Winston Wonders

I spend a lot of my day sniffing out good story ideas, offering helpful critique and generally encouraging my live-in writer.  Not sure this manuscript passes the sniff test
She especially appreciates it when I sit on her lap and lick her hands. It loosens them up to make typing even easier. I try to let her bumble her own way through her projects, but, occasionally, I have jump in and take control of the keyboard. It's the least I can do to repay her for filling my food bowl twice a day (though she could fill it fuller).
I overheard her talking about a presentation she's doing for the Arizona SCBWI conference this coming weekend. She was puzzling about how she would help the writers there answer the question, "Is this the story for me to write?"  Dogs don't worry much about this kind of thing. We're kind of go-for-it kinds of creatures, especially when it comes to eating pinecones, chasing crows or taking sips from the lovely large porcelain bowl in the bathroom. But I thought I could help Kirby out by asking all of you how you answer that question for yourself. 
If you have chased up an answer, share it here!