Do you have a story, or simply a situation?

Revising and editing doesn’t have to be deadly dull, serious work.

Editor and writing coach Allison K. Williams shares a silly test that authors can use to ensure their draft (at any stage) is in fact a story, not a situation.

In a nutshell, you’ll pretend that you’re narrating a dramatic movie trailer when you state the premise of your book — and yes, the deep voice and heavy pauses are an important part of that test.

Williams explains why the in-a-world test works for revising a story in a guest post at Jane Friedman’s blog.

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• C.S. Lakin: Your story can't stand on a character alone