Developing Your Story
Part Four: Checking Your Story
Revising Your Story
Ah, here comes the fun part -- the
job of revising. My stories can go from a single revision to a major overhaul.
Answer the following questions:
About the
Beginning
-
Does the beginning
immediately cach my reader's attention?
-
Does the beginning
draw readers into my characters' world?
-
Does the beginning
establish the tone?
-
Does the beginning
start the conflict?
About the Characaters
-
Are my characters
believable?
-
Do their actions
fit their personalities?
-
Does their dialogue
fit their personalities?
-
Are they cleary
motivated?
About the Setting
-
Is the setting
suitable for the characters?
-
Is the setting
suitable for the conflict?
-
Does the setting
contribute to the mood or atomsphere?
About the Point
of View
-
Did I select the
most appropriate point of view by which to convey my message?
-
Have I maintained
a consistant point of view?
About the Plot
-
Does the conflict
result from likely causes?
-
Are time relationships
clear?
-
If I use a flahsback,
do the transitions assure reader's understanding of the time sequence?
About the Dialogue
-
Is the dialogue
natural?
-
Is the dialogue
consistant with characterization?
About the Description
-
Have I avoided
telling my readers about characters, motives, reactions? Instead,
do I show?
-
Have I included
good sensory details?
-
Have I used effective
figures of speech?
-
Do my descriptive
details support the tone and mood?
-
Dos the vocabulary
suit the subject, attitude and audience?
-
Have I used colorful
language (not that TYPE of colorful language, LOL), including specific
nouns and vigorous, active verbs?
-
Have I omitted
superfluous, flowery modifiers?
-
Does my sentence
structure add emphasis and variety?
About the Ending
-
Does the resolution
grow naturally out of conflict?
-
Is the endning
satisfying to the readers?
-
Have I resolved
the characters' character?
About the Theme
-
Is my message
clear to my readers when they finsih the story?
-
Have I avoided
telling the message, allowing it instead to reveal itself through the action
and resolution of the story?
-
Will the readers
care about my characters and their conflicts?
About the Title
-
Have I selected
an appropriate title that suggested some important element of the story?
**Revise
your story as many times as necessary to make it smooth, readable, and
believable**
Please do not post this document on another website without
my permission thanks.
This page was created on May 12, 1999.
This page was last updated on: May 25, 1999
Contact the webmaster
Dolphin Web Designs
Jennifer L. Zellers
Copyright © 1999
All Rights Reserved