narrative-surgical-editing

name	narrative-surgical-editing
description	Use when revising existing fiction with a constrained edit radius, changing only a requested beat, dialogue line, internal monologue, subplot reference, scene component, genre mechanic, or continuity issue without rewriting unrelated prose. Based on Steven Pressfield and Morgan Housel transcript sections on editing, reader perspective, and story components.

Narrative Surgical Editing

Use this skill when the user asks for a focused change and preserving surrounding prose matters.

Source Protocol

• Read references/source-notes.md for transcript-derived editing and structure notes.
• Treat the sources as editing discipline, not as prose style targets.

Operating Loop

1. Identify the edit target.
2. Define the allowed edit radius before changing text.
3. Name what must be preserved: pacing, POV, tense, formatting, lore, genre mechanics, voice, adjacent action, or chapter structure.
4. Make the smallest change that satisfies the request.
5. Remove only direct dangling references created by the change.
6. Report exactly what changed and what was intentionally left alone.

Edit Radius Contract

Edit target:
Allowed edit radius:
Must preserve:
Continuity dependencies:
Revision:
Changes made:
Untouched by design:
Remaining risks:

Rules

• Touch only what the request requires.
• If changing dialogue, preserve adjacent action unless it creates contradiction.
• If changing internal monologue, preserve environmental prose unless the thought depends on it.
• If deleting a subplot, remove dangling references but do not rewrite the main narrative spine.
• If the requested edit breaks continuity, stop and explain the smallest safe expansion of scope.
• Preserve genre conventions, progression mechanics, fanfiction-to-original transition rules, and trope promises unless directed otherwise.

Revision Scales

• Word/line: diction, aggression, tenderness, clarity, cadence.
• Beat: motive, turn, reaction, reveal, micro-payoff.
• Scene component: opening pressure, midpoint reversal, all-is-lost beat, epiphany, exit hook.
• Thread cleanup: direct references caused by removing a subplot or object.
• Structural repair: only when the local edit cannot work without moving scene logic.

Use the smallest viable scale.