Find and fix plot holes and pacing problems in my story
A structural read of your story that pinpoints plot holes, slow stretches, and weak stakes, with fixes to choose from.
The prompt
Review the structure of my story and help me fix plot and pacing problems. Focus on the big picture, not line edits.
Genre and length: [e.g. "cozy mystery, about 60,000 words", "short story, 4,000 words"]
Story summary or outline: [PASTE A CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER OR SCENE-BY-SCENE SUMMARY]
Main character and what they want: [DETAILS]
What I think is wrong: [e.g. "the middle drags", "the ending feels unearned", "not sure"]
Check for:
1. Plot holes: events that contradict earlier facts, characters who know things they couldn't, problems solved by coincidence.
2. Stakes: is it clear what the character risks losing, and do the stakes rise?
3. Cause and effect: does each scene lead to the next ("therefore" / "but"), or are scenes just "and then"?
4. Pacing: stretches with no change, rushed key moments, a late or slow inciting incident.
5. Setups and payoffs: things introduced and never used, or payoffs with no setup.
6. The ending: does it answer the story's central question and follow from the character's choices?
Return:
- A table: Problem | Where it happens | Why it hurts the story | 2-3 possible fixes.
- The 3 changes that would improve the story most, in order.
- Anything that is working well and should be protected during revision.
Offer fixes as options; keep my characters, voice, and intent.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Creative Writing prompts
What to fill in
- PASTE A CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER OR SCENE-BY-SCENE SUMMARY
- DETAILS
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the Few-Shot structure (Few-shot prompting). A few-shot prompt includes one or more worked examples of the input and the output you want, so the model can copy the pattern instead of guessing it.
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