The Top Ten Rewrite Questions
When you’re working on rewrites questions are your greatest ally. They are practical and tangible. You can answer a question, you can realize the answer is already in the text, you can choose not to answer a question. Being mysterious is okay so long as it’s a conscious choice and not a missing plot point. When you’re asking people to give you feedback don’t ask for their opinion, get them to ask questions.
You can question many different parts of your work – the characters, the story, the structure – just to name a few. If you want your writing to be specific, effective and efficient it’s important to question.
The Top Ten Questions to Ask of Your Work
- Why is the first page a great introduction?
- Why is the last page a vivid ending?
- Why will an audience find the world of your play interesting?
- How does each scene move the play forward?
- Why do you leave each scene when you do?
- Does each character have a unique voice in their dialogue?
- Are your characters living the story or are they telling facts?
- Does each character have a want? How do they go after it?
- What is the main conflict of the play? What are the obstacles?
- Is there conflict in every scene?
