The Busy Writer's Book of Checklists Read Online Free Page A

and make a list of the types.
    ** Look at your own life. What's a major issue for you right now? What's a minor issue? You
could be looking at a possible plot and sub-plot.
    ** Think carefully about your secondary
characters. Write a short biography on each one.
What is there in that biography that you could develop into a sub-plot?
    Your story may or may not have subplots. If
it does, this checklist will help you to ensure that your subplot does what it
is supposed to do.
Sub-Plot Checklist
    #  Have you decided on the main purpose
for your subplot? (Does your subplot (a) mirror the main action? Does it
provide relief from non-stop action?  [e.g. a humorous subplot] Does it develop
a romance? Does it heighten suspense?)
    #  Have you used the subplot to
maintain pace in your story when the main plot has to slow down? (Complications
from the subplot can restrict the main character's ability to act, or take his
attention away at a critical time.)
    #  Does your subplot shed light on the
personality of one or more of the characters?
    #  Are your plot and main subplot
interwoven from the beginning of the story? (A second subplot can be introduced
slightly later.)
    #  Have you given your readers a chance
to get to know the people in both your plot and subplot before the story gets
underway? (Readers care more about what happens to people they
"know".)
    #  Is your subplot closely related to
the main story? (The story should be able to stand alone without the subplot,
but don't, for example, make it about two minor characters that the reader
doesn't care about.)
    #  Have you shown how the events in the
subplot cam affect the action in the main plot and vice versa?
    #  Does your subplot follow the same
basic pattern as the main plot? (Developments and setbacks; crisis and
resolution.)
    #  Have you made sure that the subplot
doesn't overshadow the main plot?
    #  Is the subplot interesting to
readers or an annoyance that drags them away from the main action?
    #  Have you structured your story so
that when the main plot is going through a calm period, the reader is given
something of interest to read about via the subplot?
    #  Have you ensured that your subplot
doesn't have a 'tacked on' feeling to pad out the story? (Introduce it near the
beginning and weave it in skillfully)
    #  Have you made sure that everything
is resolved in the subplot by the end of the story? (All loose ends need to be
tied up, just as they do in the main plot.)

Section 4 – Getting Organized
    A large part of being an effective writer
is being able to put your hands on what you want, when you want it. That might
sound simple, but unless you’re already supremely organized – it’s not.
    How many times have you frantically hunted
through your computer folders, looking for some notes you made, or for a vital
checklist? How many times have you saved and re-saved something in several
different directories, and not been able to find the most recent when you need
it?
    How many times have you worked in a
teeny-tiny space because you’re hemmed in on all sides by piles of paper and
books?
    In a comment added to a Weekly Challenge on
my Writing Challenges blog (the Challenge was to ‘whip your office into shape’)
one writer said: “I was getting frustrated with the pile of ‘stuff’ near my
desk. The pile was getting taller and messier and my writing not progressing as
I seemed to be distracted by the ‘stuff’. So I ignored websites, challenges and
all else and set about creating order in the chaos…. I work in a limited time
frame with many family commitments so often feel a focus on neatness an
unnecessary luxury, but in reality a sense of order eliminates distractions and
saves time when I can find what I need quickly. For anyone out there feeling
frustrated and ‘out of sorts’ a good ‘clean out’ clears not only your personal
writing space but the mind as well. I’m not a fanatical housekeeper but order
in my writing corner is