Discussion Questions, Pt. 5
Posted by: Neil Hollands
This is the final post in a five part series about how to write your own discussion questions instead of depending on those provided by the publisher or other sources. The first four posts provided general advice and questions for dealing with characters, plot and story, and settings and other frames. I’ll finish the series with ten more of my favorite discussion questions.
- What three words would you use to describe the tone, style, or mood of the work?
- Is the author’s life or experience reflected in the work?
- How does this work compare with other items in the author’s canon?
- Did you make connections or comparisons between this book and others? Why? If you made a comparison, did this book compare favorably?
- How does the book reflect the time period or culture in which it was published? If the book is not new, do you think it would still be written or published in this form if released today?
- What, if anything, do you think will stay with you about this book?
- Would this book make a good film? Why or why not?
- Does this book inspire you to read more? If so, what does it make you want to read? If not, does it make you want to avoid a certain subject or style of writing?
- If you could ask the author one question about the book, what would it be?
- To what kinds of readers would you recommend this book? Who will probably not enjoy it?
