--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Two questions form the foundation of all…" description: "\"Two questions form the foundation of all novels: \"What if?\" and \"What next?\" (A third question, \"What now?\", is one the author asks himself every 10 mi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/tom-clancy-1751_books_two-questions-form-the-foundation-of-all_80336.jpg" --- # Two questions form the foundation of all novels: "What… ![“Two questions form the foundation of all novels: "What if?" and "What next?" (A third question, "What now?", is one the author asks himself every 10 minutes or so; but it's more a cry than a question.) Every novel begins with the speculative question, What if "X" happened? That's how you start.” quote by Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/tom-clancy-1751_books_two-questions-form-the-foundation-of-all_80336.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/tom-clancy-1751_books_two-questions-form-the-foundation-of-all_80336.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/tom-clancy-1751_books_two-questions-form-the-foundation-of-all_80336.jpg) > “Two questions form the foundation of all novels: "What if?" and "What next?" (A third question, "What now?", is one the author asks himself every 10 minutes or so; but it's more a cry than a question.) Every novel begins with the speculative question, What if "X" happened? That's how you start.” [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Novels start by posing a speculative premise and then exploring its consequences, driving the narrative forward. **In simple terms:** Speculation sparks plot. Key Takeaway What if? drives story. Themes creativity structure conflict progression imagination Mood curiosity anticipation inspiration Type observational advice When to use this quote - brainstorming plot ideas - outlining a story - writing a hook - developing a sequel - overcoming writer's block Key Concepts premise causality character pacing Practical Applications - story planning - creative writing workshops Questions to Reflect On - What if the initial premise is too ordinary? - How does the 'what next?' shape character development? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) ## Related quotes > [Every novel begins with the speculative question, What if "X" happened? 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All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/the-real-question-is-how-do-you-react-what-do-you-do-next-evade/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [The question any novel is really trying to answer is, Is life worth living?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/the-question-any-novel-is-really-trying-to-answer-is-is-life-worth/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [“Alice falls into her own story all at the cost of seeking the answer to the Looking-glass question; (novel/stageplay/screenplay/audiobook)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zizzi-bonah/alice-falls-into-her-own-story-all-at-the-cost-of-seeking-the-answer/) Zizzi Bonah > [The main question to a novel is -- did it amuse? were you surprised at dinner coming so soon? did you mistake eleven for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/the-main-question-to-a-novel-is-did-it-amuse-were-you-surprised-at/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [“I, too, like the sound of the rain on the roof. I also like the lightning. It's like some great cosmic flashlight. It makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-scieszka-katie-dicamillo/i-too-like-the-sound-of-the-rain-on-the-roof-i-also-like-the/) Jon Scieszka Katie DiCamillo > [You do not question an author who appears on the title page as "T.V.N. Persaud, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc., F.R.C.Path. (Lond.), F.F.Path. (R.C.P.I.), F.A.C.O.G.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/you-do-not-question-an-author-who-appears-on-the-title-page-as-t-v-n/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“The older you get, the more questions you get asked, and the more weary you become of answering the questions and the more elusive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-scieszka-katie-dicamillo/the-older-you-get-the-more-questions-you-get-asked-and-the-more-weary/) Jon Scieszka Katie DiCamillo > [I was the type of person who was the question-asker. And not just genuine questions, I would ask a question so the author would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-was-the-type-of-person-who-was-the-question-asker-and-not-just/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [While Ace-Hood wakes up in that brand New Bugatti.. I wake-up riht on the Floor with Hung-overZ, head aches Like Shit, Tried as F@CK^Question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junior-d-r-l-testament/while-ace-hood-wakes-up-in-that-brand-new-bugatti-i-wake-up-riht-on/) Junior Dè Rèál Testament > [Feffs@LaBellaVita00\_ Everytime I question why it happened the way it did I remind myself that GOD knows best & I should never question his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uknown/feffs-labellavita00-everytime-i-question-why-it-happened-the-way-it/) Uknown > [In answer to the question of why it happened, I offer the modest proposal that our Universe is simply one of those things which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-answer-to-the-question-of-why-it-happened-i-offer-the-modest/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know there is much mystery, much question to what happened, and I must also say, many lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-capriati/i-know-there-is-much-mystery-much-question-to-what-happened-and-i/) [Jennifer Capriati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-capriati/) > [I was a narrative historian, believing more and more as I matured that the first function of the historian was to answer the child's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-p-taylor/i-was-a-narrative-historian-believing-more-and-more-as-i-matured-that/) [A. J. P. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-p-taylor/) ## More by Tom Clancy > [“The most important lesson that came out of Vietnam for me was that Marines take care of Marines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-most-important-lesson-that-came-out-of-vietnam-for-me-was-that/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [I understand why we do that now. It’s a help, not a threat. It’s something to remind you how important words are. Ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/i-understand-why-we-do-that-now-it-s-a-help-not-a-threat-it-s/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [People, I am actually fairly smart. Why has this not occurred to anyone? The information is all out there, if you go looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/people-i-am-actually-fairly-smart-why-has-this-not-occurred-to-anyone/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Sunday was the normal day for the political awareness session at sea. Ordinarily Putin would have officiated, reading some Pravada editorials, followed by selected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/sunday-was-the-normal-day-for-the-political-awareness-session-at-sea/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Fix your eyes forward on what you can do, not back on what you cannot change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/fix-your-eyes-forward-on-what-you-can-do-not-back-on-what-you-cannot/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Speak your dialogue out loud. If it sounds like the way people talk, then write it down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/speak-your-dialogue-out-loud-if-it-sounds-like-the-way-people-talk/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [The smaller the mind, the greater the ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-smaller-the-mind-the-greater-the-ego/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Nothing is as real as a dream. The world can change around you, but your dream will not... Responsibilities need not erase it. Duties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/nothing-is-as-real-as-a-dream-the-world-can-change-around-you-but/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [An overnight success is ten years in the making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/an-overnight-success-is-ten-years-in-the-making/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Bill Clinton is a man who thinks international affairs means dating a girl from out of town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/bill-clinton-is-a-man-who-thinks-international-affairs-means-dating-a/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [The objective of a terrorist is to create political change in the society he targets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-objective-of-a-terrorist-is-to-create-political-change-in-the/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [“The Good of the People was a laudable enough goal, but in denying a man's soul, an enduring part of his being, Marxism stripped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-good-of-the-people-was-a-laudable-enough-goal-but-in-denying-a/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [(Stereotyping) is only for those without the imagination to see people as they are instead of being like someone else they understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/stereotyping-is-only-for-those-without-the-imagination-to-see-people/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [“The dead were gone and didn't know or care what they left behind.. If the dead still lived on the surface of this earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-dead-were-gone-and-didn-t-know-or-care-what-they-left-behind-if/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [“Brian had been killed the year before on a Campus black op in Libya. Dom had been there, he’d held his brother in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/brian-had-been-killed-the-year-before-on-a-campus-black-op-in-libya/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) [Explore all 209 Tom Clancy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Two questions form the foundation of all novels: \"What if?\" and \"What next?\" (A third question, \"What now?\", is one the author asks himself every 10 minutes or so; but it's more a cry than a question.) Every novel begins with the speculative question, What if \"X\" happened? 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