I don't normally write literary fiction. I think you can have just as much quality in genre stories, and it's my goal to get as good as I can at thrillers and mysteries. But short stories give me a small space for experiments. Awhile back, I thought up a story that was clearly different from my other work. It was literary, and I didn't know what I was doing.

One of the keys to getting from that first idea to a polished story was a list of revision questions and topics I drew up from various sources. One of them is the old, classic book on writing literary fiction The Art of Fiction by John Gardner.

After the first draft or two of the story was written, I sat down to answer the following list of questions. They helped me dig deeper into the story. Even the simple questions, looked at calmly with revision in mind, yielded surprising themes and details I added to the final draft.

By the way, the list works for any kind of fiction. A few of the topics may be less important depending on what kind of story you're writing.

What are the forces at work? 
This is initially just a short list. It could be the main characters in the story, an object, a place, a natural disaster. The forces should stand opposite each other. Here is where you clearly state the external conflict, what the story seems to be about.

Who are they? 
Each force is described in more detail. Keep in mind the character or object's crucial role in the story.

Point of view 
Here's where you can think about what point of view choice you made in the last draft, and whether the story would be better in a different point of view. In my story, the point of view character was a 15-year-old boy, but the story hovered above him sometimes so that I could explore some ideas he wasn't capable of expressing.

Dialogue 
Any thoughts on refining the dialogue to fit the characters' voice, background, personality etc.

Expectations of the reader 
Given the story situation, what does your reader think will happen? Can you twist it? Thwarting expectations is a powerful storytelling tool. But you also have to be sure the story stays plausible.

What information does the reader have to know to understand the story? 
Short fiction has to be even more efficient than novels. That means cutting anything that isn't absolutely necessary, while still going for richness and depth. This is one of the hardest things for me. Concentrating on this question helped me break down the story into its crucial components. I saw more clearly what I needed, and what was colorful but unnecessary fluff.

In what way is the main character's heart in conflict with itself?
This refers to the inner struggle a character has to have for a deeper, satisfying story. In my story, the boy wants to prove he's a man by being domineering and brutal, although he's gentle by nature.

At what moment does the main character change?
We as the writers should know the exact sentence -- even exact word -- in the story that signals the character transforming into something new. The seeds of character change have to be planted throughout the story. If you identify exactly where the change happens - usually at the climax - you can work backwards in the story to be sure you've laid the groundwork for the inner transformation.

What is the story's sequence?
A short outline made up of the Open, Mini-climaxes, Climax and Denoument. Another way to think of it is the initial conflict, then small clashes that build up to the main clash (climax). The denoument is the pay off in the story, where the reader sees the result of the climax and how the characters have changed. Once I outlined my story's draft in this basic way, I cut action that didn't add to the build up. That gave the story more forward movement and a much stronger pulse.

I hope this revision list helps you too!