| name | novel-editor-flow |
| description | Assess fiction manuscripts and run a staged developmental-to-publication edit flow. Use when reading a novel draft or compiled manuscript to diagnose scene thinness, pacing, subtext, foreshadowing, emotional payoff, relationship arcs, or publication readiness, especially when turning a PDF or rough draft into an edited source, review packet, EPUB, and print-ready files. |
Novel Editor Flow
Overview
Use this skill to move a novel from "promising draft" to "edited, staged, and package-ready" without mixing every kind of edit into one pass.
Read enough of the manuscript to diagnose the real problem first, then pick one editing lane at a time from macro to micro.
Workflow
1. Lock the edit contract
Capture:
- author and ownership
- target outcome: private gift, beta read, KDP, wide release
- source-of-truth file
- current compiled formats
- current blockers: weak scenes, pacing, line polish, formatting, cover, metadata
If the text is not locked, default to:
editorial passes firstpackaging second
2. Sample the book before prescribing edits
Read at least:
- opening hook
- first world-expansion chapter
- one middle chapter
- one emotional relationship chapter
- climax or final battle
- ending or epilogue
Return:
- what works immediately
- what feels thin or rushed
- what repeats
- what the book is already good at
Do not prescribe a full rewrite from the opening chapters alone.
For pass order and diagnosis labels, read:
3. Diagnose the dominant problem
Pick the single leading issue before editing:
developmentalscene-depthsubtext/foreshadowingline-level copyformat/package
If the manuscript is emotionally working but reads thin, prefer:
scene-depth firstsubtext/foreshadowing secondcopy third
If the manuscript is structurally broken, do not hide that behind line edits.
4. Run one editorial lane at a time
Allowed order:
- developmental
- scene-depth
- subtext and foreshadowing
- line and copy
- ebook and print formatting
- upload packet
Never combine all six in one pass.
5. Use restrained scene-thickening
When scenes feel thin:
- add 1 to 3 concrete sensory details, not whole paragraphs of filler
- give the viewpoint character a short reaction beat after major reveals
- make environments feel inhabited
- sharpen verbs before adding adjectives
- expand only scenes that carry plot, intimacy, dread, wonder, or payoff
Do not inflate the manuscript just to make it longer.
6. Seed subtext and foreshadowing quietly
Use:
- repeated image systems
- small contradictions in dialogue or self-perception
- loaded sensory motifs
- emotional logic that points ahead before plot logic explains it
Avoid:
- prophecy dumping
- obvious teaser lines that announce future events
- late-book themes pasted into early chapters without natural fit
For subtext rules and examples, read:
references/subtext-foreshadowing.md
7. Convert only after the text lane is clear
Once the current editorial lane is done:
- update the canonical source
- regenerate the review DOCX
- regenerate the EPUB
- regenerate the print DOCX or PDF
Prefer the repo's existing builder if one exists.
For packaging expectations, align with the publication workflow already in use.
8. Run review lanes separately
Use distinct checks for:
- format
- device
- copy
- reader-response
Do not ask one review pass to answer everything.
For the review split, read:
references/review-lane-template.md
9. Emit a compact decision note
After each meaningful pass, record:
- what lane was run
- what changed
- what was intentionally deferred
- what the next lane should be
If the session may pause, write a handoff note immediately.
Output Contract
When using this skill, return:
- manuscript state
- dominant editorial issue
- recommended next pass
- concrete files to edit
- publication status
References
