Who, what, where, when, why, how?

Answering these quick-fire questions in your content can help you to write a good story.

TL;DR

If you’re writing any kind of story, answer the questions, ‘Who?’, ‘What?’, ‘When?’, ‘Where?’, ‘Why?’, ‘How?’
Read Pigs in the House

While some believe that the 5Ws (and an H) construction is solely reserved for news stories, it can help anybody who is writing anything to put together an informative, well-rounded piece.

It’s pretty simple to understand what’s what and who’s who when it comes to the 5 Ws and an H rule. That said, there can be various pieces of information in your source material that answer these questions – making it tricky to determine exactly what to include.

To make this rule a little easier to understand, we’ll use Pigs in the House by Steven Kroll (which you can read here or have read to you here) as an example of how to categorise information from a source.

Who was involved?

This question is relatively easy to answer. All you need to do is point out the key players – or introduce the characters – to the reader.

In some cases, the parties involved will be clear from the start. In others, as with Pigs in the House, you may find that identities are unknown or reveal themselves at some later point in the story. It’s good to make a note of this, as you may be able to use a ‘big reveal’ to your advantage when writing.

The ‘Who’ of Pigs in the House

Three unidentified creatures (eventually found to be pigs)
Farmer Mack
Bess (the farmer’s wife)

What happened?

Answering ‘What?’ will give you the outline for your story. Setting down the facts will help you to identify places where you may want to expand by using quotes or providing additional, relevant, interesting information.

Establishing the facts can be challenging when you have multiple sources who are providing anecdotal accounts of an event. Memory and recall are never perfect, and different people can experience the same situation in wildly different ways.

Here, it’s a good idea to bring all of the descriptions of an event together and strip them of their emotion. In other words, compare all of your source material, see what lines up and jot down that information to form the outline of your article.

It’s best to have a single sentence that sums up the entire ‘What’ as well as a few more detailed notes to help you flesh out your story.

The ‘What’ of Pigs in the House

The ransacking of a farmhouse

Farmer Mack and his wife Bess were tending to the farm all day.
Upon returning home, they found the farm house in a state of complete disarray.
Train sets and toys were strewn across the lounge; feather pillows were destroyed and springs were escaping from the mattress in the bedroom; milkshakes were knocked over; three layer cakes lay destroyed in the kitchen; and costume trunks in the attic were overturned.
Mack and Bess were marching up the stairs shouting “like ten angry bears” when three unidentified creatures rushed past them, down the stairs and out of the house.
When Mack and Bess went outside of their residence to look for evidence of the creatures, none besides an odd lampshade and feather boa could be found.
The creatures appeared to have come to the house via the pig pen, as the gate was found unlatched.

When did it take place?

Figuring out the ‘When’ is great for setting the scene for your story (e.g. ‘Before the break of dawn on Saturday’ or ‘At two o’clock on Wednesday morning’). It can also help you to establish a logical timeline – and flow – for your article.

Keep in mind that, like the ‘Who’, the ‘When’ can change as your narrative moves along. Such is the nature of time!

In cases where you’re telling a story that spans time, try to keep things in chronological order to help the reader to follow along. Alternatively, if you choose a less linear construction, give them regular updates as to when the exact moment you’re referring to happened.

The ‘When’ of Pigs in the House

During the day (day, date, time unspecified)

Where did it take place?

‘Where?’ is another important lead question that will help your reader to orientate themselves and paint a picture of the scenario you’re reporting in their mind’s eye.

Although this question is fourth in the traditional order of things, it’s usually best to place this information up front alongside ‘the brief explanation of ‘Who’, the short answer to ‘What?’ and ‘When’.

Depending on the type of article you’re writing, you can add as much or as little description as you feel is necessary to set the scene.

For example, “Taking place in the university’s central hall …” may be best if you’re shining a light on an event rather than the location. On the other hand “On a boulder-covered hilltop overlooking the vast plains of the savannahs …” might be more appropriate for a travel story that focuses on Tanzania’s Serengeti.

As with ‘When?’, the where can change over the course of an article and it’s important to keep your reader apprised of their location.

It’s not necessary to give detailed descriptions at every stage (e.g. ‘just a few metres downstream …’), but it’s best to do so where there’s a drastic change in scenery or location (e.g. ‘On the other side of town, with its litter-strewn pavements …’)

The ‘Where’ of Pigs in the House

In the farm house belonging to Farmer Mack and Bess

Why did it happen?

Getting the ‘Why’ of a story straight can be slightly tricky.

If you’re writing a news piece, you’ll want to keep things factual and avoid speculation. This is easier to do in some instances than others. For example, the reason for an event taking place is simple to determine. The motivation behind a robbery, for example, can be more difficult to ascertain (unless you’re able to talk to the perpetrators).

In the case of news, if you can’t find evidence that supports an explanation of the ‘Why’, rather leave it out.

There’s a bit more wiggle room in feature articles or opinion pieces. Here, you may be able to draw inferences or suggest possible causes for the events that unfolded if no harm is caused to any of the parties involved.

The ‘Why’ of Pigs in the House

It would seem that the three unidentified creatures were out to have a day of fun and found the farm house unattended.
The many sources of entertainment and nourishment in Farmer Mack and Bess’ home appear to have provided the perfect opportunity for these creatures to run amok.

How did it happen?

This is another area where getting answers may be a bit tricky.

Again, you don’t want to make assumptions and lead your reader down the proverbial garden path if you’re writing a news piece. Stick to the facts and leave this out if you don’t have evidence to back up your assertions.

Articles intended for entertainment, on the other hand, may be enriched by a bit of postulation – especially if the aim is to get your reader thinking more deeply about the topic.

The ‘How of Pigs in the House

It could be that the three pigs escaped from the pen and proceeded to have a ball in their keepers’ home. But wouldn’t that be ridiculous?

As you can see, getting the answers to these six questions creates an excellent backbone for any story. So if you’re struggling to get your point across or find that your story just isn’t hitting the mark, ask, ‘Who, what, when, why and how?’

For a more in-depth read about the goings on in Farmer Mack and Bess’ house on that fateful day, read Pigs in the House.