Listless Questions

OK, I've touched on this before, but apparently I need to go over it again.  I edit a lot of romance, so this one is one of my least favorite “mistakes” in writing.  Romance is polluted with this.  Romance supposedly is working to showcase strong women, but nothing can undermine this faster than a set of listless questions.

Listless questions are evil because:

1. Authors who use them tend to think this is OK to do so ad nauseum.

2. Makes the heroine look weak because she’s constantly wondering what she should do, but it rarely shows her answering the questions or taking the reigns and doing it.

3. They slow down the story because they’re cerebral.  We’re in the character’s head, following their thoughts.  Action is almost always better than thought.

4. Yet another example of the character telling instead of showing.  (Questions are TALKing to/TELLing one’s self.)

I have been told more than once that this is a style and a conscious choice.  I would challenge these authors to be honest with themselves.  Listless questions are a habit.  If one character does it in one story, that’s a style choice.  Story after story after story for ten years?  Spew this mess to another editor.