novel-editor-flow

# Novel Editor Flow

## Overview

Use this skill to move a novel from "promising draft" to "edited, staged, and package-ready" without mixing every kind of edit into one pass.
Read enough of the manuscript to diagnose the real problem first, then pick one editing lane at a time from macro to micro.

## Workflow

### 1. Lock the edit contract

Capture:
- author and ownership
- target outcome: private gift, beta read, KDP, wide release
- source-of-truth file
- current compiled formats
- current blockers: weak scenes, pacing, line polish, formatting, cover, metadata

If the text is not locked, default to:
- `editorial passes first`
- `packaging second`

### 2. Sample the book before prescribing edits

Read at least:
- opening hook
- first world-expansion chapter
- one middle chapter
- one emotional relationship chapter
- climax or final battle
- ending or epilogue

Return:
- what works immediately
- what feels thin or rushed
- what repeats
- what the book is already good at

Do not prescribe a full rewrite from the opening chapters alone.

For pass order and diagnosis labels, read:
- `references/pass-order.md`

### 3. Diagnose the dominant problem

Pick the single leading issue before editing:
- `developmental`
- `scene-depth`
- `subtext/foreshadowing`
- `line-level copy`
- `format/package`

If the manuscript is emotionally working but reads thin, prefer:
- `scene-depth` first
- `subtext/foreshadowing` second
- `copy` third

If the manuscript is structurally broken, do not hide that behind line edits.

### 4. Run one editorial lane at a time

Allowed order:
1. developmental
2. scene-depth
3. subtext and foreshadowing
4. line and copy
5. ebook and print formatting
6. upload packet

Never combine all six in one pass.

### 5. Use restrained scene-thickening

When scenes feel thin:
- add 1 to 3 concrete sensory details, not whole paragraphs of filler
- give the viewpoint character a short reaction beat after major reveals
- make environments feel inhabited
- sharpen verbs before adding adjectives
- expand only scenes that carry plot, intimacy, dread, wonder, or payoff

Do not inflate the manuscript just to make it longer.

### 6. Seed subtext and foreshadowing quietly

Use:
- repeated image systems
- small contradictions in dialogue or self-perception
- loaded sensory motifs
- emotional logic that points ahead before plot logic explains it

Avoid:
- prophecy dumping
- obvious teaser lines that announce future events
- late-book themes pasted into early chapters without natural fit

For subtext rules and examples, read:
- `references/subtext-foreshadowing.md`

### 7. Convert only after the text lane is clear

Once the current editorial lane is done:
- update the canonical source
- regenerate the review DOCX
- regenerate the EPUB
- regenerate the print DOCX or PDF

Prefer the repo's existing builder if one exists.
For packaging expectations, align with the publication workflow already in use.

### 8. Run review lanes separately

Use distinct checks for:
- format
- device
- copy
- reader-response

Do not ask one review pass to answer everything.

For the review split, read:
- `references/review-lane-template.md`

### 9. Emit a compact decision note

After each meaningful pass, record:
- what lane was run
- what changed
- what was intentionally deferred
- what the next lane should be

If the session may pause, write a handoff note immediately.

## Output Contract

When using this skill, return:
- manuscript state
- dominant editorial issue
- recommended next pass
- concrete files to edit
- publication status

## References

- `references/pass-order.md`
  - Read when deciding which editing lane comes next.

- `references/subtext-foreshadowing.md`
  - Read when the book needs deeper setup without heavy rewrites.

- `references/review-lane-template.md`
  - Read when splitting QA across copy, device, format, and reader-response lanes.