Every story runs on the same handful of moving parts: a protagonist who wants something, an antagonist (or opposing force) who makes that hard, a conflict that matters, stakes if it goes wrong, a setting that pulls its weight, and an ending that pays it all off. Most story problems trace back to one of these being vague, missing, or contradictory. I use my Story Planner process to walk through each element with you and pinpoint exactly where your story is solid and where it's shaky — before you spend more time writing around a problem instead of fixing it.

This is for fiction writers at any stage — a rough idea, an outline, a stalled first draft, or a finished manuscript that isn't landing the way you hoped. If you've ever had a story that "felt off" but you couldn't say why, or you're staring at a blank page because the premise isn't solid enough to build on, this is designed for you.

You fill out the Story Planner form (or send me your existing outline or draft), and I run the full diagnostic myself, covering:

• Your core premise and whether it can actually carry a novel
• Your protagonist's goal, motivation, and the personal weakness standing in their way
• Your antagonist (or opposing force) and whether their goal is genuinely hard to defeat, not just "evil for the sake of it"
• Your main conflict and stakes, so failure actually means something
• Your story path — the major turning points — and any gaps before you draft around them
• Your character's arc: what they believe at the start vs. what they learn by the end, and whether that journey has real ups and downs, not a straight line

You get back:

• A clear project summary in my own words, so you know I actually understood your story
• What's already working — so you don't accidentally cut something good while revising
• The weak spots and missing pieces, called out plainly, not buried in vague praise
• A suggested storyline direction, clearly labeled as a suggestion, not a rewrite of your story
• A short list of the questions you still need to answer before you draft (or keep drafting)
• A recommended next step so you know exactly what to do with the feedback

• A completed Story Planner analysis of your story's premise, protagonist, antagonist, conflict, stakes, setting, and ending
• Plain-language flags on weak, vague, or contradictory story elements — no generic "great job!" filler
• A suggested storyline direction you can take or leave
• Follow-up questions that point you toward your next planning decision, not a lecture on craft basics
• A written report you can revisit anytime you get stuck again later in the draft

Story Planning: 

• using the input form:  $100
• Using a manuscript (up to 75 pages) $250

Every story is at a different stage, so the fastest way to know what it'll take is a free call where I look at where your story stands right now.

Do I need a finished draft to use this?

No — the Story Planner works just as well on a raw idea or an outline as it does on a finished manuscript. Catching a weak premise early saves you the most time.

Is this the same as developmental editing?
Not quite. This focuses on the story's underlying structure — premise, protagonist, antagonist, conflict, stakes, ending — rather than line-by-line prose. Think of it as fixing the blueprint before (or instead of) editing the walls.

What if my story already has a lot of these pieces figured out?

Good — the Story Planner will confirm what's solid and focus the feedback on whatever's actually shaky, instead of making you redo work that's already working.

Can this be combined with the Self-Publishing or Book Marketing plans? 

Yes. In fact, this is the natural first step — get the story right, then publish it, then market it. Mention on the call if you want to bundle more than one track.