P is for Plot read-through

I love macro editing. To get me into the zone I always remind myself that professionals rewrite and I want to be a professional, so red pen to the ready here is my ...

...Plot read-through checklist!

Avoid starting on page one and tinkering with a sentence. You are looking at plot!

Mark the pages were you feel the story is dragging with a red felt tip mark in the corner.

If you find any confusing paragraphs, draw a line in the margin - don't start rewriting yet.

Make a mark in the margin if you find any places where more information need to be added.

Put question marks next to anything you are unsure or unhappy with.

Do not indulge yourself in self pity at this point, so it needs some work, so what!

Are there any places that surprised you or made you happy - do you need to expand these parts?

What are your characters doing in the story? If it's a scene which is dragging, are you focusing on the real issues the characters are dealing with? Are you looking at their passions and desires?

Is the plot line correct and believeable? Would an alternate plot be better?

What about structure?

Back to basics is there a beginning, middle and end?

Did you start with a disturbance to your major characters life?

What do you think about the pace of your work?

Is there enough motivation behind the characters actions?

Is your timeline correct? Does it need to be rearranged?

Are the big scenes ... big enough?

You will be left with a manuscript with writing all over it. But if you deal with the larger problems first before you focus on a spell check and grammar, your final piece will be so much better after having a good look at the foundations.