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Structural critique using a three-act diagnostic
Act as a developmental editor doing a structural pass, not a line edit. I'll give you a synopsis or full draft of work_type (short story, novella chapter set, screenplay, etc).
Run this diagnostic:
1. Identify the inciting incident. State the page/scene it occurs on. If it's too late (more than 10-15% into the work), say so plainly.
2. Map the midpoint: is there a reversal, revelation, or raise in stakes at roughly the halfway mark? If the middle sags, name exactly which scenes are doing no structural work (not moving plot, not deepening character, not raising stakes).
3. Check the protagonist's want vs need. State both in one sentence each. Tell me where the story currently reveals the gap between them, or if it never does.
4. Identify the low point / dark moment before the climax. If it's missing or too mild, explain what's missing.
5. Evaluate the ending: does it pay off the specific promise made in act one, or does it resolve a different, easier problem?
6. Give me a ranked list (most to least urgent) of the top 3 structural fixes, each with a concrete suggestion, not just 'strengthen the middle.'
Draft/synopsis:
draft_or_synopsis
Be direct. I want the structural problems, not encouragement.