Does Your Story Have Merit?
~ A Simple Test ~
You’ve just finished writing a story. You’re excited. Thrilled. But now what? Do you review the markets and send the story out?
As an editor, I hope you answered no to that second question. At least your answer should be no until you can answer Yes to the following 10 questions:
1. Does your story start at a point that will draw the reader into the tale?
2. Does your main character face a difficult challenge?
3. Have you provided a good balance of action and introspection?
4. Are all of your character’s actions, reactions, and dialogue believable given the circumstances the character faces?
5. Have you removed dialogue, narration, or description that does not move the story forward or that is not important to the story?
6. Does your story have a satisfying resolution, tying up all loose ends?
7. Did you break up long descriptive passage?
8. Does you story really have something to say to readers?
9. Does you story offer anything new versus other stories with a similar plot?
10. Did you run Spell Checker on the story when you finished it?
If you’ve ensured all of the above is true, your story has merit.
You've also just raised the odds of your story being marketable. Whether or not it's publishable ultimately depends on how well you convey your thoughts with words and how well the story fits the needs of the market you approach.
