First page hook: what makes you want to turn to the next page?
Opening scene hook: what makes you want to read the next scene?
Main protagonist(s): no more than two but try to narrow it to one.
Main antagonist(s): no more than two but try to narrow it to one.
Catalysts/inciting events: what are the events in ACT I that set up the ACT II story?
Character description: how are these characters described on the page?
Main character introduced on page # _______________
ACT II turning point: what event starts the second-act story? What page is it on?
Goal statement: what does the character say he/she wants to attain/achieve around the start of ACT II?
Obstacle: What is the seemingly unbeatable obstacle to the character’s goal? For dramas this can be internal but should manifest externally.
Character motivation: why does the character want this goal?
Life and death stakes: what literal or metaphorical death will befall the character if they don’t get what they want?
Desire vs. Need: what does your character need that is in opposition to what they want?
Marshaling forces/forming alliances: what allies does the character make and/or how does the character arm him/herself for the coming conflict?
Midpoint: what is the point of no return or moment of truth for the character? In what way can they not go back to where/who they were? On what page does this occur?
Rising crisis/conflict: what are the obstacles the characters keep running into?
Apparent defeat/false victory: where does the character seem defeated or victorious?
ACT III turning point: what event closes out the second-act story and begins the climax? What page is it on?
New plan: how does the character plan to win in light of the new setback?
Climax: what is the final battle/obstacle? Who wins/loses?
Denouement: what is the resolution of the ACT II story conflict? What is the character’s new normal?
Backstory: what events inform the actions of the character before the start of the story?
Supporting characters: how do the secondary characters support the main character’s storyline?
Character worldview: how does the main character see the world? Why?
Description of world: how does the author build a world on the page?
Setup/payoff: what plot elements are introduced in ACT I (or the first half of ACT II) that pay off in/by ACT III?
Subtext: how are characters saying what they don’t mean or meaning what they don’t say?
Plot devices: what macguffins, red herrings, ticking clocks, deus ex machina, or chekhov’s gun elements are used, if any, and how do they pay off?
Theme: What do you think the author is trying to say?