A Writer's Dozen - Archive

Twelve Questions to Test Your Story’s Emotion Quotient
List compiled by Judith First posted July 2005
What is at stake? Does the conflict reverberate in more than one area? Remember that the characters have to learn something about themselves that allows them to move ahead. What situations, areas or past history does the character have to conquer before he can move on in the relationship? As a writer, you need to know the emotional bottom line of your characters. What event happens to change the direction of the story? What changes that allows the characters to cement the relationship? Is there a change in attitude or behavior? Is there some element of your story that makes you tingle? How do your characters change throughout the story? What scenes or events do you think are critical to the emotional growth of your characters? How many emotion demons are in your story What are they? What is your character's emotional need? Does your character deny that emotional need? What event forces the emotional change that makes your character recognize what he needs?

July 2005