Promises, promises.

The article outlines some of the questions asked by the author to his creative writing students which include the start of the story at very moment, the central conflict of the story, and the story meander. The author suggests going to library and reading the first page or first chapter to identify the point of the story. It also explains the common obstacles to good story chops including happily-ever-after all the time, runaway dialogue, and becoming a revision shark.