Tuesday, August 19, 2014

FINAL CHECKLIST FOR YOUR NEW NOVEL

1. Did I begin at the beginning?

2. Is the beginning effective? Will readers understand and care

about what's happening?

3. Have I been specific enough in setting the scene and letting

the reader know what's going on?

4. Do my characters act appropriately and believably?

5. Is my dialogue dramatic, effective, realistic? Does each

character have his own distinctive speech pattern? Are the

speeches too long?

6. Have I maintained a single point of view? Are transitions to

multiple points of view made smoothly and clear to the

reader?

7. Does the plot unfold clearly and logically? Is the time frame

accurate and believable?

8. Is the story clearly focused? Have I left in any unnecessary

scenes or dialogue (or left out any necessary ones)?

9. Is the story logically organized--each scene in the right

place?

10. Are there any sections of my story that are too long for the

purpose they serve? Could I condense them for dramatic

effect?

11. Do I have a good balance between showing and telling? Have I

used narrative when a dramatic scene would be more effective?

12. Is the progression of the story and the outcome clear to the

reader? Do I need to expand any scene or narrative to

clarify?

13. Have I maintained an appropriate narrative tone throughout

(dramatic, comic, tragic, mysterious, etc.)?

14. Have I carefully proofread?

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