Act as a developmental editor and line editor for the book excerpt below. The manuscript is [GENRE AND AUDIENCE], and this excerpt occurs at [STORY CONTEXT]. The intended voice and stylistic boundaries are [VOICE NOTES]. My priority for this pass is [EDITING GOAL]. Here is the excerpt: [MANUSCRIPT EXCERPT]. Do not rewrite the excerpt in a new authorial voice or add plot events, research, character history, dialogue, or sensory detail that is not present. Preserve deliberate fragments, dialect, rhythm, and repetition unless they obscure meaning or weaken effect. Return the work in four sections:
1. Editorial diagnosis, 300 to 500 words: identify the scene or chapter’s current promise, strongest moments, the central issue holding it back, and the three highest-value revisions. Discuss pacing, point of view, stakes, clarity, continuity, and emotional movement as relevant to this genre. 2. Margin notes in reading order: quote only the necessary short phrase, name the issue, and offer a specific revision direction. Separate true errors from optional craft choices. 3. A tracked-style line-edit table with columns: original, suggested revision, and reason. Limit this to 12 consequential edits; retain the author’s diction wherever possible. 4. Revision plan: five ordered actions for the next draft, including what to protect. Flag continuity questions, accidental point-of-view shifts, unclear referents, repeated images, and claims that need fact-checking. Before answering, check that every suggested change serves the stated editing goal and that your revisions have not flattened the voice. Ask up to three clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [GENRE AND AUDIENCE] | Enter the genre, subgenre, intended readership, and any relevant market expectations. | Upmarket contemporary fiction for adult readers who enjoy family secrets and literary suspense |
| [STORY CONTEXT] | Explain where the excerpt sits in the book and what readers should already know. | Chapter 4; Mara has returned to her childhood town but has not yet learned why her brother left |
| [VOICE NOTES] | Describe the narrator or prose style and elements that must remain intact. | Close third person, restrained and observant; keep the dry humor and concrete regional details |
| [EDITING GOAL] | Name the main concern for this editing pass, such as pacing, dialogue, clarity, or scene tension. | Increase scene tension and make Mara’s emotional shift easier to follow |
| [MANUSCRIPT EXCERPT] | Paste the chapter, scene, or passage you want edited. | Mara parked outside the pharmacy and watched the automatic doors open for no one. |
How to use
- Paste a scene with enough surrounding context to judge cause and effect, usually 1,000 to 3,000 words.
- State one editing goal for the pass so the feedback has a useful hierarchy.
- Compare each line suggestion against your intended voice before accepting it.
- Follow up with: “Now show two rewrite options for only the opening paragraph, preserving every fact and the same point of view.”
Variations
Developmental pass
Use when the chapter’s structure is more uncertain than its sentences.
Give a developmental edit of [CHAPTER OR OUTLINE] from my [GENRE] book. The chapter must accomplish [CHAPTER JOB], and readers already know [PRIOR CONTEXT]. Diagnose scene goal, conflict, turning point, consequence, pacing, and information release. Return a 400-word editorial letter, a beat-by-beat map of what currently happens, and a revised beat outline that uses only existing characters and facts. Flag missing motivation and continuity questions; do not line-edit or invent scenes. Check that the proposed ending changes something meaningful. Ask up to three questions only if required inputs are missing.
Dialogue pass
Use when characters sound interchangeable or scenes explain too much.
Edit the dialogue in [EXCERPT] for a [GENRE] novel. Character A wants [A GOAL], Character B wants [B GOAL], and their speech patterns are [VOICE NOTES]. Return: the subtext of each exchange, lines that state information too directly, up to eight concise revision suggestions, and one revised version of the dialogue only. Preserve plot facts, period language, and each character’s social position. Do not add backstory or make every line witty. Check that both voices remain distinct and that conflict is carried through action or implication. Ask up to three questions only if needed.
Continuity audit
Use before sending a draft to readers or an editor.
Audit this [CHAPTERS OR EXCERPTS] for continuity against these established facts: [STORY BIBLE]. Return a table with location, possible inconsistency, supporting passages, severity, and a repair option that creates the fewest downstream changes. Check names, chronology, travel time, ages, injuries, objects, point of view, and knowledge each character could plausibly have. Do not silently resolve contradictions or invent canon. Separate definite errors from questions for the author. Ask up to three clarifying questions only if a necessary fact is missing.
Tips
- Edit one dimension at a time: resolve scene purpose and chronology before spending energy on commas or sentence rhythm.
- Give the model the preceding and following scene in summary form when judging a chapter; pacing cannot be evaluated from a vacuum.
- Treat a suggested rewrite as a diagnosis, not a replacement; preserve the odd, precise phrases that make the narrator recognizable.
- Keep a story bible for dates, locations, character knowledge, recurring objects, and spelling so continuity feedback has something concrete to test.
FAQ
Can Claude edit a full manuscript at once?
Work chapter by chapter or in deliberate batches, with a shared story summary. A full manuscript pass is less reliable when the model cannot retain all of the relevant context.
Will AI preserve my writing voice?
It can if you define the voice and ask for limited, explained changes. You should still reject edits that make the prose more standard but less yours.
Should I use AI instead of a human editor?
AI is useful for early diagnosis and alternatives. A human editor remains valuable for sustained judgment about the whole book, market, and reader experience.