For novelists revising a draft
Self-Editing Checklist for Every Chapter
The short list you run on each chapter before anyone else reads it: stakes, the turn, continuity, point of view, cuts, and first and last lines.
Chapter 7 · Draft 2
- I can say in one sentence why this chapter is in the book.
- Something changes: a reveal, a choice, a reversal, or a cost.
- I can point to the line where it turns.
- Objects are where I last left them.
- The last line turns, lands, or pulls into the next chapter.
What you'll get
23 checks to run on every chapter you revise
- 23 checks per chapter, including continuity and point of view
- A chapter tracker that maps your whole book
- A Word download with tick boxes and no email form
Before and after
Your notes in. A checklist fitted to your book.
A cozy mystery in first person, on my second draft. My critique group says the middle sags, and I lean on "just" far too much.
Book: Cozy mystery, first person Draft: 2 For your cozy mystery The clue in this chapter is one a careful reader could catch. Nothing here gives away the culprit too early. In a middle chapter, the case is closer to solved by the last page. My crutch words: just
The 23 core checks stay the same. River only adds a few for your genre and the notes you shared.
Why it works
What is a self-editing checklist?
A self-editing checklist is the short list of questions you ask of each chapter before anyone else reads it. This one has 23 yes-or-no checks in plain words, grouped under stakes, the turn, continuity, point of view and voice, what to cut, and your first and last lines. Tick the boxes on screen in River, or download the Word file and work through it on paper with a pen.
It works one chapter at a time, so you can run it in a sitting, and the download needs no email. It also covers the checks that slip when you're tired. Can a reader tell what's at stake? Does anything actually change? Does a fact from chapter three still hold, and does the point of view stay put? The plot hole finder runs those continuity checks across a whole manuscript at once, quoting both lines.
Tell River about your book, plus any notes readers keep giving you, and it adds a few checks to match. A mystery might get a fair-clue check; a romance, a shift between the leads. Nothing else changes, and every box stays unticked for you. A chapter tracker comes with it, so your answers build into a map of the book, one row per chapter. When the list turns up a chapter that doesn't turn, the AI book editor can give you an editor's notes on it.
What lands in your doc
What's in the checklist
- Before you start
Two checks that confirm why the chapter is in the book and whose chapter it is. - Stakes
Does your point-of-view character want something here, and can a reader tell what failing would cost? - The turn
Something changes, you can point to the line, and the chapter ends somewhere new. If not, plan the fix with the scene card template. - Continuity
Fixed facts, the calendar, who knows what, where objects are, and your world's rules, checked against your story bible template. - Point of view and voice
No slips into another character's head, a steady tense, filter words cut, and the key scene read aloud. - Cut and tighten
Repeated beats, slow warm-ups, your own crutch words, and cluttered dialogue tags. - First and last lines
An opening line that gives a reason to read on, and a last line that pulls into the next chapter. - Chapter tracker
A table with one row per chapter: whose it is, what they want, the turn, the last line and continuity notes.
How it works
How to run the checklist
Open the checklist
Click Edit with AI to open it in River, or download the Word file with no email needed.
Add your book
Optional. Tell River about your book and any notes you keep hearing, and it adds checks to match.
Run it on a chapter
Read the chapter once with the list beside it, ticking each box, or paste it into River to run the checks and quote the lines behind each answer.
Log it and move on
Add a row to the chapter tracker, fix what the list found, then start the next chapter.
Questions authors ask
Common questions
What is a self-editing checklist?
It's a short list of questions you ask of your own manuscript before anyone else reads it. This one works a chapter at a time. Does it have stakes, and does it turn? Do the facts and the point of view hold? What can go, and do the first and last lines pull a reader on?
What order should I edit my novel in?
Big picture first, then sentences, then the small stuff. Dabble's editing checklist runs developmental editing, then line editing, then copyediting, and our guide to the types of editing explains each one. Make sure every chapter earns its place before you tighten its prose with the AI line editor.
How do I make my own revision checklist?
Start with this one and fill in the My crutch words line with your own. Add the notes you keep hearing from critique partners or editors, phrased as yes-or-no questions. Then remove anything that never catches a problem. A short list you run on every chapter beats a long one you skip.
Should I self-edit before sending to beta readers?
Yes, at least one pass. Reedsy describes a beta reader as someone who reads a completed or near-completed manuscript, so their time is best spent on how the book feels, not on slips you could catch. Run the checklist on each chapter, then try the AI beta reader before people read it.
Can I use this checklist in Google Docs or Scrivener?
Yes. Download the Word file and open it in Google Docs, which converts .docx files, or import it into Scrivener, which takes Word documents. In the Word file each check has an empty box you can tick by hand. In River they're real checkboxes you tick on screen.
Is there a book on self-editing fiction?
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King is a long-standing guide, now in a revised second edition. The Editorial Department's page lists chapters on show and tell, point of view, dialogue mechanics and voice, with exercises and checklists. This template works beside it as a quick per-chapter pass.
Your next step
More for your book
Revise one chapter at a time
Open the checklist in River or download it, and run it on a chapter tonight.