15 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Plot

What happens the moment after the story ends?

What happened the moment before the story began?

Why must the story begin with the part told first?

What are the pivotal moments that might have been changed? How might that have affected the course of the world?

Why do these people need each other? Why must they come together? What do they have to give each other?

Do I surprise the reader with every chapter?

Do I satisfy the reader so that the ending matches the beginning?

Does my reader see, feel, hear, smell, taste, and touch the whole world?

Will my reader be moved by the climax?

Is my climax inevitable?

Do I keep hold of all my threads?

Do I spend the right amount of time on the right scenes according to their importance to the plot?

Am I aware of when readers will be disappointed? Do I want them to feel that way?

What cliches am I using and how do I subvert them?

Do I give away what I want to give away, when I want to give it away?