If your middle sags, it is almost never your prose.
A sagging middle usually means pressure is leaking: escalation stalls, goals stop turning, or conflict becomes repetitive. This quiz identifies where it breaks.
8 questions • ~3 minutes • Immediate structural recommendation
What the Quiz Reveals
This is not advice. It is a triage result that tells you what to fix first.
What Your Symptoms Actually Mean
Translate emotional frustration into structural diagnosis.
My middle feels like it's just scenes, not story."
Structural signal: Scene turns are missing, so pressure resets after each chapter.
What to check: Does each scene end with a changed situation, not a summary?
Stakes exist but don't escalate."
Structural signal: You have a threat, but no escalation ladder. Each complication feels equal.
What to check: Is each setback worse than the last? Does failure cost more each time?
My protagonist wanders aimlessly in Act 2."
Structural signal: Goal is too vague or reactive. Protagonist is not driving action.
What to check: Can you state what your protagonist is trying to achieve in every chapter?
Subplots feel disconnected from the main thread."
Structural signal: Subplots are not pressuring the main arc. They exist in parallel, not intersection.
What to check: Does each subplot complicate or clarify the protagonist's central choice?
Readers say 'I got bored in the middle.'"
Structural signal: Tension valve opens too often. Scenes provide relief before earning it.
What to check: Are you giving breathers before the reader needs one?
I know the ending but can't get there."
Structural signal: Your midpoint is not doing its job. It should lock the protagonist in, not pause the story.
What to check: Does your midpoint eliminate retreat? Does it raise stakes permanently?
What This Diagnostic Is (and Isn't)
This Is
- Structural diagnosis of narrative architecture
- Genre-aware (fantasy, sci-fi, speculative)
- Actionable priority order for revision
- Tier recommendation based on your needs
This Is Not
- Grammar or line editing
- Generic writing advice
- AI auto-feedback
- Promises of publication
Structural Revision Example
This is what structural editing looks like. Line-level prose unchanged.
Converting summary into scene turn
After the battle, the soldiers rested. Days passed. They recovered from their wounds and prepared for the next fight. Eventually, word came that the enemy was moving again.
Kel had just closed his eyes when the runner arrived. "They're coming. Two hours, maybe less." His wounds hadn't closed. His sword arm still wouldn't grip. In two hours, he would fight again, or he would die. He forced himself to stand.
What changed structurally:
- •Summary replaced with immediate pressure
- •Rest denied (two hours, not days)
- •Physical limitation creates tension (arm won't grip)
Setting unchanged. Prose style unchanged. Only pacing compressed.
Quick Questions
Do I need to upload my manuscript?
No. The quiz asks 8 questions about your manuscript. We do not request files until we confirm fit.
Is this about prose style or structure?
Structure only. Sagging middles are rarely a prose problem. They are an architecture problem.
What happens after I get results?
You receive a structural priority map and tier recommendation. One clear next step.
We do not request your manuscript file until we confirm fit.
Your results are delivered by email so you can revisit them.