Questions lie at the heart of every story. Yes, “What will happen next?” and “How will this turn out?” are forefront, but what other kinds of questions do you pose to the reader? What questions do you ask yourself as you write? Perhaps more importantly, what are the questions that set you, the writer, on this path—the path of this story and the path of writing in general? How can these questions enlighten your reader—and you? As Eugene Ionesco suggested, “It is not the answer that enlightens but the question.”
In this session we’ll ask a lot of questions! We’ll take a look at the questions we raise in our stories, the questions we ask ourselves as we write, and the questions that keep us writing. Maybe we’ll even find a few answers! And we’ll take a look at a handful of first pages (maybe yours?) to see what readers wonder about as they begin the story, and what bigger questions may lurk ahead

Margi Preus is a New York Times bestselling author of the Newbery Honor Book, Heart of a Samurai and other notable novels and picture books for young readers. New in 2020 are Village of Scoundrels, The Littlest Voyageur, and The Silver Box, part of the Enchantment Lake mystery series.
Her books have won multiple awards, been honored as ALA/ALSC Notables, selected as an NPR Backseat Book Club pick, chosen for community reads, and translated into many languages. When not writing, Margi enjoys traveling, speaking, and visiting schools all over the world.

Co-sponsored with the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library and the Eau Claire Community Foundation’s John and Betsy Kell Family Fund!