Revision Worksheet

1. What is the goal of your story? The goal of a story can be to entertain or enlighten. A good story does one of these. A great story does both. A bad story does neither.

2. Does your concept have a shape? A beginning, middle, and end? The beginning should account for approximately 25%, the middle 50%, and the end 25%. 
Mark up your story to note:
Act 1's start and stop -- underline the inciting incident(sets the story into motion)
Act 2's start and stop -- underline the first culmination(main character is close to success) and the midpoint (main character's lowest point)
Act 3's start and stop -- underline the climax (max tension -- peak of physical and emotional action)

3. Does your concept have direction? Your story must move forward. We must see the situation before the change, we must see the change and then see life after the change.

4. Does your concept have momentum? A story is at its slowest when it begins and speeds up steadily to the end. Most stories slow down again at the end. A story’s momentum can be thought of as how often things are changing.

5. Does your concept have depth?  Stories should have layers. A layer can come from plot events that can be interpreted in more than one way. Just as a story gets faster as it progresses, it also should get deeper.