Fresh examples of create a story that begins with a question

Let’s skip definitions and go straight into story mode. Below are several examples of create a story that begins with a question, each written as if it were the opening paragraph of a larger piece. Read them slowly and notice how your brain automatically starts answering the question.

Example 1 – Contemporary drama
“How do you tell your mother you’ve lost the house she spent thirty years paying for?”
By the time Lena stepped off the bus, the eviction notice in her backpack felt heavier than her laptop, her textbooks, and the half-eaten bag of chips combined. The porch light was on, the way it had been every night since her dad left, a small beacon of routine in a life that wouldn’t stop changing. She stood at the bottom of the steps, rehearsing lines that all sounded wrong.

Here, the question drops us right into conflict. You already sense guilt, stakes, and a relationship that matters. Your mind starts imagining answers, and that mental effort pulls you deeper into the story.

Example 2 – YA fantasy
“What if the monster under your bed wasn’t hiding from you, but from everyone else?”
The first time Kai heard the growling, he thought it was his stomach. The second time, the bed shook. By the third night, the voice from the darkness whispered, “Don’t let them see me.” Monsters weren’t supposed to be scared; they were supposed to do the scaring. So why did this one sound like a kid his age trying not to cry?

This is a good example of how a question can flip a cliché. You’ve seen “monster under the bed” before, but the question twists it. Suddenly the monster is vulnerable, and we’re hooked.

Example 3 – Cozy mystery
“Who leaves a confession on a Post-it note?”
It was stuck to the espresso machine, right between the decaf button and the chipped sticker that said NO CASH, CARD ONLY. In her sleepy pre-shift haze, Marisol almost ignored it. Then she read the three words in messy blue ink: I killed him. The machine beeped impatiently, but Marisol’s fingers froze on the power switch.

This question plants a mystery in your head before the character even reacts. You’re already trying to solve it—exactly what you want in a mystery opening.

Example 4 – Science fiction
“What would you do if the sky suddenly asked you a question back?”
On Tuesday at 3:07 p.m., every screen on Earth went black. No news alerts, no streaming shows, no weather maps—just one sentence in white letters on a silent blue background: Are you satisfied with your species? In the control room of the International Space Station, Dr. Aisha Rahman stared at the message and realized, with a cold weight in her stomach, that the question wasn’t rhetorical.

Here the question is cosmic, but it still feels personal. It also echoes a trend in recent speculative fiction that asks big ethical questions about humanity’s future and technology.

Example 5 – Romance
“How many times can you fall in love with the same person?”
Nora met Eli for the first time at sixteen, in the back row of a biology classroom that smelled like formaldehyde and cheap perfume. She met him again at twenty-two, on a dating app she almost deleted. The third time was tonight, at a table for two she’d reserved under a fake name, praying he wouldn’t recognize her—or worse, that he would.

This opening invites you into a love story that’s already tangled. The question suggests history, regret, and possibility.

Example 6 – Horror
“When was the last time you checked that your reflection was really yours?”
The bathroom mirror in Room 304 had a crack running through the middle, like a thin, jagged smile. Every time Marcus brushed his teeth, the left side of his face lagged a fraction of a second behind the right. He blamed the cheap motel lighting, the long drive, the too-sweet gas station coffee—anything but the possibility that the man in the mirror was getting tired of copying him.

This is one of the best examples of how a question can instantly make something ordinary—like a mirror—feel threatening.

Example 7 – Literary fiction
“What do you owe the town that taught you how to leave?”
By the time the bus rolled past the rusted water tower, Maya had already written three versions of the speech in her head. The mayor wanted inspiration. The high school principal wanted success stories. The town wanted to pretend it hadn’t given her a thousand reasons to run. She pressed her forehead to the glass and watched the streets that had raised her, hurt her, and now expected her to say thank you.

This question is quieter, more reflective, but it still propels the story. It frames the character’s inner conflict before anything “big” happens on the outside.

These seven story-openers are examples of create a story that begins with a question across genres. You can treat them as prompts: change the names, the setting, the stakes. The question is the ignition; you decide where the car goes.

Why starting with a question works (and why it helps writer’s block)

If you’re hunting for examples of examples of create a story that begins with a question, it’s probably because your brain feels stuck on the first line. A question cuts through that hesitation for a few reasons:

• It gives your mind a specific task: answer me.
• It creates instant tension or curiosity.
• It invites the reader into a conversation instead of a lecture.

Cognitive research on curiosity backs this up. When we encounter a question that highlights a gap in what we know, our brains get more active and more motivated to seek answers. Psychologists sometimes call this the “information gap” effect. You can read more about curiosity and learning in resources from places like Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, which often discuss how open-ended questions spark engagement.

For writer’s block, this matters. You don’t have to start with the perfect scene description or the most elegant metaphor. You just have to write a question that bothers you enough that you want to explore it.

Think of it like this: instead of telling yourself, “Write a great first page,” you’re telling yourself, “Write one question that makes you curious.” That’s a much smaller, friendlier challenge.

Different flavors of question-openers: examples include mystery, memory, and challenge

When people ask for examples of create a story that begins with a question, they usually want variety: something for horror, something for romance, something for literary fiction, something that matches the mood they’re in.

Here are three broad “flavors” of question-openers, with more real examples woven in.

1. The mystery question

This type of opener plants a puzzle in the reader’s head.

“Who erased the last six minutes of the security footage?”
Already, you’re imagining cameras, a crime, maybe a cover-up. You don’t know who, you don’t know why, and that’s the point.

Mystery questions work especially well for thrillers, crime, and speculative fiction. They echo the kind of narrative hooks you see in popular mystery series and crime podcasts, where the first minute introduces a question the entire episode tries to answer.

2. The memory question

This one reaches backward instead of forward.

“When did we stop being friends?”
You feel the ache immediately. The story could be about two kids who drifted apart, or siblings, or a long marriage quietly coming undone.

Memory questions are powerful in literary fiction and memoir. Writing programs, including many at major universities like Iowa’s Writing Program, often encourage starting with a moment of tension or a question that frames the narrator’s reflection. The question creates an emotional lens for everything that follows.

3. The challenge question

These questions dare the character—or the reader—to act.

“How much are you willing to lose to win?”
This could introduce a sports drama, a political campaign, a courtroom battle, or even a dark comedy about a reality TV show.

Challenge questions are common in motivational nonfiction too, but in fiction they can define the central conflict. They’re especially useful if you’re writing in genres that revolve around competition or moral choices.

When you scan these different types, you’re seeing more examples of create a story that begins with a question that do more than just sound clever. They set direction. They hint at stakes. They quietly promise the reader: Stick around and you’ll get an answer.

How to invent your own question-based story starters

Let’s say you want your own personal list of best examples instead of just borrowing mine. Here’s a simple way to generate them, especially when writer’s block is loud.

Start with three ingredients:

• A person (not just “a man” or “a woman,” but something specific: “a retired firefighter,” “a teenage chess prodigy,” “a sleep-deprived new parent”).
• A situation (a wedding, a power outage, a job interview, a road trip, a hospital waiting room).
• A problem (a secret, a fear, a deadline, a lie, a missing object).

Now, turn those three into a question that feels like it belongs at the very top of a story.

For example:

• Person: single dad.
• Situation: first parent-teacher conference.
• Problem: his kid has done something serious.

Question-opener:

“How do you defend your kid when you’re not sure you believe them?”

Instantly you have tone, tension, and a direction. Everything that follows is, in some way, your attempt to answer that question.

Another one:

• Person: influencer whose career is fading.
• Situation: livestream with very low viewer count.
• Problem: a fan posts something unsettling in the chat.

Question-opener:

“What do you say to the only person still watching when they type, ‘I know where you live’?”

Notice how this one taps into 2024–2025 realities: online parasocial relationships, safety concerns, the anxiety of being watched. Current storytelling trends on platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts often start with a provocative question on-screen to hook viewers in the first two seconds. You can borrow that same energy for your written fiction.

Each time you invent one, you’ve created another example of create a story that begins with a question tailored to your interests.

Using question-openers as a daily anti–writer’s-block exercise

If you’re serious about overcoming writer’s block, treat these question-openers like a daily workout. No pressure to write a full story. Just:

• Write one question at the top of the page.
• Write one paragraph that follows from it.

That’s it. One question, one paragraph. If you feel like continuing, great. If not, you still wrote something.

If your block is tied to stress or anxiety (which is very common), it can help to pair this creative routine with basic mental health strategies. Organizations like the National Institute of Mental Health and Mayo Clinic share practical advice on managing stress, sleep, and focus—things that quietly affect your writing more than you might think.

Over time, you’ll build your own archive of real examples—your personal folder of story seeds that all begin with a question. On days when your brain feels empty, you can flip through them and pick one to grow.

FAQ: examples of question-based story starters

Q: Can you give a short example of a story that starts with a question for beginners?
“Why did nobody else hear the scream?”
That’s the opening line. Next, write three sentences explaining where the character is, what they were doing when they heard it, and why they’re not sure they want anyone else to know.

Q: Are there examples of question-openers that work for very short flash fiction?
Yes. Flash fiction often thrives on sharp, focused questions. For instance: “What if the only person who remembers you is the one you wronged?” That single question can power a 300-word story about memory, guilt, or revenge.

Q: Is it okay to open with a question addressed directly to the reader?
Absolutely. Many of the best examples in personal essays and experimental fiction do this. For example: “Have you ever lied so well you started to believe yourself?” This kind of opener pulls the reader into the story as a participant.

Q: Do agents or editors dislike stories that start with a question?
They dislike weak openings, not questions. If your question is vague—“Have you ever wondered about life?”—it won’t help you. But strong, specific question-openers like the examples of create a story that begins with a question above can be effective. Always pair the question with immediate concrete detail.

Q: How many questions should I use at the start—just one, or several?
One strong question is usually better than a rapid-fire list. You can add more later, but if you begin with four or five questions in a row, it can feel like a survey instead of a story. Pick the question that has the most tension and build from there.

Use these examples of examples of create a story that begins with a question as springboards, not scripts. Change the names, shift the genre, twist the situation. The next time you sit down to write and your mind goes blank, try this: write one question that you genuinely want to answer—and let that be the first line of your story.