Of course, a story worth telling looks different for different genres.

Fiction/Memoir:

• Story—Is the beginning interesting enough to grab the reader and is the ending satisfying (this is not the same as closure)? Is the plot credible or exciting (consider genre)? Do we want to keep turning pages to see what happens next?
• Voice—Does the work display a clear narrative voice?
• Conflict—Is there enough rising tension throughout the story/chapters to hold interest? Is the outcome of all conflicts predictable? Do actions and events have consequences?
• Pacing—Are we plodding along? Is there a saggy middle? Conversely, are we moving too fast?
• Showing versus telling—How much do we know because the author tells us so? Can readers draw their own conclusions?
• Characters—Do we care about these people? Are they differentiated, unique individuals? Is the protagonist sympathetic and compelling? Is the antagonist believable, or too weak, too evil, or not motivated enough to be convincing? Do they move through a plausible and satisfying character arc?
• POV—Are there errors or inconsistencies in point of view? Can we tell from whose POV we experience the story? Is this the most effective perspective to tell the story from? Is there head-hopping?
• Emotional tone—Do characters experience emotional peaks and valleys? Do scenes lack emotion or explode with melodrama?
• Setting—Does the setting add to the story? Do we have a sense of where events take place? Do descriptions take over to the detriment of other story elements?
• Specific to memoir—Does the author project honesty, authenticity, and critical self-awareness? How much distance has the author achieved from events?