Curiosity in Fiction: Does your novel pass the test?
- Fiction Yogi
- May 5
- 7 min read
Updated: May 6
In this article we'll consider:
The one burning question your novel needs to answer
Curiosity matters in ways you may not have considered
How to inject curiosity into your novel
The Curiosity Diagnostic Test
Download to read later:
You’ve crafted a compelling protagonist. Your prose sings. Your plot is structurally sound. But there’s one essential question you may not have asked yet—does your novel spark curiosity?
In today’s internet-obsessed world, evoking curiosity in your story isn’t a bonus; it’s the lifeline that keeps readers turning pages. If your book doesn’t make readers wonder, anticipate, or hunger to know what happens next, you risk losing them—fast.
So what exactly is the curiosity test, and in what ways could it help you write a compelling novel?
What is the curiosity test?
The curiosity test is a powerful concept that ultimately comes down to one question: at any point in your story, does the reader have a reason to keep reading?
It's as simple—and as difficult—as that.
But we're not just talking about suspense or plot twists. Curiosity can stem from: unanswered questions; mysterious or intriguing characters and motivations; compelling world-building; or, the holy grail of all fiction stories, emotional stakes.
The test can be applied on multiple levels, such as:
Sentence to sentence – Does your story's writing style and language, befitting of the genre, tempt the reader to read on?
Scene to scene – Is there a question or hook that carries over from one scene to the next?
Chapter to chapter – Are doors opened just as others are closed?
Start to finish – Are readers given the chance to become emotionally or intellectually invested in finding out how it all ends?
Curiosity matters in ways you may not have considered
1. Curiosity drives engagement
Curiosity activates the brain’s reward system: as neuroscience backs up. When readers feel like they're on the verge of understanding something—whether it's a secret, a pattern, or a personal revelation—they get a dopamine hit. And that’s addictive.
2. It makes your story feel alive
Even the quietest literary novel benefits from curiosity. It’s what turns a "slice of life" into a question: Why does this moment matter? Where is this character heading? What will they discover about themselves?
3. It compensates for slow pacing
Not every scene can be explosive. Some are slow burns by design. But if the questions are strong enough—Why did she lie about that? What’s hiding behind that smile?—readers will happily follow your narrative through the valleys as well as the peaks.
4. It builds reader trust
When you establish early that your story will raise questions and eventually answer them, you create a contract with the reader: Stick with me, and it’ll be worth it. That trust is fiction gold.
How to inject curiosity into your novel
Curiosity doesn’t always mean creating cliffhangers or convoluted mysteries. It’s about crafting an emotional or intellectual magnet that keeps pulling the reader forward. Here are some practical ways to do that:
Start with a hooked premise
Begin your novel not just with the introduction of a character, but with a question posed. For example, instead of: “Alice moved to a new town”, perhaps: “Alice moved to the town where her sister vanished ten years ago.” Or...
Plant seeds of mystery
Let readers know not everything is what it seems. This could be as subtle as a strange glance between characters, or as overt as a sealed envelope that remains unopened for chapters.
Reveal strategically
Don’t give everything away too soon. Drop just enough information to satisfy and spark new questions. If you answer one question, make sure it leads to another. For example, a passing reference to a time, place, person or event your characters refuse to talk about (because it leads to aggravation), or have sworn not to talk about, for reasons not yet known.
Make characters want something
Fiction writing 101, the first thing they teach you. Desire creates tension, plus obstacles, equals story. If your characters have strong, visible wants—with obstacles in their way—readers will naturally want to see how it plays out and if they'll succeed or fail.
End scenes with a question mark
Not necessarily literally, of course. End scenes and chapters at moments of uncertainty, emotional unrest, or action about to unfold.
The Curiosity Diagnostic Test
Consider the following as you revise your manuscript:
1. What questions does the opening chapter raise—and are they compelling enough to carry a reader forward?
The opening is your story’s first impression. Readers don’t just want to know what’s happening—they want to know why it matters, what’s at stake, and what’s unresolved; in other words, they want something they can sink their teeth into. A flat opening might tell us who the character is, but a curious opening makes us want to find out more about them.
Consider:
Hints of secrets, tension, or unusual situations.
Conflicts that aren’t fully explained yet, that may or may not lead into the main conflict, but at least showcase something about your characters and the world they live in.
Characters making surprising or emotionally charged decisions.
Example: Instead of opening with a character waking up and describing the weather, open with a character rehearsing a lie before meeting someone—or with them arriving somewhere they clearly don’t want to be, but we don’t yet know why.
2. Does each chapter end in a way that prompts the reader to keep going?
Chapter endings are like narrative cliff edges. You want readers to feel that little jolt of “Wait, what happens next?” so they flip the page instead of putting the book down.
Consider:
Unanswered questions or new complications.
Emotional spikes—revelations, betrayals, decisions.
Shifts in dynamics (a relationship breaks, a truth emerges, a door opens—literally or figuratively).
Example: Instead of tying up every scene neatly, leave a thread hanging. A character opens a letter, gasps—and we don’t find out what’s inside until the next chapter. That’s not cheap drama; it’s strategic pacing. As long as the answers come at some point, you can afford to let readers wait for them.
3. Are there layers of mystery, tension, or desire baked into the story’s core?
Big plot twists aren’t required, but layers are. Your story should contain unanswered emotional, relational, or narrative questions that deepen as the novel progresses.
Consider:
Characters with hidden agendas or conflicted loyalties.
Unspoken past events that haunt the present.
Desires that clash (two characters who want the same thing—or want opposite things).
Example: In Normal People by Sally Rooney, the central question isn’t "Will they get together?" but "Why do they keep missing each other—and what does that say about who they are?" That question sustains the entire novel.
4. Are character motivations and decisions open to interpretation rather than fully explained?
If a character’s every thought and feeling is spelled out immediately, there’s nothing left for readers to ponder over or discover. Readers enjoy piecing things together; let them work for it. If you’re writing literary fiction, you may not reveal the answers to the puzzle at all—but for genre fiction, readers will want to have their suspicions either confirmed or denied sooner or later.
Consider:
Characters doing things that don’t quite line up with their stated goals or public behaviour.
Reactions that seem off—like someone smiling when they should be furious.
Unexplained loyalty, distance, or emotional detachment.
Example: Say your protagonist suddenly ends a seemingly perfect relationship. Instead of explaining right away that it’s due to a hidden trauma, let readers observe the unease, suspect the deeper reasons, and earn the reveal later on.
5. Is there a “why” at the heart of the novel that won’t be answered until the end?
This is the deep engine of your story, and usually relates to theme. It’s what keeps a reader invested over hundreds of pages. It might be literal (Who killed the senator?), or emotional (Will this character ever allow herself to be loved?).
Consider:
A central emotional or thematic question that the story circles around.
Character arcs that build towards self-understanding or revelation.
A sense that something important is just out of reach—until it finally arrives.
Example: In The Secret History by Donna Tartt, the story opens with a murder—but the real curiosity is why it happened, and what it reveals about the characters. That question—slowly answered over the course of the novel—creates almost unbearable narrative tension.
Final Tip: Stack your questions
The strongest novels don’t rely on just one thread of curiosity. They stack them. Each chapter can contain multiple micro-questions (Will he tell the truth? What’s she hiding? Why is the house locked?), all orbiting around a larger narrative question.
Think of your novel like a box of puzzle pieces. Every scene offers a piece. Readers stay because they are curious to see what the full picture will look like.
Download The Curiosity Test: Novel Revision Checklist
Finally...
You don’t need to write a thriller or a twist-heavy mystery to harness curiosity. In fact, some of the most emotionally resonant novels use it to quietly powerful effect.
At its heart, curiosity is what keeps a reader emotionally and mentally invested. It’s the story’s pull. If you can keep that pull steady from start to finish, you’ve done more than write a good novel—you’ve written an irresistible one.
So, go back to your manuscript. Look at that first page, that middle chapter, that final act. And ask yourself: Does this make the reader want to know more?
If the answer is yes—congratulations. You’ve passed the curiosity test.
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Tina Williams of Fiction Yogi is a copyeditor and proofreader who works with writers at all stages, giving them the tools to improve their manuscript and level up their writing so they can meet their publishing goals.
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