Those of us who were taught that asking personal questions is rude have to get over that scruple if they are to become writers. While I do believe that writers write best about what they know, the best writers are surely the ones who can reach outside themselves and learn to write the lives of people they will never meet.
So why not ask? What was the most important thing that ever happened to you? How did it make you feel? When in your life have you felt most loved? What were you doing at the loneliest time of your life? What human characteristic scares you the most? Why?
altheastone 