To download a Word template of this checklist, click here.

For definition of the terms used below, see the "Quartet" talks in Second Sight.

The central Action Plot is (circle all that apply):

                                         Conflict          Mystery          Lack         

          And that Conflict/Mystery/Lack is:

          The motivation that starts the action is:

          The stakes are:

          My subplots are:

The central Emotional Plot / the protagonist's Compulsion is:

          The stakes are:

          This change happens in him/her because:

Exposition:  The situation at the beginning:

Inciting Incident:  The action starts when:

Escalating & Complicating Events / Obstacles:

       Then this event happens:

       Because of whose action?:

(Keep answering the E&CE questions for all the major events of the novel until you've arrived at:)

Climax:  Everything comes together when:

Resolution:  The reader can tell things have changed because:

My Emotional Point:

My Thematic Point: