Inkshift Revision Plan Overview

You’ve finished your manuscript, gathered feedback from a variety sources, and now you have a list of issues. Your villain feels flat, the pacing drags in Act 2, the stakes aren't clear. What next? Knowing something is wrong is very different from knowing how to fix it. This gap between diagnosis and cure is where many writers get stuck, staring at their draft and wondering where to even begin.

Inkshift is built by authors, and we know this pain all too well. That's why we're rolling out our new Revision Plan feature which transforms a manuscript critique into a chapter-by-chapter plan so you can start your next draft with clear direction.

In this article, we'll provide a step-by-step walkthrough of how the Revision Plan works. You'll learn how to move from a high-level critique to a concrete set of tasks, enabling you to revise your manuscript systematically and effectively. We're assuming you're familiar with Inkshift critiques, but if you're not, we recommend reading this article first

What Is Inkshift's Revision Plan Feature?

Inkshift's Revision Plan is a tool designed to bridge the gap between getting a critique and fixing your manuscript. Since the first step in any new draft is getting feedback, it's available as a bundle with an Editorial Critique for $35. The process takes you through three clear steps: get your manuscript critiqued, set your revision goals, and receive a chapter-by-chapter action plan with specific, implementable changes.

How It Works

The journey from a rough draft to a polished novel requires a structured approach. This three-step process is designed to give you that structure, moving you from high-level feedback to detailed, scene-specific actions.

Step 1: Get Your Manuscript Critiqued

The process begins when you upload your manuscript to Inkshift and receive a comprehensive Editorial Critique. This analysis covers essential story elements like plot structure, character development, stakes and tension, prose quality, and identifies the overall strengths and weaknesses of your draft.

What you do:

• Read through the critique carefully to understand the feedback.
• Allow the feedback time to sink in. It’s often helpful to step away for a day or two before diving into revisions.
• Identify the issues that resonate most with your own assessment of the story.

Plan to spend at least a few hours digesting the critique before moving on to the next step.

Step 2: Create Your Revision Goals

After you've received your critique, you'll see an option at the top of your critique page to create a revision plan.

Inkshift summarizes the key findings into a list of suggested revision goals. These are high-level changes you want to make to your manuscript. The goals are specific enough to be actionable but broad enough to guide your revisions across multiple scenes and chapters.

Examples of revision goals:

• "Make the villain more sinister and threatening in early chapters"
• "Strengthen the protagonist's internal strife in Act 3"
• "Increase the stakes before the midpoint"
• "Clarify the magic system's rules and limitations"
• "Develop the romantic subplot more organically"
• "Fix pacing issues in the middle section"
• "Review the manuscript for repeated phrases and crutch words"

What you do:

• Review the revision goals suggested by Inkshift.
• Edit, add, or remove goals to align with your personal vision for the book.

This step is crucial because you're in control. Inkshift suggests goals based on its analysis, but you decide what goes into your final plan. If you disagree with a point from the critique, you don't have to include it. If you have an idea that the critique didn't mention, you can add it.

Step 3: Get Your Chapter-by-Chapter Revision Plan

Based on the goals you've set, Inkshift creates a detailed, scene-by-scene action plan. This plan shows you exactly where in your manuscript to make the changes you've prioritized.

This means that when you sit down to start your next draft, for each chapter you're working through, you have a list of items to implement.

Example - Goal: "Make the villain more sinister"

• Chapter 5: In the interrogation scene, add physical intimidation. Have the villain circle the prisoner slowly, speaking in a low voice that forces them to strain to hear. Change dialogue from direct threats to implied ones. Instead of "I'll kill you," try "I wonder how long someone can survive in the dungeons. Shall we find out?" Add a moment where he casually mentions a past victim to demonstrate ruthlessness.
• Chapter 9: During the council meeting, show the villain's power through the reactions of others. Have council members avoid his eye contact and shift nervously when he speaks. Add a detail where he overrules an objection without raising his voice, demonstrating absolute authority.
• Chapter 14: In the confrontation scene, give him a cold, calculating response instead of an angry one. A villain in control is more frightening. Consider adding a moment where he reveals he anticipated the protagonist's plan, which shows his intelligence and makes him a more formidable threat.

This approach works because you are no longer hunting through hundreds of pages for "villain scenes." Each suggestion is specific and actionable, not just vague advice. You can work through the plan chapter by chapter, making steady, measurable progress as the changes are coordinated to create a coherent improvement across the manuscript.

If you'd like to see a complete example, here's a revision plan for Harry Potter

How to Use Your Revision Plan Effectively

To get the most out of your plan, it's helpful to follow a few best practices.

• Work sequentially: Start with Chapter 1 and move forward. This helps prevent creating contradictory changes or missing important setup and payoff opportunities.
• Adapt as needed: The plan provides suggestions, not commandments. If a suggestion doesn't fit your vision, feel free to modify it or skip it entirely.
• Track your changes: Keep notes on what you have implemented. This not only helps you see your progress but also creates a record of your revisions.
• Focus on one pass at a time: If you have multiple major goals, such as strengthening a character arc and also clarifying a complex magic system, consider addressing them in separate revision passes.

The revision plan is a guide, but you are the author. Use it as a starting point, and if a suggestion sparks a better idea, go with your instinct.

What Makes Inkshift's Revision Plan Different?

This tool offers a different approach compared to traditional manuscript feedback methods.

• Compared to traditional developmental editing: A traditional editor tells you what's wrong, and then you have to figure out how to fix it, which can often require multiple rounds of feedback. Inkshift provides both the diagnosis and the treatment plan in one package, at a fraction of the cost ($35 vs. $1,000-$3,000). And best of all it's available in minutes.
• Compared to beta readers and CPs: Beta readers are great at identifying what doesn't work for them as a reader, but they rarely know how to fix the underlying structural issues. Inkshift translates that reader-level feedback into writer-level action items, giving you specific scene suggestions instead of just general impressions.
• Compared to doing it yourself: You could spend weeks re-reading your manuscript and guessing where to make changes. Inkshift provides a strategic roadmap so you can work efficiently and reduces the risk of making changes that don't address the core issues.

Conclusion

The most challenging part of revision isn't always getting feedback; it's knowing what to do with it. Without a clear plan, even the best critique can leave you feeling stuck.

Inkshift's Revision Plan transforms abstract feedback into concrete action. It provides a clear roadmap, specific suggestions tied to your goals, and a systematic way to make steady, measurable progress. The critique tells you what needs work, and the revision plan tells you how to fix it. Good luck!