I have lists for everything. Writing is no exception. If only I could find those lists in the clutter. Nonetheless, I did find one which others might find helpful in the self-editing process or when critiquing another's work. Just some little things we often overlook in our quest for immortality through profundity.

CHARACTERS:

- Are they believable? Do their goals and motivations mesh, and has the writer made them clear? "Clear" doesn't mean you have to be hit over the head with the information--it just means that when a character does something, you don't question it. Somewhere the author has made you understand, either consciously or subconsciously, that the character could and would make a certain decision under certain circumstances.

- Are they sympathetic? Even a villain can be sympathetic if you understand (not necessarily agree with) his motivation.

- DO YOU CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM?

- Is there character growth (no no no, not height and girth!)?

SETTING:

- Do you smell, hear, see, feel, taste (is that five? I lost count) what the character does? It may seem minor, but subtle scene setting can bump a story to another level. Remember, "show" don't "tell".

Telling: "It was a dark and stormy night and she really, really had to go."

Or, "showing": "Howling wind slapped her hair across her face as she slogged determinedly through the mud toward the outhouse, only a shadow--too far away, dammit!-- in the night." (yeah yeah, it's a bad example but you get the picture)

CONFLICT/STORY PROBLEM:

- Is it compelling?

- Does it seem insurmountable?

- Does it make sense in the scheme of the story?

- CAN YOU IDENTIFY IT?

- Is it solved in a way that makes sense; does the character solve it himself (good) or has the writer relied on plot devices to solve the problem for the character (not usually good--no character growth)?

DIALOGUE:

- Does it sound natural?

- Is it clear who's speaking?

- Does each character have his or her unique voice?

- Are speech tags "invisible" and used only when necessary? "Said", boring though you may think it, virtually disappears from the page.

- Are speech tags used properly? Ex:

Not: "How silly," she laughed.

But: "How silly." She laughed.

Or, " "How silly," she said, and laughed.

PACING:

- Does the pace fit the action? A tender love scene calls for longer, more flowing sentences. A chase scene calls for shorter, choppier sentences.

- Is there a balance of dialogue and narrative, action and introspection?

TECHNICALITIES:

- Yes, good English is important. Spelling, grammar, punctuation. Misteaks are okay, we all make 'em and a copy ediot should be able to fix 'em but the truth is, the author should at least weed out the worst of 'em. So... when critiquing/editing, ask yourself, is the technical execution(!) acceptable or distracting?

Oops, five minutes are up! Now you must go forth and be ruthless.