You're the first reader of your work, and should be your own toughest critic. Remember, you're writing a story that you would want to read. So don't spare your hard-won text. It can survive tough handling on your part.

First things first. If you're using a computer, print out your story. Print it double-spaced, so you'll have room to mark changes between the lines. While you can do a lot of editing right on the screen, the printed manuscript will probably look different to you. I always find that a lot of things jump out at me that I just didn't see when I first viewed my work on screen. Grab your favorite primitive writing implement (pencil or pen) and get to work.

Printing out a manuscript

Here are some things to keep in mind while evaluating your work:

Structural considerations

•	Beginning — Is there a hook to grab the reader?
•	Middle — Do the following scenes advance the story, or do they wander aimlessly? Everything should point in some way toward the ending.
•	Pacing (closely related) — Does the story keep moving?
•	Are all the scenes necessary or helpful?
•	Are there scenes you haven't written that would help the story?
•	Do the characters' motivations and actions make sense?
•	Are there holes in the plot? Mistakes in the science?
•	Is there consistency — in the science, the world, the characters and their actions?
•	Are the characters true to themselves?
•	Are there dangling threads you forgot to tie up?