Edit It EditingPatron tool
Structure Analyzer: Finally see what your novel needs.
Something feels off in your novel, but you cannot see where, and every reread makes you less sure. Now you can step outside the draft, see what is holding it back, and get back to writing with a plan.
Included with membership at $10/month or more.
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You stay in charge of the story. You decide which ideas serve the book you mean to write.
Get an outside view of your whole story.
After months inside a draft, it is hard to see the shape of the book. Here is what changes when you can step back.
The nagging worry gets a name
That vague sense that something is off turns into something you can point to. You stop rereading in doubt and start working on the real problem.
Distance from a book you know too well
Months of closeness fade, and you take in the whole story at once. You notice what you were standing too near to see.
Revision starts with a direction
You walk into your next draft knowing where to begin, instead of polishing at random and hoping. The story stays yours, and you choose which ideas to try.
Use it when your story feels stuck.
Drafts get stuck in different ways. Start with the moment you are in.
When the middle sags
You can feel the book slow down, and you cannot say why. Instead of rewriting everything, you find out what the middle needs. This works whether you noticed the sag yourself or an editor pointed it out.
When several viewpoints share the story
A story told by several people is hard to hold in your head all at once. You can stop worrying that readers will lose the thread.
When you wrote by feel
You trusted your instincts, and now you wonder how well the pieces fit. Choosing a structure after the draft is done is fine, and you may be pleasantly surprised by how much shape your instincts already gave the book.
Before agents, editors, or beta readers see it
You want to hand over your draft without wincing. Fix the gaps you can spot yourself, then bring sharper questions to the people who read your next draft.
Bring one novel and choose one structure.
You bring
Upload one novel’s manuscript, complete or close to it, and choose Save the Cat, the Hero’s Journey, the Three-Act Structure, the Hollywood Formula, or the Chiastic Structure.
Your manuscript stays private. Author Media never stores or views it, and the AI companies do not train on it.
You get
A map of where your story’s turning points land, plus a ranked list of changes to try.
AI can misplace a turning point or overlook a twist, and separate runs may place a beat differently. Check each finding against your own sense of the story. It does not rewrite your prose, and you can try another structure on the same book whenever you like.
New to the chiastic structure?
Most structure guides teach three acts. The chiastic structure is an older, two-act form that mirrors a story around its central turning point. Read these two articles before you choose it.
How to Write Enduring Bestsellers with the Two-Act Chiastic Structure
Thomas Umstattd Jr. explains the ancient two-act form behind Pride and Prejudice, Dracula, and many of the most popular anime stories.
How to Write Your Novel from the Middle
James Scott Bell describes the midpoint “mirror moment,” when a character takes a hard look at themselves, and how to build a novel around it.
Before you begin
What is Structure Analyzer?
Structure Analyzer is an AI tool from Thomas Umstattd Jr. for novelists who want an outside view of their story’s structure.
Who is Structure Analyzer for?
Fiction authors with a draft in hand and a worry about its shape, whether they are indie or traditionally published, plotters or discovery writers. It is built for novels, so a nonfiction book is not a fit.
Which story structures can I choose?
Pick the way of seeing your story that feels most like yours. You can choose Save the Cat, the Hero’s Journey, the Three-Act Structure, the Hollywood Formula, or the Chiastic Structure, and try another whenever you are curious.
Can it tell me which structure my book already follows?
Not sure which shape your book has? That is common, especially if you wrote by instinct. You choose the structure here, and Plot Synopsizer can name the one your story follows. Then choose that structure here for a closer look.
Can I use it before the draft is finished?
Yes, and plenty of authors wonder whether they are too early. You can only learn about the pages you provide, so you get the most from a complete or nearly complete draft.
How do I know it read my whole manuscript?
Handing over a whole novel can feel like a leap of faith. You can tell right away whether your whole book made it in, so you never have to wonder whether a verdict covers pages it never saw.
Can I upload a whole series at once?
A series is a lot of story to hold, and each book deserves a close look. Your series gets the most attention one book at a time, so analyze one book per run. If one very long manuscript may need to become two books, try Book Splitter.
Does this replace a developmental editor?
No, and it is not meant to. You get an outside view of your structure to weigh against what you intend, and you decide what serves your book. Your prose stays yours. For AI feedback beyond structure, try Not a Developmental Editor.
Is my manuscript private?
Yes. Author Media does not store, track, or view anything you post to this tool. The tools reach each AI through its business API with privacy set to the maximum, so the AI companies do not train on your words.
How much does it cost?
Structure Analyzer is included with any Novel Marketing Patreon membership of $10 per month or more. That membership also unlocks more than 80 other author tools in the Patron Toolbox. AI tool use draws from your membership’s credit balance, and a full novel uses more credits than a few chapters.
Patron Toolbox Membership
Finish this draft with confidence.
You find out where your story needs work, and your membership opens more than 80 other author tools.
AI tool use draws from your membership’s credit balance. A full novel uses more credits than a few chapters.
Patron Toolbox Membership
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Choose the next kind of help your draft needs.
For feedback beyond structure
Not a Developmental EditorGet AI feedback on character, pacing, and clarity when your question is bigger than structure.
To name the structure you already wrote
Plot SynopsizerGet synopses of your finished novel, along with the story structure it follows. Then choose that structure here.
When the order of events is the problem
Timeline ChroniclerSee your story’s events in chronological order and catch timeline mistakes, especially in books with flashbacks or several timelines.
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