Trigger Questions: The Worldbuilding Game-Changer
by Jaime Buckley
“You ever stare at a blank page like it owes you money? Yeah, me too. That’s why I created something that broke the dam in my brain: Trigger Questions.”
—Jaime Buckley
Let me tell you a secret:
I didn’t write my Chronicles of a Hero universe because I had it all figured out.
I wrote it because I asked better questions.
When writers tell me they’re stuck, overwhelmed, or drowning in a sea of disconnected worldbuilding notes, I nod politely. Then I slide a sheet across the table like a dealer in a high-stakes card game.
It’s a list of what I call Trigger Questions.
Believe it or not, one sheet is enough to change everything.
So... What the Heck Are Trigger Questions?
They’re not writing prompts.
They're not brainstorming tools.
They’re mind grenades—questions that force your imagination to respond, to create, to connect the dots of your fictional world in ways you never saw coming.
Trigger Questions are a cornerstone of the way I write, and they were born from pure desperation. I had all these amazing ideas swirling in my head, but when it came time to sit down and write?
Nada.
Zilch.
My muse took the bus and didn’t leave a forwarding address.
This wasn't about 'writers block' which to this day, I disagree is a thing. The ideas were there. I have access to the creativity.
…it just wouldn't make much sense outside my own mind.
So I did what I always do when life kicks me in the face—I asked myself “Why?”
Why Questions?
- Why are the gear-run clocks across the city all set 12 minutes slow—and why must they never, ever, be corrected? (Who made that rule… and who enforces it?)
- Why do the homeless gnomes in Sector 9 trade dried mushroom caps with blessings carved into them—despite not believing in the gods? (And what happens when a blessing is broken?)
- Why does the King's Army require new recruits to walk barefoot through the Garden of Ash—and why are only some of them ever seen again? (What grows in that soil that refuses to burn?)
- Why is one of the Iskäri High Council members secretly funding illegal Bloodsticks games in the Black Market tunnels—and what does he risk if the other Elders find out? (What is he trying to buy… or distract from?)
And then it hit me.
If I could ask the right kind of questions, ones that begged for story logic... the answers would build the world for me.
So I built a system.
I call it the UP-Chuck Method (gross name, memorable system)—a process of vomiting up raw, messy ideas and shaping them through curiosity. Trigger Questions are the fuel that keep it going.
🧠 Why They Work When Nothing Else Does
Your brain is a puzzle solver. It hates loose ends. Ask it a question—especially a weird one—and it will bend over backwards to answer it. But it has to be the right kind of question.
Here’s the magic: Trigger Questions are designed to ripple.
One answer leads to another question. That leads to a new connection. That leads to a rule, a culture, a character quirk, or a political uprising that changes the course of your story.
It’s exponential.
And this isn’t just me flapping my lips—it’s backed by actual psychology.
🧠 The Zeigarnik Effect
In the 1920s, psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik discovered that people tend to remember unfinished tasks better than completed ones. That tension—an open loop in the brain—keeps things lingering in your subconscious until they’re resolved. That means when you ask a compelling question, your mind doesn’t let go until it gets an answer.
👉 Learn more here:
https://www.verywellmind.com/zeigarnik-effect-memory-overview-4175150
🧠 Instinctive Elaboration
Then there’s something called instinctive elaboration—a cognitive reflex documented by researchers at Columbia University. When your brain hears a question, it actually hijacks your attention and forces you to think about it, often at the expense of whatever else you were focused on.
👉 Read the summary here:
https://business.columbia.edu/press-releases/cbs-press-release/want-know-what-your-brain-does-when-it-hears-question
That’s the real juice behind Trigger Questions. They tap into this natural curiosity reflex and won’t let your imagination off the hook. You become your own idea machine—because your brain has no choice but to fill in the blanks.
I’ve seen this happen not just in my work, but in the lives of hundreds of writers who’ve messaged me after trying the system.
One guy used a single Trigger Question—"Who’s not allowed in the sacred garden, and why?"—and ended up with a 3-book trilogy about magical caste systems and a rebellion led by a talking raven priest.
That’s the power of asking smart, strange, irresistible questions.
🧭 It’s Not a System. It’s a Compass.
Most worldbuilding tools feel like spreadsheets.
You know the ones I mean—columns of dry details that look great on paper but somehow never make your story breathe. They ask for things like average rainfall, government structures, or what your economy exports. Useful? Maybe. Inspiring? Rarely.
But Trigger Questions?
They’re not checklists. They’re compasses.
They don’t give you a map. They give you direction. They say, “That way. There’s something alive over there—go find it.” And nine times out of ten, what you find isn’t what you expected… it’s something better.
Trigger Questions don’t care if your city has three trade guilds or five. What they care about is this:
- Why is no one allowed to make eye contact with the guildmaster’s apprentice?
- Why are the only bridges into the capital covered in chalk runes that no one dares erase?
- Why does it always rain on the day the Queen delivers her speeches… and why do people think she wants it to?
Those kinds of questions spark lore. Culture. Conflict. And best of all—story.
You’ve probably felt this before. You had a character you loved—they had personality, backstory, all the potential in the world… until your plot railroaded them into acting like a robot. Or you built a city that sounded cool in your head, but on the page it just sat there, flat and lifeless.
That’s what happens when you build with templates instead of curiosity.
Templates ask:
“What’s the weather like in this region?”
Trigger Questions ask:
“What weather is forbidden to speak of—and what happens if someone breaks that rule?”
See the difference?
One gives you data. The other gives you drama.
Templates give you what exists. Trigger Questions reveal what’s hidden.
And in good stories, what’s hidden is always more interesting.
So if you’re tired of your world feeling like a well-organized filing cabinet… grab a compass. Start asking questions that twist your gut, tickle your brain, and wake up the wild things in your imagination.
Let your world surprise you.
That’s when you know you’re doing it right.
Why Writers Need This Right Now
We’re drowning in content. There are more books, games, and streaming shows out there than we could consume in ten lifetimes.
So if you want your world to matter—to stick with a reader long after they’ve turned the last page—you need depth. You need story logic that feels inevitable. You need whispers of a world that feels bigger than what you put on the page.
Trigger Questions build that world.
They make your setting feel lived in. They make your magic systems feel rooted. They make your characters feel like they belong to something older and more complex than a single plotline.
They make the writing easier.
Seriously. I’ve had writers email me after reading the Advanced Worldbuilding guide, and what they share is always the same: "Your Trigger Questions lit my brain on fire." They weren’t just jotting down answers—they were discovering entire belief systems, hidden histories, character motives they never planned for. One writer told me she reworked her entire trilogy after realizing the answers to three questions changed everything.
That’s the kind of ripple effect we’re talking about here.
Where To Start
If you're curious (or desperate—or both), here's your call to action:
- Grab a pen.
- Ask a Trigger Question.
- Write until you can't stop.
- Then ask another.
You Can Do This
So yeah—ask better questions.
The right ones.
Not the neat, polite ones that fit inside a tidy little worksheet... but the ones that make your brain ache and your heart race a little.
The ones that whisper:
"There’s a secret in this world, and it’s waiting for you to find it."
That’s how you build stories that matter.
That’s how you create worlds worth exploring.
And if you ever get stuck?
Just remember my mantra:
“If I can do this, anyone can. The difference is—I did.”
Once you learn to ask better questions, your world will never be the same.
Now go make something amazing.
You Are MORE Than You THINK You ARE!
Show off your shiny new Trigger Questions in the comments below.
* * * * * *
About Jaime
Jaime Buckley is an award-winning cartoonist and best-selling author.
More importantly, he’s a loving husband and father of 13 children. Since 1986 he’s worked for famous authors and TV personalities, and illustrated for hundreds of new authors across the genre spectrum. If you can think of a creative project or marketing strategy, Jaime's likely done it… but always finds his greatest success by being himself. You can find Jaime entertaining readers five days a week on LifeOfFiction.com and expanding his fictional lore on WantedHero.com. He also teaches his successful methods exclusively online at No Stress Writing Academy!
Want help with Trigger Questions? I’ve got you covered.
My book, Advanced Worldbuilding, walks you through the whole system. There’s a workbook (yes, homework—but fun) and even downloadable templates to guide you. I also share free insights on my Life of Fiction Substack, where we go deep into worldbuilding, storytelling, and the creative process every week.
Check out my new Worldbuilding Masterclass on No Stress Writing Academy. Now available for a pre-order discount!
And if you're the type who wants to see what happens when a world is built with this system from the ground up? You can always start with Chronicles of a Hero. Wendell Dipmier’s first steps into another world were mapped with Trigger Questions from page one.
Check out Jaime's current books:
- Wanted Hero comics collection (over one million downloads!)
- Demoni Vankil
- Bloodsticks
- What IF (a choose your own ending adventure)
- Stella and the Bear
- Worldbuilding Guides
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28 comments on “Trigger Questions: The Worldbuilding Game-Changer”
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Thanks for the links to those two studies. They’re interesting and valuable.
And I agree with the idea of using questions to help steer world-building AND plot. However, all of the example questions you’ve used seemed contrived. These were more the post world-building questions, writers might later subconsciously think of to fill in gaps.
My first stories grew and expanded based more on two simple questions—what if, what would logically come next (among the many possibilities).
Hey Jerold,
Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to comment—I really appreciate it.
You bring up a great point. Honestly, I’d say you’re right...and yet, that’s also part of the magic. All worldbuilding questions are, by nature, "contrived"—because we are creators standing outside the world we’re building. We’re not citizens of it (at least not at first), so every question we ask is an intentional device to shape what doesn’t yet exist.
That’s not a weakness—it’s a superpower. It’s the art of consciously engineering the subconscious experience for our readers.
The examples I shared are designed to surface that intent and make it a visible, repeatable process for writers who may not be doing it instinctively yet. You're absolutely right that later on, those same questions often feel subconscious...but I believe they started as a deliberate act of creation, even if it was so natural for the writer that it felt effortless.
Your two questions—"what if" and "what logically comes next"—are, to me, the perfect heartbeat of storytelling. They're the distilled version of hundreds of "contrived" questions at work behind the scenes. I think the difference is only one of visibility, not process.
Again, thank you for the thoughtful feedback—it helps deepen the conversation, and I love that.
Keep building amazing worlds,
Jaime
Hi Jaime,
Thanks for this framework to help us writers get un-stuck.
Compelling examples too.
I liked your 'homeless gnomes trading dried mushroom caps with the word blessing on top- even though they dont beleve'.
So, what does happen when a blessing gets broken? I have questions... and it shows how it brings readers in!
Thanks for this fun and funky post.
Hi Kris,
Thank you so much for the kind words—and I’m thrilled the post sparked some curiosity for you!
You absolutely nailed it—that’s the hidden power of worldbuilding details: they invite readers to lean closer and start asking their own questions. That’s when a world feels alive—when it’s not all spelled out, but hinted at just enough to tug on your imagination.
As for what happens when a blessing gets broken...well, sometimes nothing at first. The magic might leak out like a slow puncture, or snap all at once in a moment of crisis. It might even turn sideways—blessings, after all, are built on belief, so when that belief fractures, so might the magic itself...in very unpredictable ways.
Thank you again for reading, for engaging, and for playing along. Readers like you are what make building these worlds so much fun!
Gratefully,
Jaime
Very interesting, thank you. I notice all your sample questions here are "why questions." I'm stuck in an early part of a draft (5th novel) but my issues are not "why issues," but "how issues." How questions do not seem to ripple like why questions...
Try reframing. Do you need an easy how or a hard one? How do they cross the forest? Walk. Done. (Then maybe crossing the forest and the time it takes can be skipped.) If it's not easy, why not? Sometimes a good question is: What is my reason/purpose for having this scene? Why must it be in the book? Knowing that can help you frame the right question.
Hi Debbie,
I love the way you framed this—it’s such an important distinction.
Sometimes the “how” doesn’t need to be complicated at all, and recognizing that can save a ton of creative energy for the parts that do need attention. Your point about knowing the purpose of a scene is crucial too. When you know why a scene matters, you can tailor your questions to support the real heart of the story instead of getting lost in details that might not serve it.
It’s a fantastic reminder that sometimes clarity isn’t about finding more answers—it’s about asking sharper questions.
Thanks so much for jumping in and adding value to the conversation!
Jaime
Hi Matthew,
Really sharp observation—and you're right, most of the sample questions I used are "why" questions. There's a reason for that: why tends to open up possibilities, spark layers of meaning, and create those beautiful ripples that deepen both the world and the story.
"How" questions, on the other hand, are about process—they’re more mechanical by nature. They tend to have a destination baked in. How is a staircase...but why is the whole building.
Funny enough, the way I work through it is this: when I'm stuck on a how, I back up and ask more whys. Because every how is ultimately answered by a why. It's the reason behind the process that makes it meaningful—and gives me the momentum to solve it creatively.
It sounds like you already have a strong instinct for this—your note absolutely nails it. Keep chasing those "whys" when you're stuck...they’ll lead you straight to the heart of your "hows."
Thanks so much for reading and engaging—it means a lot!
Jaime
Wow. What a fantastic post. I'm sharing this with all my editing clients and printing it out to keep on my desk. Thank you.
Hi Michelle,
Thank you so much—that truly means a lot to me.
I'm honored (and honestly a little floored!) that you found the post valuable enough to share with your editing clients and even keep it on your desk. That's exactly why I write these—to offer practical tools that can make the creative journey a little easier, a little clearer.
If it sparks new ideas or helps even one writer move forward with confidence, it's worth every minute spent crafting it.
Thanks again for your kindness and support—it’s readers like you who keep me inspired to keep building and sharing.
Wishing you and your clients all the best,
Jaime
I'm writing in a world I created as a young teen. At that time, I had no boundaries, no intention of writing the stories. I did not care about the logic. Now I'm adding logic where there was none. That means the questions are built in for me. But it also means I started as a citizen in the world.
Hi Debbie,
What a beautiful way to put it—you started as a citizen of your world. That’s powerful.
And honestly, that's a rare kind of magic. When you build from pure imagination first, without the constraints of logic or storytelling goals, you often create something that's richer at its core—something instinctively alive.
Layering logic onto that original spark isn’t about restricting it... it’s about giving it wings so it can truly fly for readers too.
The fact that the questions are built-in for you now just shows how deeply rooted you already are in your world. You’re not inventing from the outside—you’re remembering from the inside.
Keep going. That’s a gift most writers spend a lifetime trying to capture.
Thanks so much for sharing your journey—it really resonated with me.
Gratefully,
Jaime
I love the idea of "mind grenades!" I have never had patience for the "template" questions. I didn't quite understand why they didn't work for me. You had the answer: "Templates give you what exists. Trigger Questions reveal what’s hidden." Instead, I've always asked: "how do things get worse for my character?" Then I fumble around until I figure out the why. Now, I will also ask trigger questions. Thank you for naming my concern and giving me a tool I can use.
Hi Lynette,
Thank you so much—you totally made my day with this!
You’re absolutely right: template questions can be helpful up to a point, but they often limit discovery. They tell you what should exist based on other people's models, rather than helping you uncover what’s unique about your world and story.
I’m so glad the “mind grenades” idea clicked with you—that’s exactly the foundation I use for my Worldbuilding Masterclass. We dive deep into not just using those mind grenades, but also learning how to design your own, so you can keep blasting open new possibilities whenever you need them.
The fact that you naturally ask, "How do things get worse for my character?" tells me your instincts are already razor sharp. Adding trigger questions to your process is just going to supercharge that even more.
Thanks again for your thoughtful comment and for trusting me enough to try a new tool. I'm excited to see what you create with it!
All the best,
Jaime
This is awesome, Jaime! I have just enough ADD to be dangerous, and templates shut off my creativity as fast as shutting off a faucet.
I like the idea of some good "why questions," mostly because why is my favorite question. But your post definitely got me thinking about one of my stories that is stuck. Book 3, in a series that has sisters of both blood and heart running through it, has a heroine worrying over a problem she's not sharing with anyone.
Why? Women share. Especially these women. So why isn't she sharing? Why does it come up with a man (the eventual hero) before it comes up with her sisters? Flipping to "WHY" right now has already opened up three changes in the story.
So...MANY THANKS!!!
Hi Jenny,
Wow, what a fantastic comment—thank you for sharing that! And honestly, you hit something really insightful here.
Templates can be useful in small doses, but for brains wired with curiosity (and maybe a little creative chaos—we're kindred spirits there), they can feel like bumpers on a bowling lane. They keep you “on track,” but also keep you from discovering the wild, unexpected ideas that make a story yours.
I love that you zeroed in on your heroine’s silence. That kind of instinct—to question the behavior of a character you know well—is exactly where the gold is. It’s not just about fixing a plot moment. It’s about revealing the inner architecture of the story: what’s hidden, what’s wounded, what’s longing to be heard. “Why isn’t she telling her sisters?” instantly reframes that scene from a logistical block to a character truth waiting to be uncovered.
And look at what happened—three new insights just from asking the right question. That’s the power of turning “why” into a tool instead of a trap.
Thank you again for such an encouraging note—and I’m so excited to hear how Book 3 evolves now that those doors are opening.
Keep going—you’re clearly onto something powerful.
Warmly,
Jaime
“Mind grenades” – LOVE IT!
“Up-chuck method.” Again, I LOVE IT!
Funny lines:
- Sliding “a sheet across the table like a dealer in a high-stakes card game.”
- “My muse took a bus and didn’t leave a forwarding address.”
Your wit shines throughout this post.
Love the Trigger Questions methodology: the magic of rippling, the brain hating loose ends.
Loved learning about The Zeigarnik Effect. My thought: That’s why we need closure with relationships when their endings feel unfinished!
Loved your discussion about the difference between templates providing DATA and trigger questions providing DRAMA.
And the phrase, “what’s hidden is always more interesting,” is a resounding YES!
Fantastic blog post!
Hi Diana,
Wow—thank you so much for this incredible note! You just made me grin from ear to ear.
It means the world to me that you connected with the wit woven through the post. I always hope that a little humor keeps the heavier concepts accessible—and it's wonderful to know it landed for you.
I'm especially glad you pointed out the Zeigarnik Effect! That piece fascinates me too, and you're absolutely right—it's hugely tied to why unresolved relationships can haunt us. Our brains crave that closure, whether it's in life, in story arcs, or even in unfinished conversations.
And yes—that distinction between data and drama is such a game-changer for writers. Templates help you fill blanks, but trigger questions ignite discovery. It's the difference between coloring inside the lines and creating an entirely new map.
Thank you again for such an encouraging and thoughtful response. It means so much to know the ideas resonated so strongly with you!
Gratefully,
Jaime
One of my favorites is always: WHY did the alien walk into the bar. That creates a book every time.... Great post, Jaime!
Hi Lisa,
Heh.
"Why did the alien walk into the bar?" is basically the starter pistol for 300 pages of glorious chaos. 😂
First it’s why, then it’s what’s in the glass, then it’s what ancient vendetta just got triggered by ordering it. Suddenly the bartender’s a spy, the jukebox is a portal, and the alien’s tab could bankrupt a small moon colony.
And none of it happens without that first why.
That’s the power of the right question—it doesn’t just start a story, it kicks off an adventure you can't resist chasing.
Thanks for bringing a huge grin to my day—and for being the kind of reader who instantly gets it!
Jaime
(frantically taking notes)
Careful now, Lisa!
Frantically takin’ notes is how I accidentally discovered time travel, reverse hair growth, and the unfortunate side effects of moon-fried cabbage stew.
Not all at once, mind you—that’d be ridiculous.
That took THREE Tuesdays.
But let me say, you're on the right path. You start askin' the right questions, the ones that squirm when you poke 'em, and bam!
...you’re knee-deep in plot threads, secret societies, and probably a talking goat with a grudge.
(Those are the worst kind.)
You keep scribblin’ those thoughts down, girl.
Just make sure ya label ‘em.
Last time I didn’t, I mistook a world-ending prophecy for my grocery list and ended up meeting an elder god instead of buyin' turnips.
Carry on!
—Chuck
LOL - always love your input, Chuck. And I'll take due care with those notes!
Ha! I love this answer. 🙂
interesting process
That's what I hear.
I love this article because I never had a name for what I was doing. While I'm not writing fantasy, procedurals are ripe or trigger questions. What law does a judge call upon for ruling? How would a forensic accountant begin to dig through a 50 year old estate? Thanks for a super way of looking at the process.
Rebecca, this made me smile—a lot.
That moment when you realize there's a name for something you've been doing all along?
Exciting, huh?
Trigger Questions aren’t bound by genre—they’re the heartbeat of curiosity, and you just nailed it with those procedural examples.
“What law does a judge call upon?”
“How would a forensic accountant begin with a 50-year-old estate?”
Those are perfect trigger questions—questions that tug at the threads of a story until something meaningful unravels. That’s the process in motion.
I’m so glad this resonated with you, and I love how you’re already applying it in your world. Keep asking. Keep digging. That’s where the real magic lives.