Story Revision Roadmap

You’ve written a manuscript. Or most of one. Or enough pages to know there’s a real book in there somewhere, possibly hiding beneath three subplots, a character who changed personality halfway through, and an ending that no longer seems to be speaking to the beginning.

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That doesn’t mean the book is broken.

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It means the draft has done what drafts do: it has shown you possibilities, problems, surprises, wrong turns, useful accidents, and the shape of the story underneath the noise.

Now you need to revise.

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Not polish. Not tinker. Not keep circling the same five chapters while muttering darkly into a biscuit.

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You need to step back, understand what the book is trying to become, and build a revision plan that helps you move from the manuscript you have to the book you meant to write.

That’s what the Story Revision Roadmap is for.

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Is this you?

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This package may be right for you if:

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• You have a full or substantial draft of a novel or memoir, but you’re not sure what to do with it next.

• You’ve received feedback, but you don’t know how to prioritise it.

• You suspect the issue isn’t just “better writing” but structure, character movement, pacing, theme, stakes, or emotional arc.

• You keep revising individual scenes, but the whole book still isn’t clicking.

• You know there’s something powerful in the manuscript, but you can’t yet see the cleanest path through it.

• You don’t want someone to simply tell you what’s wrong. You want a plan for what to do next.

What is story revision coaching?

Story revision coaching helps you look at your manuscript as a whole: its promise, structure, character arc, emotional movement, pacing, reader experience, and revision priorities.

This is not a copyedit or proofread.

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It is not a line edit.

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It is not ongoing weekly feedback on pages.

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And it is definitely not someone wandering through your manuscript pointing at things and saying, “Raise the stakes,” before vanishing into the editorial mist.

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This is big-picture developmental book coaching. Together, we’ll clarify what your book is trying to do, identify where the current draft is and isn’t serving that vision, and create a practical revision roadmap for your next draft.

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By the end, you’ll know what to revise, why it matters, and what order to tackle the work in.

How the Story Revision Roadmap works

The Story Revision Roadmap is based on the tools and techniques developed by Jennie Nash at Author Accelerator and has three main phases.

Phase One: Reconnect with the book you meant to write

Before we decide what needs to change, we need to clarify what the manuscript is trying to become.

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This part of the process draws on the same core story development work I use with writers who are planning a new book. We’ll revisit the foundation of your story, including:

• Your central story idea.

• The promise you’re making to the reader.

• The protagonist’s external journey.

• The protagonist’s internal change.

• The central conflict or pressure.

• The emotional experience you want the reader to have.

• The shape and purpose of the book as a whole.

This phase helps us separate the book’s true intention from the noise of the current draft.

Because sometimes the problem isn’t that you don’t know what you’re doing.

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Sometimes the problem is that the draft knows too much.

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Phase Two: Create the “to-be” Outline

Once we’ve clarified the vision, we’ll create a “to-be” Outline.

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This is not a summary of the manuscript as it currently exists.

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It is a working map of what the story needs to become.

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For fiction, this may include plot movement, character arc, stakes, tension, relationship development, theme, scene purpose, and cause-and-effect progression.

For memoir, this may include the narrator’s transformation, the organising principle, the emotional argument of the book, the reader’s journey, the balance between lived experience and meaning, and the role each major section plays in the whole.

The “to-be” Outline gives us something concrete to revise toward.

Not vibes.

Not panic.

A map.

Phase Three: Identify the gap between this draft and the intended book

This is where the revision plan takes shape.

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We’ll look at the difference between the manuscript you currently have and the book you’re trying to build.

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We may ask:

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• Where does the current draft lose focus?

• Where does the protagonist’s arc weaken, stall, or disappear?

• Which scenes are doing essential story work?

• Which scenes are beautifully written but structurally unemployed?

• Where does the book make one promise and deliver another?

• What needs to be moved, cut, expanded, reframed, or reimagined?

• What should you revise first?

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The goal is not to create a giant, terrifying list of everything that could possibly be improved.

The goal is to create a clear order of operations so you can revise with purpose.

What you’ll receive

The Story Revision Roadmap includes:

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• A full revision-planning process based on your manuscript and story goals.

• Story Development-style story vision work.

• A “to-be” Outline.

• Developmental analysis of the gap between your current draft and the intended book.

• A clear, prioritised revision plan.

• One-to-one coaching and feedback throughout the process.

• A final strategy call to walk through your plan and next steps.

You’ll leave with a practical roadmap for your next draft, not a vague instruction to “make it stronger” and best wishes from the editorial gods.

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What this is not

To make sure we’re both clear, the Story Revision Roadmap is not:

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• A copyedit.

• A proofread.

• A line edit.

• A full developmental edit with comments on every page.

• A weekly page-submission programme.

• A done-for-you rewrite.

If you’re looking for detailed craft feedback on regular batches of pages, I may be able to offer ongoing revision coaching after we’ve completed either a Manuscript Evaluation or the Story Revision Roadmap. I don’t offer that as the starting point because I need to understand the whole book before I can give useful chapter-by-chapter guidance.

Story Revision Roadmap vs Manuscript Evaluation

A Manuscript Evaluation tells you what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs attention in the current manuscript.

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The Story Revision Roadmap goes further. It helps you rebuild the working plan for the book before you revise.

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Choose a Manuscript Evaluation if you want a professional diagnostic read of the full draft.

Choose the Story Revision Roadmap if you already know the manuscript needs a deeper rethink and you want help creating the strategy for the next draft.

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Investment

Story Revision Roadmap starts at $2,995.

For manuscripts up to 90,000 words, the investment is $2,995.

For manuscripts from 90,000–120,000 words, the investment starts at $3,495.

For manuscripts over 120,000 words, multi-POV projects, or especially complex books, I’ll provide a custom quote after reviewing your application.

Payment plans may be available.

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What you’ll be able to do after the Roadmap

By the end of this process, you’ll be able to:

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• See the manuscript more clearly.

• Understand what the next draft needs to accomplish.

• Make stronger decisions about structure, character, pacing, and emotional movement.

• Stop treating every issue as equally urgent.

• Revise in the right order.

• Protect what is already working.

• Let go of material that no longer serves the book.

• Move into revision with more confidence and less panic.

The aim is not to make revision easy. Revision is still revision. There may still be biscuits. There may still be muttering.

But you’ll know what you’re doing and why.​