Revision Begins with Clarity

A Story-Level Revision Map for Post-First-Draft Writers

You’ve finished your draft. Or you’re deep in revision, moving scenes around and tightening prose. But something still feels off.

Before you rewrite another paragraph, step back and examine your story’s foundation.

What This Is

The Story-Level Revision Map is a structured framework designed to help you:

  • Clarify your main character’s motivation and what they stand to lose
  • Identify the core promise your story makes to the reader
  • Evaluate the cause-and-effect movement driving your plot
  • Break revision into manageable, strategic steps

This resource will help you to understand what’s really happening beneath the surface of your story, and to organize the steps you need to take to work through your big-picture revision. This is the same story-level revision framework I use with my private Manuscript Evaluation clients.

Who It’s For

This tool is ideal if you:

  • Have completed a first draft
  • Feel stuck in revision but can’t pinpoint why
  • Write mystery, suspense, or character-driven fiction 
  • Prefer working from a plan rather than guessing

What You’ll Get

  • A 7-page structured workbook (Google Doc) designed to be completed in 1-3 focused sessions.

You’ll map your story’s promise and identify what truly needs revision before touching the pages themselves. This is thinking work, not editing work. You just need a clear starting point.

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