In a post on the SFWA blog, Kahina Necaise suggests some direct questions to ask while you’re editing your story:
- Does this come out of nowhere? – Is the cause of a scene, event, or emotional reaction unclear? If something feels jarring, you haven’t set it up properly.
- Does anything ever come of this? – Is the effect unclear? If you draw attention to something, does it reverberate or reappear later? Is it important?
Necaise suggests asking these questions of every element in your story: plot points, character choices and reactions, backstory, supporting characters, character interactions, and worldbuilding.
Reviewing this last element is important, especially in SF or fantasy. If you don’t explain the parameters of your tech or magic, high stakes moments can feel like you’ve dropped a deus ex machina in the middle of your plot. Necaise says this problem can arise from “show, don’t tell” advice. “You may show the unique features of your world in action and never get around to focusing on what they can’t do,” she says. “Show or tell the limitations, and do it soon after the feature is introduced, while readers’ expectations are still malleable.” By the same token, don’t show your reader all the cool stuff about your world if you’re not going to return to it.
