Some writers dread the middle of a novel. Its an easy place for characters, themes, plots and subplots to get stuck, lost, or to go on unnecessary tangents. The critical reader questions in this post are designed to help reader feedback to support the writer in keeping Act 2 on track, and ensuring it gives the reader a good experience. (I developed them while working with and as a beta reader, and they have companion blogs for Chapter One and an Act 1).
Are the Characters Engaging?
Are you seeing enough character actions, and hearing enough dialogue and internal thoughts to feel tensions between characters?
Have you seen enough of character’s personalities to understand why certain characters are drawn to or inclined to be in conflict with each other?
Do you react to some character actions with ‘of course he/ she/ they did!” because you feel you are getting to know them?
Do you know any characters well enough to guess what they may do next? Does this make the story more engaging?
Is the Story Engaging?
Does each chapter end by doing at least one of the following:
-adding tension between key players?
-providing another clue in the overall mystery?
-affirming or challenging the lie the pov character believes?
-adding another complication the pov character must overcome to resolve the main conflict? Eg. the character gets something wrong and makes their own life harder.
-moved the pov character nearer to getting what they want, what they need or (if it differs from both) does each chapter take them a step closer to resolving the main story conflict?
Character Development & Plausibility
Can you follow the character’s logic as they persist in believing a lie, or begin to realise the truth?
Do you see and are you convinced by why the character still clings to the lie?
Are you convinced by how characters experiences are changing them?
Progression
Are you being shown or reminded of things you’ve already seen (especially when it seems unnecessary?) Or is each scene making you feel like the story is moving forward and drawing you on to its next stage?
If you don’t feel the story is moving, and you’re starting to lose interest -which bits aren’t appealing to you? Do you know why or what the writer could change to resolve this?
Are relationship dynamics between characters -positive or negative- being tested and changing? Or is everyone getting along perfectly? And is the supporting cast solely focused on helping the MC achieve their goal (instead of characters having their own goals? And are character relationships too idealistic and or flat?
Story Tone
Occasionally, I’ve beta read books with an Act One mixing serious themes, humour and playfulness, then in Act 2 -boom! The story turns a corner and is suddenly twice as dark or twice as violent as Act 1’s tone led me to think it would be. So are you jolted by how light or heavy, how serious or playful, how gentle or violent later chapters are, compared to earlier ones?
Story Focus
Does the story home in on particular themes, particular relationships and particular character goals?
Does it focus on too many things for you to follow or appreciate?
Or does it focus only on one or two main things, when there’s room and other things you’d like to see further developed to give you a real sense of payoff?
Connections
If the characters went to that place, or the MC was given that thing, or we know a secondary character loves x, does the middle of the story start referring back to and building on these?
Examples:
Does the secondary character’s knowledge because of an interest you’ve already read about, or skills from a hobby mentioned earlier start helping the MC tackle aspects of the story problem?
Does the location where we met key players later yield clues in solving the murder? Or is it a place about which we know family secrets are kept or where other allies are now being sought?
If there something about a character, a place, a device etc that got your interest, but hasn’t been developed and that you would like to see more of?
Action Scenes
Can you picture who is where, doing what? Or are there so many details that you lose sight of the main actions in a scene?
Are you hanging on the edge of your seat, reading short, sharp sentences which narrate at the speed the scene unfolds? Or is some of the suspense and tension killed by long winded sentences?
Related Reading
Chapter One Checklist by me.
Act 1 Checklist by me.
Act 3 Checklist by me.
Developing Characters, by me.
Chapter Checklist by K.M. Allan.
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