All writers need to ask six basic types of questions as they are working on their content.

• Who
• What
• Where
• When
• How
• Why

Of all these question types, it is not easy to choose one that is the most important, but for the purpose of this blog post I will: the infamous question “why?“. Why do I say this? Aha, gotcha!

Why is the most prolific question we can ask, because it means that we are not satisfied with an explanation that we have so far. We want more. We insist upon further clarification and understanding. And so how do we get there? We ask the provocative and perhaps even annoying question of “why?”. But this little word will be the reason for others to read our works and rant and rave about how we are such great writers.

As a Technical Writer, I need to say more than just “click this button to open the dialog box”. I also need to explain to my readers why he or she should click on a button to open a dialog box. Perhaps there is a reason the user should not continue without performing this operation, and this is where the word “why” comes into play.

I am focusing deeper and deeper into the user experience and allowing the user to see that performing this operation REALLY should be done, and not left out. And, once again, it is “why” that is at the root of the process that enables me as a writer to explain to the user the need for a certain operation within the program.

It is not easy to dig a hole or dig a ditch, but foundations of lots of great buildings around the world began with a ditch and a big hole. If you are a writer, you need to create a strong foundation for your works. Asking the question “why” will take you far and help you establish a truly great document