What is the Central Dramatic Question?
Veronica Mars fans will probably recognize this quote:
“I’ve got a secret . . . a big one.”
It might even be the most iconic line in the entire series. It set up the first season and the implications of that secret affected Veronica et al. though the following seasons.
In any story, there is a single, driving question that compels the reader forward. In this case, it was who killed Lilly Kane? Remember The Killing? That question was, who killed Rosie Larsen? I know I’m giving two examples of trying to find a murderer; just know that all genres will have that single, driving question. It’s not only for mysteries and thrillers. Note: while these two examples are questions, they’re not the central dramatic questions. They are crucial to determining the Central Dramatic Question, though. Keep reading!
A lot of authors can trip themselves up by getting lost in the events of their plot without identifying the core question. And that core question is what gives those events meaning. If you think of the Central Dramatic Question (CDQ) as the North Star, it’ll help you remember to keep looking to that as you find your way through your story.
I’m going to fully define the CDQ, explain why it’s important, and help you find yours. Let’s go!
The CDQ vs Plot vs Premise
No, this isn’t the same thing as that Spiderman meme. These are three very different things that serve three very different purposes. The CDQ is the overarching question that the story promises to deliver. It’s usually in the form of will your protagonist achieve the goal?
If the plot is the journey, the CDQ is the destination. And the premise is the statement of the setup. A hobbit volunteers to destroy the One Ring. The CDQ is the question that is borne from that premise. But will he be able to destroy the One Ring before Sauron get it back and conquers Middle-earth? And then we have the amazing plot that is The Lord of the Rings!
The Central Dramatic Question is your BFF. For Realsies.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “kill your darlings.” I’ve often had to explain to baby writers that doesn’t always mean actual characters. Usually that means actual parts of the story. (Side note: Don’t ever completely delete those darlings. Keep a file and move them there. You never know when you’ll want to use them again!) The question often is, how do I know which darlings to kill? They’re all darlings to me! It’s a fair question. And that’s where the CDQ comes in. If a scene doesn’t serve the question, it’s likely a darling you can snuff out. But before you get all slasher-y, it doesn’t have to overtly answer the question. I hate math, but those if-then statements can work in writing, too. Use those if-then statements in those scenes. If this scene happens, will that scene happen that leads to this scene, and down the road you go. Be honest with yourself and be firm.
It’s the CDQ that creates suspense and anticipation. (We could go on a tangent and discuss if suspense and anticipation is essentially the same thing, just at different levels on the scale, but that’s just me squirreling, so let’s move on!) You want to introduce that CDQ pretty early in the story because the reader will subconsciously latch on to that question and they’ll be compelled to keep reading until the get the answer.
So there you have it. This is short, sweet, and hopefully informative. I also maintain that if you’re having a hard time narrowing down just what genre (or combination of genres) your current manuscript is in, knowing that central dramatic question will help.
