These are points I put down, observations about the fiction I find the most compelling. When I analyse my work, I look for these and try to make sure that what I want out of a story is what I put in to my own.

• Interesting characters placed in situations that test their limitations and weaknesses
• A coherent and expansive world
• High stakes for the protagonist
• Diverse and consistent manners of speech
• Characters undergoing change or development
• Pacing that balances action and contemplation, advancement and expansion, humor and seriousness
• Solid symbolic underpinning
• The setting is integral to the plot
• Contrasting points of view
• Plot is edited on the principles of similarity and contrast
• An ending that is surprising but inevitable
• The parts tie into the whole
• The forces of antagonism are deeper than the action so that the outcome affects the principles of life (the classic irresistible force meeting the immovable object)
• Clarity of action and idea
• The thesis and anti-thesis are both compellingly explored