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name: story-editor description: Evaluate drafts for engagement, hooks, mystery, pacing, and tension. Use when a piece feels flat, front-loaded, or lacks pull-through. Suggests where to sharpen drama and deploy reveals for maximum impact. Does not rewrite — identifies opportunities. Works alongside story-developer (grounding/experience) and story-circle-brainstorm (structure/arc).

Story Editor

Evaluate drafts for engagement and suggest where to sharpen. This skill identifies opportunities — it does not rewrite. The goal is to help the writer see where hooks, withholding, and reveals could hit harder.

Focus: Engagement, pacing, tension

When to Use

• A draft feels flat or explanatory
• The opening doesn't pull the reader forward
• You're not sure if you're revealing too much too early
• A piece needs sharpening before final polish
• You want feedback on pacing and tension

First: Ask About Goals

Before evaluating, clarify the piece's purpose:

1. What type of piece? (essay, blog post, newsletter, portfolio item, series installment)
2. Approximate length? (<1000 words or >1000 words)
3. Standalone or part of a series?
4. Primary goal? (make a point, tell a story, update readers, create mystery)

Different goals require different engagement levels:

What to Evaluate

1. The Hook

Look for: Contrast, reversal, or surprise that creates cognitive dissonance.

Nelson's hook pattern sets up an expectation, then subverts it:

• "I've been skeptical of AI... but the transformation has been profound"
• "$20 a month felt too expensive... $100 a month feels like a bargain"
• "When are you going to get a real job?" (charged question that demands resolution)

Red flags:

• Opening with context or explanation
• No tension in the first few sentences
• Reader can relax without continuing

Questions to ask:

• "What's the contrast or reversal here?"
• "What expectation are you setting up to subvert?"
• "Could you open with the charged moment instead of building to it?"

2. Withholding

Look for: Meaning held back for impact vs. front-loaded explanation.

Principle: Give the scene, hold the significance. Let the reader feel before they understand.

Examples of effective withholding:

• The SALEF woman's reaction before explaining "desaparecido"
• Personal stakes held until late in the piece
• Recognition moments deployed as reveals, not context

Red flags:

• Thesis stated in the opening
• "I learned X" before showing the learning
• Explaining what a scene means immediately after it

Questions to ask:

• "What if you held this insight until after [scene]?"
• "Could the reader sit with confusion a moment longer here?"
• "Is this explanation necessary yet, or could it land harder later?"

3. Recognition Moments as Reveals

Look for: External things (quotes, movies, events, conversations) that mirror internal experience.

These are pacing tools. Deployed well, they function like plot turns — "oh, that's what this means."

Evaluate:

• Where are recognition moments placed?
• Are they earning maximum impact?
• Could any be moved later for stronger effect?

Questions to ask:

• "This recognition moment lands early — would it hit harder after [X]?"
• "Is this the moment of maximum impact, or could you build more tension first?"

4. Pacing and Rhythm

Look for: Variation in sentence length. Long sentences build; short sentences punch.

Nelson's pattern: Build with longer sentences, land on something short.

"I was no longer an adult but an infant, crying out for a mother who would never return."

Red flags:

• All sentences roughly the same length
• No short punchy sentences at key moments
• Dense paragraphs without breathing room

Questions to ask:

• "Could this land harder with a short sentence?"
• "Is there a rhythm shift at the emotional peak?"

5. The Ending

Look for: Whose words close the piece?

Nelson's pattern: End with his own synthesis, not someone else's quote.

For series posts: End with pull-forward ("stay tuned," preview of next topic)

Questions to ask:

• "Is this ending yours, or are you giving the last word to someone else?"
• "Does this land as synthesis or trail off?"
• "If this is a series, is there pull-forward?"

Output Format

Copy## Context
- Piece type: [from discussion]
- Length: [from discussion]
- Goal: [from discussion]

## Hook
[Observation about current hook]
- [Suggestion or question]

## Withholding
[Where meaning is front-loaded vs. held]
- [Suggestions for what to hold longer]

## Recognition Moments
[Placement and impact assessment]
- [Suggestions for repositioning]

## Pacing
[Rhythm observations]
- [Suggestions for variation]

## Ending
[Assessment of whose voice closes the piece]
- [Suggestion if needed]

## Summary
[2-3 key opportunities to sharpen engagement]

What This Skill Does NOT Do

• Rewrite prose
• Prescribe structure (that's story-circle-brainstorm)
• Demand withholding in short/informational pieces
• Override the writer's goals

Relationship to Other Skills

Typical flow: story-circle-brainstorm (structure) → story-developer (grounding) → story-editor (engagement) → copywriter (polish)