Skip to main content

A to Z Challenge Day C: Checklist

Hey beautiful guys and dolls! What's on the menu for day three?? The letter C!

C is for Checklist.

Every plot needs one. A checklist will keep your plot moving in the right direction and ensure you stay on the right page.

How?

A checklist will guide you, leading you into all the correct components your manuscript needs to keep the page turning and the reader interested in our story.

What should you add to your Checklist?

1. Foreshadowing what is to come
2. Conflict and contrast of what the previous scene/chapter described
3. Characters who move the story forward with their actions and reactions
4. Setting that evolves as the story moves forward. If your setting takes place in the same spot during  the entire story, make sure to entwine different details about the setting with each plot element. Use all the senses to bring the reader into the place: vision, hearing, feeling, scents, and taste.
5. If your story has a theme, don't forget to include it.

Use this checklist to engage every scene so your reader can interact with your story.

See you tomorrow! Thanks for stopping by:)

Comments

  1. Checklists do help, especially when I'm editing. You've provided a great one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Checklist - just like the fifteen beats from Save the Cat.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've never done an actual, physical checklist, usually just an ongoing one in my head.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a clever idea! I know to include these but never thought to formalize them in list form. Loving your series!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Operation Agent Ink

UPDATE: PLEASE FILL OUT THIS QUESTIONNAIRE AFTER YOU SIGN UP. Have you ever wondered what agents were dying to find in their inbox/slush pile? There have been many times I entered a contest and not even received a comment, not even from one of the agents. Or maybe the agent was kind enough to leave a comment that simply said, "Sorry, this just isn't what I'm looking for, but I love the premise and your voice." I always walk away feeling unsatisfied. If I had known exactly what the agent wanted beyond, "YA" or "Fantasy" I might not have even entered a contest I knew I wouldn't win! Even more, I wasted a very busy agents time! Well, your time of guessing is up! OPERATION AGENT INK to the rescue! That's right! This workshop will help aspiring authors get on the list of an agent's WISH LIST! When the workshop is over, your manuscript will be ready to view by a group of AMAZING agents who are dying to see what you've wri...

Workshop 10

Today, let's get readers hooked from the very first sentence. If you do, you are off to a great start and hopefully a great first chapter. We are going to focus on the first and second sentence and how you can draw readers in while introducing two major items about your book: 1. Your MC 2. The main conflict. How? Is it really possible to do this in only TWO sentences? YES! Example: My name is Snow, like the white powder that falls during winter, though I don't know what my mom was thinking because it was ninety degrees the day I was born. I turned twelve the year I married a man I hated and thirteen when my first baby was born. This sentence tells us a lot. It shows us a little about Snow's personality, it hints toward a shortened childhood and could possibly point to a different time era. I also can definitely see the conflict. Can you? You only have a few minutes to make a good, first impression. Make sure you wow your reader enough they'll actually t...

EVER Blog Hop!!!!!

I joined a blog hop flash writing contest with/for Jessa Russo. It's in honor of her first EVER book release. I met Jessa during the Curiosity Quills Blog hop. I have never read a ghost story, but after reading Jessa's query and first few pages and then learning more about her ghost Frankie, I was so inspired, I fell in love -with Frankie. I was so inspired, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and write a story I had never written before and never thought I would write. Or even want to write. But I did, and I did. My piece for the contest is a small part of my bigger manuscript I wrote. I had to modify and change a few things so the story would make sense, but I think it works. At least, I hope it does:) How to vote: Comment at the end of the end of this post. You must have the word "VOTE" in your comment for it to be considered valid. VOTING IS OPEN UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30TH!!!! Ready? Well, lets go! --> The Man With the Black Hood knocked ...