The most important question you can ask yourself as a writer is "why." It breaks writer's block and helps writers answer tough questions about their. It also helps with the peer review and critique process.

As a reminder, there's a key that unlocks the power of "why," as we'll see below.

How can asking "why" help when your critique group, mentor or inner critic recommends changes, maybe extensive changes? The criticism may be accurate. You may need to change a scene or delete it, but until you address the reason you wrote...