WIP Diagnostic: Is This Working? A Closer Look at Goals in a Middle Grade Opening

Critique By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

WIP Diagnostics is a weekly column that studies a snippet of a work in progress for specific issues. Readers are encouraged to send in work with questions, and we diagnose it on the site. It’s part critique, part example, and designed to help the submitter as well as anyone else having a similar problem.

If you're interested in submitting to WIP Diagnostics, please check out these guidelines. 

Submissions currently in the queue: One

Please Note: As of today, critique slots are booked through November 14.

This week’s questions:

What I want from this opening scene, is to introduce Zara as the protagonist you want to root for; Zara’s desire to win the competition; a hint of sibling rivalry whereby Zara is keen to earn Aaliyah’s approval. Do these three goals work?

Market/Genre: Middle Grade

On to the diagnosis…

Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com