Reverse outline
Methods & processAn outline built from an existing draft to reveal the structure actually on the page.
Example
The summaries reveal three consecutive scenes explaining the same rivalry without changing it.
A reverse outline summarizes a draft after it has been written. In an essay, it records each paragraph's main point; in a novel, it can track what each scene does.
The resulting map reveals repetition, missing transitions and material introduced at the wrong moment. It is particularly useful when the story has changed substantially during drafting.
In the workshop
Summarize what the draft actually does, even when it differs from your plan.
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