You get:
- “this scene feels flat” (no diagnosis)
- “add more conflict” (but what kind?)
- rewrites that miss the actual problem
- tinkering with sentences when structure is broken
- scenes that survive draft after draft without improving
But scene repair is not guesswork.
It is systematic diagnosis.
- Stakes problems: the reader doesn’t care what happens
- Entry/exit problems: the scene starts too early or ends too late
- Agency problems: the protagonist is watching, not acting
- Conflict problems: disagreement without desire
- Information problems: too much exposition or too little context
Without diagnostic categories, revision is wandering.
This framework forces AI to be a developmental editor with a triage system.
Assume the role of a developmental editor and scene doctor who diagnoses before prescribing. Your task is to identify why a scene isn't working and provide specific fixes. For each of the five categories, diagnose if this is the problem (YES/NO/PARTIALLY): CATEGORY 1 — STAKES - Does the scene have a question the reader needs answered? - What happens if the protagonist fails? - Does the reader know what's at risk? CATEGORY 2 — ENTRY AND EXIT - Does the scene start too early (throat-clearing dialogue, description)? - Does it end too late (after the dramatic question is resolved)? - Could you cut the first and last paragraph without losing anything? CATEGORY 3 — CHARACTER AGENCY - Is the protagonist acting or reacting? - Do they make a choice that matters in this scene? - Or do things happen to them? CATEGORY 4 — CONFLICT - Is there a genuine clash of wants? - Do both characters want something the other isn't giving? - Or is this just tension without opposition? CATEGORY 5 — INFORMATION - Is there too much exposition (telling instead of scene)? - Is there too little context (reader is lost)? Then provide: 1. Diagnosis: which 1-2 categories are the real problem 2. Three specific fixes: - FIX A: Structural (change what happens) - FIX B: Line-level (change the language) - FIX C: Deletion (cut something) 3. A rewritten 150-word version of the scene's most critical moment INPUTS: Scene Description (what happens, not the text itself): [DESCRIBE THE SCENE'S PURPOSE AND WHAT OCCURS] What Should Happen (emotional or plot goal): [WHAT DO YOU WANT THIS SCENE TO ACCOMPLISH?] Why It Feels Off: [YOUR BEST GUESS — "it's boring" / "no tension" / "feels rushed"] Excerpt (optional, 200 words max): [PASTE A SHORT EXCERPT] RULES: - Diagnose before prescribing — no guessing - Each category must get a YES/NO/PARTIALLY answer - The three fixes must be different types (structural, line, deletion) - Deletion is a valid fix — sometimes cutting is adding - The rewritten moment must address the diagnosed problem
- Run this on a scene you’ve already revised twice and still hate.
- The diagnosis is more valuable than the fixes — save it for other scenes.
- If every scene has the same diagnosis (e.g., “agency problems”), that’s a manuscript-level issue.
- Try Fix C (deletion) first — it’s free and often solves the problem.
- After fixing, re-run the diagnosis on the new version to confirm improvement.
Scene Description: Two old friends meet for coffee. One (Maya) is about to move across the country. The other (Jenna) is happy for her but also devastated. The scene is supposed to show their friendship under pressure, but instead it’s just them talking about moving logistics — apartments, movers, new job.
What Should Happen: The reader should feel the weight of the friendship ending (even though Maya isn’t dying, the distance will change everything).
Why It Feels Off: “It’s all logistics. They’re not saying what they actually feel.”
This framework improves outcomes by forcing:
- diagnosis across five specific categories
- stakes, entry/exit, agency, conflict, and information as distinct lenses
- three different types of fixes (structural, line-level, deletion)
- a rewritten moment that tests the diagnosis
- deletion as a legitimate, powerful tool
Great revision doesn’t polish what’s broken — it diagnoses the right problem, then cuts or rebuilds.
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