it?

What would your sibling say if asked the same question? What do you do that pushes their buttons?

What was your favorite holiday growing up and how was it celebrated in your family?

If you're an only child, do you know why your parents only had one child? Did you like being the sole recipient of their attention?

What's your relationship with music? If you play, what's your favourite song to cover?

Do you think your sibling knows how hard it's been for you? Have you ever told them?

Which is better? A fatherless child, or an unstable family?

You still with me?

What's the key to a happy marriage?

Has anyone witnessed your grief?

Which instrument will you pick, if we're going to play? And which song?

What do you think about alcohol? Something to take the edge off? Enjoy the lightness of a buzz? Or sometimes drink heavily enough to forget?

What's a song you were forced to play, and absolutely couldn't stand?

What's a rolling stone? Are you one of them?

Best gig you've ever been to?

I take it I have a lot to look forward to?

What names should I be watching out for?

Have you ever been a part of something bigger than yourself? Something that you could contribute to, but that you, by yourself, could never accomplish?

What’s next on the set list?

C'est quoi, ce crissement?

Boxers or briefs?

Who doesn't enjoy hot water?

Have you ever felt your heart skip a beat at the sight of another person?

You coming in?

You think I want to share with you?

Did you just let one rip?

What’s a Friday night look like in your neck of the woods?

Have you ever cheated?

Does [the one you love] have red hair and freckles?

What are you on about?

There's a thrill to studying, isn’t there? Ever had one of those moments, where you make some discovery in some long-forgotten book, and wonder if you are the only one to ever notice the significance of it? Ever had a book change your entire life?

 

All the questions from the September 2020 Ask Me Anything writing exercise on the Lit Forum

Official daily questions

Daily Question #1: What was your most recent lie?

Daily Question #2: What are you interested in that most people are not?

Daily Question #3: Who in your life has had the best and worst luck?

Daily Question #4: What aspect of daily life in your world would surprise someone from 100 years ago?

Daily Question #5: What's better broken than whole? 

Daily Question #6: What would your perfect holiday be like? 

Daily Question #7: Whose company do you despise? 

Daily Question #8: What food have you never eaten but would really like to try? 

Daily Question #9: What's the oldest thing you own? 

Daily Question #10: What's been the happiest moment of your life so far?

Daily Question #11: Would you rather have your dream job, or find your true love?

Daily Question #12: If you could travel into space, would you?

Daily Question #13: Do you look forward to growing old?

Daily Question #14: Which would you choose: losing all of your memories to date, or never being able to recall new ones from now on?

Daily Question #15: If all your memories were erased, what kind of person would you be?

Daily Question #16: What’s the dumbest way you’ve ever been injured?

Daily Question #17: What’s your most unusual talent?

Daily Question #18: What’s the closest thing to real magic?

Daily Question #19: Is a hotdog a sandwich? Why or why not?

Daily Question #20: How do you feel about pineapple on pizza?

Daily Question #21: What would be the coolest animal to scale up to the size of a horse?

Question #22: What takes up too much of your time?

Question #23: What's the best way to start the day?

Question #24: What age do you wish you could permanently stay?

Question #25: What risks are worth taking?

Question #26: What's your biggest fear?

Question #27: What was the last adventure you went on?

Question #28: What do you want your epitaph to be?

Question #29: Do people have an obligation to help others?

Question #30: Would you rather only be able to tell the truth, or only be able to lie?

Questions that came up during scenes

"When was the last time you tried something that someone recommended, without learning all about it yourself first?"

"Where'd you first try a pie like that?"

“Do you dress to conceal, for protection from the elements, or perhaps to attract attention?” 

“When was the first time you realised you were beginning to grow up?" 

"Who is the most important person in your life right now, and why?"

"What would you hope for, what do you expect from marriage? What advice would you give me?"

"Do you wish you had a lens that would let you see another person's faults so closely?" Alon asks the others. 

“When you feel very negative about someone or something or some situation.... what do you do to change it?   To make things more positive?   Do you always remember that you have the power to change your point of view.... or is that something you struggle with?" 

“Is there an art that you practice? Or might like to, if you could find a master to teach you?" 

"Is there anything you've recently tried for the first time?" 

"Would you consider yourself lucky or unlucky?" 

"Are you used to this sort of treatment back home?" He leaves the rest of the question unasked. Or are you climbing up from the working class, like me? 

"Do you have a friend like that? Someone to pull you back from the brink?"

"Who has trusted you with a secret you will never reveal... and why will you never reveal it?" he asked with a slightly teasing smile.

"Has there ever been a time when you judged someone for the better – and were proved right?" 

“D'ye know if this is some... elf banquet? Are there rules we must bide by?"

"When was the last time you were introduced to something new and exciting?"

Have you ever come across something you had trouble believing in?

Would you want to experience the paranormal?

Is there anything from your childhood you wish you could have back?

“Do you ever think this whole love/relationships/strings attached was easier in earlier generations?

"Are you the type that prefers solitude and peace and quiet, or do you like keeping busy with lots of activity around?"

"It seems to me," she says slowly, "that when you're young... You find a role in your family, or are moulded into one. And that is how they see you forever after. I was the idle dreamer. And no matter how much I may have moved away from that, shown what else I can do, that is how my parents still look at me. Is that true in your family as well?"

"I guess the tricky thing is the divergence part. There's feelings, of course, that's can't be helped. How do you minimize the hurt?"

“What’s the standard protocol for getting over a guy in your time? Best break-up advice? Anything that's worked well for you?"

"Do you think it's right to choose for another? Are you choosing for him, because it's the right thing for him? Or are you choosing it, because it's the right thing for you?"

“What's something you've been surprised about now that you're no longer a child?"

“Have you ever ruined something so thoroughly that it was beyond repair, just by trying to do the right thing?”    

"How do you reconcile your moral code, whether it's conflicts within your own, or holding true to yours without being hurtful to another?"

“How does one go about finding a best friend?”

"Have you ever needed to defend yourself?" 

“What’s coming your way that makes you think you need to know how to fight?” 

"How can you plan for the unpredictable?" 

...his thoughts are circling around one single, burning question. What would he risk for that possibility?  

“Is there anyone in your life who you envy?” 

“I mean something that has a model, and the model is perhaps all you've seen, until you meet the true version. And it's larger, or smaller, than you expected. What else is like that?" 

“What would you do with your life if the world said yes to every last thing you wanted?” 

"What limits are there in your life? How do you reach beyond them?" 

"Where'd you come from?" 

“Ever think of a new idea, and then, someone else does it first?” 

"What do you do to relax in 2019, mate?" 

“What’s something you enjoy that you might not admit to?” 

"Who would you trust with your life, Blake? You got anyone you can turn to if things ever fall apart?" 

“Where is the place you go--mental or physical--when you want to seek peace?" 

“Ever broken someones heart?” 

“What's the most ridiculous thing you've ever done for love?" 

“What sound do you associate with comfort?” 

“What is your best memory of school?” 

"When was the first time you got utterly smashed drunk, Blake? And why?" 

“If you could go back - what would you change?” 

"What scares the absolute hell out of you these days, Blake?" 

“Do you have anything in your life that was both the right choice and the wrong one at the same time?” 

"Where do you feel most at home?"

“As you’ve grown, what has surprised you about yourself?” 

“You ever see yourself settling down?" 

“What do you dream Harry?” 

"If you couldn't be doing the work you're doing today, what do you reckon you'd do instead?" 

“What is something people never let you forget?” 

"These mates of yours. Wives, you said? Both of 'em? How's that work? Because where I come from, that'd be considered... Well, wrong."

“Do you like rainbows?” 

"You got any pets?" 

“If you could tell your friends about what you like about Rob, what would you tell them?”

The table's listening, because it rattles again, lights flashing, and when it finishes there's a plate sitting on it with some sort of round pastry. One half's got chunks of yellow pineapple and bits of what looks like ham. One's got circles of sliced meat, all of it smothered in melted cheese, and it smells bloody amazing. He looks up at Blake. "Which one d'you choose?" 

"Do you play any instruments?"

"You're too clean. Your teeth shine, your hair shines. Your nails are immaculate. You have nothing long-trapped in any fold of skin. How do you manage that? Have you never gotten dirty before?"

“What do you like to eat that others really dislike?”

“What’s the best memory you have of your mum?”

"What's the first thing you're going to do when you get out of here?"

“What do you do?  And what inspires you to do it?”

“Are your parents living? What do they do? Where’s home?”

“Ever kept doing something when it felt like the world was trying to tell you no? And what happened in the end?”

“Imagine there is someone you love, with whom you would like to start a family, but that person has to leave you for a while, and later comes back to you and asks for your hand, having known other loves.  Do you say Yes?  How much tarnish on the knight's armor is too much?”

“I definitely wouldn’t be here if that was the case. I mean, technically I’m seeing someone, but it’s just for fun. Not seventies ‘free love’, no strings attached fun, but more like temporary strings,” she says as she reaches for the door. “There’s nothing wrong with that, right?” 

“What do you do when the world tells you ‘no’?”  

“What’s the worst injustice you’ve ever encountered?” 

“What, exactly, is your armor tarnished with?”  

"This was an example of a train of events where one mistake leads to others.  Has that ever happened to you, and if so, what did you do to right things?" 

“Do you think the people are mostly good, or mostly bad? Convince me. Humanity is good, or humanity is evil." 

“But first, would you like something to eat?”

“How about you? D’you ever try to be someone you’re not?” 

“Okay, here goes. As a follow up to your original question, about trying to be someone you’re not. I can’t imagine how you’d know who you aren’t if you don’t know who you are. And yet, I’m 26 years old and still working on who I am. So, in what ways do you think you’ve changed?  Are you still growing into yourself? And follow-up question. Are you running away from something, or to something?”  

"Are you betrothed? Could your man be a king?" 

“If you could do anything at all, not needing the help of a man, not worrying about money, what would it be?"  

“What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?”

“Have you ever left everything and everyone behind, to travel?"

"What's the biggest wager you've ever won, then? And what's the biggest you've lost?"

“What are you going to do to make sure you can have a measure of control in where your life goes?”

[“What languages do you speak?”]

"Able to order any food you'd like... What is your first choice?"

"What wildlife lives around your home?"

"What you said about cages -- have you ever been trapped somewhere, or by a situation? How did you get out?" 

“Does this remind you of any treat from home?" 

"What kind of music do they have where you're from?" 

"What are the houses made of where you come from?" Alon asked. "How would you make them better?" 

"Are there places you don't have access to that you wish you did?" 

"What do you do, [for work]?" 

"How did you and [your pet] meet?"

"Have you tried V-8 juice for electrolyte replenishment?"  

“Is there anything that scares you?”  

“How do you know when it's true love?" 

“Why even take a chance on [love]? Have you?"

"When was the last time you went on an adventure as a team?" 

"What kind of adventure would you go on, if you could?"

“Once the touring life’s chewed you up and spat you out, where’ll you end up, d’you think? A farm? The city? Good old Meekatharra? What would your life look like? If you could choose.” 

"How about you?" he says. "Best and worst luck?" 

"Where'd you go on your holidays, then, to get that bored?" 

“Fancy taking a load off while you tell it?”

“Shakespeare, hey. You’ve never told me what your favourite play is.”

"How'd you know what you were?" 

"Then perhaps we could devise a trap that doesn't look like a trap... I've  never had reason to do that before, much less for an animal. Have you?"

Have you ever tried to trap someone? With words, or maybe by pretending to be someone you're not. In order to uncover the truth. Or hide it?" 

"What's the silliest thing you've ever gotten yourself sucked into doing?"

"What do you think [the Manifesting] table would have turned into for you?" 

“Have you had much experience with animals?"