The who what when why and where of writing fiction

The Five W's is a fundamental technique of journalism that can help any writer make sure that they are covering all aspects of a subject. The Five W's can be found in Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories in a poem that accompanies The Elephant's Child:

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

The key to the Five W's are that none of them can be answered by a simple "yes" or "no", instead the writer must actually pass on information when they are writing to answer all of the Five W's and when How is added into the equation it offers another level of depth which expands the information.

Some examples of how writers can answer the Five W's and one H when they are writing:

Say you are writing about something that happened:
What happened?
Why is it happening?
When did it happen?
Where did it happen?
Who did it happen to?
How did it happen?

Maybe you are writing about a new product:
What product is it?
Why is it worth talking about?
When will it be available?
Where can buyers find it?
Who would want to buy it?
How is it used?

Writing about an event:
What is the event?
Why is it being held?
When will it be held?
Where is it being held?
Who is holding the event?
How can someone find out more information?