Questions to Ask While Reading a Creative Writing Project

1. Description

- Is the writing effective?

- Does the writer appeal to as many senses as possible, not just sight but touch, taste, smell and hearing?

- Is the setting clear (both in space and time)?

- Does the writer show the reader this world rather than tell us about it?

2. Characterization

- Is there one main character?

- Is that main character described and characterized in detail?

- Is the main character a real person instead of ‘wooden’ or ‘typical’?

- What function does each minor character play in the action?

- Are the minor characters sufficiently differentiated from each other?

3. Point of View

- Can you identify the story’s narrator?

- Is this point of view consistent throughout?

- How near or far from the action is the narrator?

- Does he or she participate in the action? Does that work?

4. Plot (Implied Thesis)

- Does the central character pass through a transforming experience?

- Does the central character pursue an objective and have to overcome obstacles to that objective?

- Are the events of the story plausible?

- Does the writer create suspense? Is the reader interested in what will happen next?

- Is the ending plausible? Is it the only and right conclusion? Why or why not?

5. Dialogue

- Is the dialogue realistic? Do the characters sound like real people?

- Does the writer put in dialogue to appropriately dramatic moments?

6. Title

- Is the title of the piece meaningful?

- Does the title add to the piece or detract from it?

7. Presentation

- Is the story/essay typed and double-spaced?

- Is it error free in terms of punctuation, spelling, and grammar?