Outline review for fantasy and sci-fi novels
Have a plan but want to stress-test it before you write 90,000 words? Catch the big problems while you’re still brainstorming your manuscript.
Plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between?
Plotters
IYou’ve planned the whole book in a spreadsheet, color coding included. Now, you want a second set of eyes before you start drafting.
Pantsers
You wrote your way to the middle and then you got stuck. An Outline Review can show you where the story lost its structure and what has to happen next to keep you writing forward.
Rewriters
You’re about to restructure a finished fast draft or zero draft, and you want to test the new plan before you start writing.
Structure problems are the easiest to fix before they're written. These are the ones I look for are:
The global story. What the book is about at its core, and whether the through line is connected all the way to the end.
Each act. The major movements of your story. Are they each filling their structural purpose?
Character arcs. What your protagonist wants, what they need, and what stakes are they facing.
Romance beats, if your story has them, and whether they work with the plot rather than against it.
World-building load. How much the reader needs to know, and when.
What I for in your outline
How it works
1. Book and pay. You’ll get a link to send in all of your current outline notes, whatever form they are in. Everything from plot points, a synopsis, and character biographies works.
2. I’ll spend time analyzing your outline before we meet.
3. We go through the board together on a live 180-minute call.
4. You’ll leave with notes on what’s working, your priorities for revision, next steps. I’ll send you a PDF version of the story board for reference.
Price: $250
Need a sounding board instead?
Not ready for an Outline Review? Book a single 60-minute coaching call and bring your outline, a structural question or the thing that’s got you stuck.
Price: $75
Got Questions? I’ve Got Answers
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Detailed enough that someone else could follow the story from start to finish. Chapter-by-chapter summaries are ideal, but a solid bulleted outline works too.
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No. An outline review is a fixed-price service, so I book it directly.
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An outline review covers the outline itself. If you want feedback on your pages, look at the Manuscript Evaluation or Revision Coaching.
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You draft or revise with a plan you trust. Plenty of writers come back for a developmental edit once the draft is done.