: Re: Asking questions in the middle of a narrative I'm writing a short story. And I realized the opening is filled with question marks: Ming was disturbed by the faint sound of a piano. He

@Sherry594

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I agree. The questions don't detract here. It builds some suspense in your writing, so I like them. It makes the character seem very unsure of his situation, too, which fits with the story.

If you wanted to leave them out, you can just narrate what he's thinking. You might want to do this later, so I will give some examples how to do it.

He put down his guitar tuner and glanced at the clock. 12:01. Isn't a little late for practicing?

You might say: It was a little late for practicing.

To his surprise, he could no longer hear anything. Had he imagined the whole thing? He thought of knocking on the door. But what would he say if someone came out?

"Maybe he imagined the whole thing."

The second question takes a work around. What is he feeling here? You can let the reader know why he's afraid of someone coming out, so use a description. This is a bad example, but you'll get the idea:

"The thought of confrontation left him tongue tied."

Ming realized the absurdity of the situation. What was wrong with him tonight?

I suggest a work around again to tell us why he thinks somethings wrong with him. Is this out of character for him, maybe?
"Always priding himself on his objectivity, what insanity it was to be chased by shadows and the bumps in the night"

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