Make a revision plan for my finished first draft
A big-picture diagnosis of your first draft and a step-by-step revision plan that fixes structure before sentences.
The prompt
Help me plan the revision of my finished first draft. This is step 4 of writing my novel.
Outline and story bible (from steps 2-3, if I have them): [PASTE or summarize]
Draft summary: [a chapter-by-chapter summary - 1-3 lines per chapter]
Word count: [NUMBER]
What I already think is wrong: [e.g. "middle drags", "villain is flat", "ending feels rushed"]
What I love and want to keep: [LIST]
Sample chapters: [PASTE 1-2 chapters, if possible]
Time I can give revision: [HOURS PER WEEK]
Do this:
1. Diagnose big-picture issues first, from my summary: structure and pacing, whether the protagonist drives the plot, character arcs, stakes, point of view consistency, subplots, and whether the ending pays off the setup. Rate each as strong, needs work, or major problem, with examples.
2. From any sample chapters: patterns to watch across the book (overwriting, slow openings, too much backstory early, repeated words, unclear scene goals). Give a few short before/after examples using my own lines.
3. Build a revision plan in passes, from big to small: structure and cuts, character and arc, scene-level tension, then line editing. Say what to fix in each pass and what to ignore until later.
4. List chapters to cut, merge, add, or move.
5. Give a realistic timeline for the passes based on my available hours.
Be honest and specific, not harsh. Return the diagnosis, the plan, and a revision checklist per chapter. Next step: get feedback from beta readers.
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 or summarize
- a chapter-by-chapter summary - 1-3 lines per chapter
- NUMBER
- e.g. "middle drags", "villain is flat", "ending feels rushed"
- LIST
- PASTE 1-2 chapters, if possible
- HOURS PER WEEK
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the RTF structure (Role, Task, Format). RTF tells the model who to be, what to do and what shape the answer should take. It is the quickest structure that still gives noticeably better results than a bare request.
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