Title
_____ Does it represent the theme, plot or characters of the story?
Settings
_____ Are the settings clear to the reader?
_____ Are the setting details appropriate to the story and scene?
_____ Do the setting details contribute to the story and advance the plot?
Plot
_____ Is the plot believable?
_____ Is there enough plot to sustain the story through the final page?
_____ Are there too many sub-plots, or not enough sub-plots?
_____ Does the story movement go forward logically?
_____ Has back story been used sparingly?
_____ Are there plot twists to increase the conflict/tension?
Scenes
_____ Are there enough scenes?
_____ Does something in each scene advance the plot?
_____ Is POV maintained within each scene?
_____ Is the pace of each scene appropriate?
Characters
_____ Do the character names fit their personality and the time period?
_____ Are the main characters interesting?
_____ Are the main characters sufficiently motivated?
_____ Do the main characters have strengths and weaknesses?
_____ Do the characters act accordingly to the time period?
_____ Are the characters three-dimensional in thoughts, actions, and reactions?
_____ Do the characters sound different from each other?
_____ Have too many character details been shown that slow down the story?
_____ Are there too many characters on stage at one time?
_____ Are there wandering body parts? eyes dropped, hand reached out, foot fell
_____ Are the character’s physical details consistent throughout the story? eye color, hair color,
scars
Dialogue
_____ Does the dialogue advance the story, and not be just conversational?
_____ Does the dialogue increase the conflict?
_____ Does the dialogue fit the character?
_____ Is the dialogue appropriate to the scene?
_____ Are there too many speaker tags?
_____ Are character names used too often in dialogue?
_____ Do the conversations sound normal?
_____ Does the use of dialect disrupt the reading?
Structure Checklist
Word Choices
_____ Are strong verbs used rather than too many adverbs?
_____ Are specific word choices used? (cottonwood trees)
_____ Are there too many cliché’s?
_____ Are words or phrases repeated?
_____ Are there too many passive voice words? is, are, were, was
_____ Is that used too much?
_____ Are there too many weak modifiers? very, almost, practically, seem, only
Paragraphs
_____ Are short paragraphs used for a quicker pace?
_____ Are paragraph lengths varied?
_____ Are powerful sentences used at the beginning and ending of paragraphs?
Sentences
_____ Are too many sentence fragments used?
_____ Are metaphors and similes used correctly?
_____ Are sentence structures varied?
_____ Are dialogue sentences under twenty words in length?
_____ Are action verbs used in shorter sentences?
_____ Are too many sentences started with the, he, or she?
Story Structure Checklist
Beginning
_____ Is there a hook that pulls the reader into the story?
_____ Does the hook establish the mood of the story?
_____ Does the story start in the right place?
_____ Is at least one character introduced in the hook?
_____ Is at least one character’s goal introduced in the hook?
_____ Are the character(s) introduced clearly to the reader, by physical attributes or personality?
_____ Is the POV clear and from the view of the best character choice?
Middle
_____ Does the middle of the story seem to drag?
_____ Do the characters grow verbose and contemplative instead of remaining active?
_____ Has the tension grown weak?
_____ Is the drama/conflict reduced?
Ending
_____ Does the black moment build logically?
_____ Is the black moment and climax strong enough for the story?
_____ Is the ending long enough and deep enough for the story?
_____ Does the ending drag?
_____ Have the main characters shown character growth?
_____ Do the main characters cause the resolution of the ending and not a side character?
_____ Are the major plot issues resolved?