The Busy Writer's Book of Checklists (2 page)

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(Dashboard/Appearance/Widgets).

# Open Left Panel content area

# Drag (Image) Jetpack Widget to Left
Panel area

# Click Widget to open.

# Copy image link from under cover of
book in Photobucket and paste in “Image URL” box.

# Copy URL for the book from Amazon
page and paste into “Link URL” box.

# Set image alignment to ‘center’.

# Save

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# Visit site to check that image is
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 That’s it. The checklist above has 14
steps, and I know that if I want to add an image to the sidebar after not
having done it for a month or so, I’ll be SO glad that I can refer to this
checklist to do it quickly!

I am constantly
creating new
checklists throughout the year. Once, I used to just scrawl the steps down on
scraps of paper, which I would (of course) lose. So much wasted time! Now, if
there’s anything I plan to do more than once or twice, I write down the steps
and save them without even really thinking about it.

Checklists can do wonders to help you to
organise your writing life and to achieve your goals. Spend time on them to
make them effective and useful. Then share them with your writing colleagues!

You can see by the suggestions in Chapter 1
that you can create dozens and dozens of checklists. (Hundreds, probably!)

The six checklists in this first chapter
are what I think of as the
foundation
checklists: getting ideas, plot,
characters, viewpoint, dialogue and scenes. I could have included one on
grammar and language, and I could have chosen to combine characters and
dialogue (because the way they talk is so integral to making characters work) but
in the end, I decided that these six were the most useful, exactly as they are.
No doubt you will not need every item on the checklist; you can either ignore
the ones that don’t apply, or use the checklist as a template for your own.

Not every idea you get will be suitable to
develop into a book. It’s better to apply the items on this checklist to your
idea before you get too far into writing the book – it could save you hours or
weeks of time, and a whole lot of disappointment when the finished book doesn’t
really work.

#  Does your idea excite you and make
you keen to start writing the story?

#  Have you given the idea enough time
to 'jell'? (Sometimes it takes a while before that 'first flash' develops into
a viable idea.)

#  Can you imagine a character onstage
when you think about your idea?

#  Can you see where the story is
going? (Even if you don't know all the specifics when you sit down to write,
you should be able to imagine the overall 'shape' of the story.)

#  Can you see where you can build
conflict in your story idea? (Remember: no conflict, no story!)

#  Can you use your ideas about
conflict in the story to create a series of challenges for your character to
overcome?

#  Do you have a clear idea of who your
supporting characters will be? (Secondary characters, antagonist, minor
characters etc)

#  Is your story 'big enough' for a
book or should it be a short story? Conversely, is your short story too
complex?

#  If your idea is a 'big' one (i.e.
suitable for a story with several strands and twists) can you visualize several
subplots?

#  Can you imagine ways in which your
main character will grow and/or change during the course of the story?

#  Is your idea more than just single
episodes loosely linked by a character? (Beware of writing the 'episodic'
story. Writers of children's stories and/or fantasies often fall into this trap
- for example, they show characters visiting a magic land and having a lovely
time meeting all sorts of strange creatures and seeing amazing sights, and
then... they return home. This is not a story: there's no conflict, no goal, no
resolution.)

#  Is your idea more than a 'slice of
life'? (A 'slice of life' is more like an essay: it shows a scene from everyday
life and is usually heavy on emotion, imagery and meaning but light on plot,
conflict and pacing.)

#  If your idea is for a short story or
a short children's book, can you imagine a special twist or added humor that
will 'lift' the ending and surprise the reader?

#  Can you categorize your story idea
as a specific genre? (e.g. romance, adventure, fantasy, sci fi, paranormal,
mystery, western... this makes it easier for an editor to 'sell' the idea to a
publisher.)

#  Will this idea lead to the kind of
story YOU like to read?

#  Is this idea suitable for today's
reader, or is it reminiscent of stories that would now seem outdated? (For
example, light romances have changed a great deal in the past 10-20 years, and
children's stories have also evolved.)

There is nothing more disappointing than a
plot that loses its way and perhaps, even worse, just kind of fizzles out. Work
your way through this checklist to decide whether you’re starting your story at
the right place; whether the pacing will work, whether it’s plausible - and19
other items.

#  What is at stake? Will the main
character care? Will the reader care? Do you need to raise the stakes?

#  Have you started your story at a
turning point or crisis for the main character?

#  Does your main character have a
clear plan of action throughout the story? When challenged, does he/she opt for
a logical change of plan?

#  Does the main character have a
worthy adversary?

#  Is your main character believably
motivated?

#  Are you clear on whose story this
is? Is this made clear by the viewpoint chosen? Is the viewpoint you've chosen
the best to tell this story?

#  Are the main characters interesting
and well-developed, with clear goals?

#  Are your secondary characters
clearly motivated? Is this believable?

#  Problems/Challenges/Complications:
can you identify them? How will character overcome them? Are they too easily
solved? Are there enough of them for the length of the story?

#  Is the story plausible? Could it
happen to any of us?

#  Genre: is it clear to readers which
genre this falls into?

#  Is the conflict immediate?

#  Are any subplots closely related to
the main plot?

#  How will the story appeal to your
readers' emotions?

#  Does the pacing work? (Is there too
much non-stop action? Too many slow sections?

#  Is action followed by reaction?

#  Does the story build to a climax?

#  Is there a moment when all seems
lost?

#  Mood and Tone: Is the general tone
of the book clear at the beginning? (Humorous, suspenseful, romantic etc.)

#  Setting: Is there a clear and vivid
geographical setting? Is there a convincing professional setting (if
applicable)?

#  Time: Is it clear WHEN the story
takes place? On reflection, is the time span of the story appropriate, or too
long/short?

#  Is there a satisfying ending?
(Everything comes together and the goal is reached.)

This checklist covers everything from your
understanding of the character’s goals and motivation to ‘reader appeal’ and the
risks involved in too much manipulation of your characters.  

#  Have you spent time thinking about
the main character so you understand his/her goals and motivation? (Preparing a
character file can help - even if you never look at it again!)

#  Will your main character appeal to
your readers? (If readers don't care about a character, they won't keep
reading.)

#  Will the reader be able to empathize
with your main character's goals or problems?

#  Is your main character believably
motivated throughout the story?

#  Have you started your story at a
crisis or turning point for the main character?

#  Have you introduced aspects of the
various characters' appearance and personality gradually as the story unfolds,
rather than 'dumping' too much information into the narrative early in the
story?

#  Have you ensured that all characters
come across as individuals? (Different looks, motivation, speech patterns,
reactions etc.)

#  Have you made sure that all
characters are neither all good nor all bad?

#  Have you provided your main
character with challenges that will show character growth at the end of the
story?

#  What is at stake for the main
character? Is this strong enough? How can you raise the stakes?

#  Have you created plenty of emotional
depth by filtering the action through the viewpoint character's thoughts and
feelings?

#  Are your secondary characters
clearly motivated? Is this motivation believable?

#  Are your minor characters believable
but not too intrusive? (Beware of letting a secondary or minor character take
over the story.)

#  Does each character speak and act
according to his/her age, educational level, and socio-economic status? If not,
does this say something important about the character? (e.g. if a child sounds
far more mature than you'd expect for a child of that age, have you made this
believable?)

#  Does the character's reaction to
each situation 'fit' with the personality you have given him/her? If he/she is
acting out of character, is this understandable given the situation?

#  Is the character's reaction to each
situation logical, or are you manipulating the characters to suit your initial
plot?

#  Are you interested enough in your
own characters to want to sit down at the keyboard regularly to tell their
story?

In any story, it is essential that
you understand
whose
story
you are
telling. If you are using multiple viewpoints, you need to handle them
carefully and ensure that you’re not slipping
out
of viewpoint.
(This is something that can really annoy readers!)

#  Have you decided whose story this
is?

#  Have you decided the best viewpoint
to use for your main character(s)? For example: first person, third person
subjective (singular); third person subjective (multiple)? If you are not sure,
try writing a scene from both first person and third person viewpoints and see
which 'feels' best, and which reads better. Also take into consideration
whether you want readers to know something that the main character doesn't know
- if so, you will need third person viewpoint.

#  If you are using multiple viewpoints,
is it clear at the beginning of each chapter or scene whose eyes we are looking
through? Do you need to insert transition sentences to make this clear?

#  Have you checked to make sure that
you are not slipping out of viewpoint (e.g. describing a person's expression
when we are supposed to be 'inside' that person's skin?)

#  Have you reduced the number of
viewpoint characters to only those necessary to tell the story? (This may be
one character or six characters - but generally it is most effective to have no
more than four.)

#  Have you avoided switching viewpoint
in the middle of a scene? (This is not 'wrong', but much of the time you lose
more than you gain: the reader becomes distanced by constant head-hopping, and
finds it harder to identify with the characters.)

#  If you use multiple viewpoints, does
each character seem like an individual? (Different characters should have
different views of the world. Each person's internal monologue will reflect
their individuality.)

#  Have you filtered the SETTING
through the viewpoint character's world view? (Different characters will see
the same setting in different ways. What is important to one person may not be
noticed by another.)

#  Have you shown your viewpoint
character's emotions and thoughts about what is happening to him/her? (This
helps the reader to empathize with your viewpoint character.)

#  If you have a child as a viewpoint
character in your story, have you taken care that his perspective on events
rings true for his age? (A common mistake is to have a child sounding like a
shorter version of an adult.)

#  If you use multiple viewpoints, have
you alternated them in a way that helps to build suspense and to show events
coming to a head?

#  If you use multiple viewpoints, do
you have sections where the smooth flow of the story is spoiled by too many
short scenes from different viewpoints?

#  If you are using first person
viewpoint, have you checked your story to make sure that you are not telling
the reader information that this character couldn't possibly know?