A Tool For Your Revision

I’m about to hit you with an amazing tool that will change the way you think about revision.

Meet the Rapid Story Inspection.

This simple tool—adapted from the wonderful Jennie Nash at Author Accelerator—allows you to assess your manuscript without getting lost in the details.

With it, you can check the milestones of your book—the beginning, middle, and end—to see how the story holds together.

To perform your Rapid Story Inspection:

1. Read the first two or three chapters of your novel

2. Jump to the middle of your book and read two chapters

3. Read the last two chapters of your book

Now, ask yourself:

• Does the end of the story answer the question posed at the beginning?

• Is the right person telling the story?

• Does the protagonist change?

• Do the protagonist’s choices cause the next thing to happen?

• Is there something standing in the protagonist’s way for the duration of the book?

Only after you’ve performed this big-picture assessment are you ready to read your manuscript all the way through.

I guarantee this exercise will work your story muscles in new ways and give you a new perspective on your story.