Real examples of the comprehensive feedback NovelFoundry provides for every manuscript
by Verena DeLuca
Below you'll find complete examples of the three types of feedback NovelFoundry delivers: a detailed beat sheet mapping every scene, comprehensive chapter-level development notes, and a global story analysis with actionable priorities.
A scene-by-scene breakdown tracking emotional arcs, value shifts, and story structure
| Scene | Chapter | POV | Beat Type | Scene Goal | Conflict | Value Shift | Polarity | Scene Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ch. 1 | Natalie | Inciting Incident | Establish a day at Dusty Paws; show relationships | None; peaceful opening | + | Comfort/Isolation | Natalie and Kathryn care for animals at Dusty Paws, highlighting partnership and compassion. |
| 2 | Ch. 1 | Natalie | Complication | Connect with Jake over breakfast | Minor romantic banter | + | Love/Loneliness | Natalie and Jake's relationship is deepened over diner breakfast. |
| 3 | Ch. 1 | Natalie | Complication | Greet regulars, learn Howard's died | News of Howard's death | + → – | Knowledge/Ignorance | Pet community gossip; Natalie hears Howard Peterson is found dead—small town rocked. |
| 4 | Ch. 2 | Natalie | Inciting Incident | Arrive at Howard's crime scene | Processing shock, facing death | – | Life/Death | Natalie views Howard's body in his garden; discovers the snail clue. |
| 5 | Ch. 2 | Natalie | Complication | Examine evidence | Snail in mouth with markings—a message | – → – | Ignorance/Mystery | Snail found (deliberate, coded), no immediate answers; sense of threat. |
| 6 | Ch. 2 | Natalie | Progressive Complication | Assess suspects | Clara's lack of emotion, strange details | – → – | Ignorance/Suspicion | Clara's casual news-telling piques suspicions; deeper mystery indicated. |
| 7 | Ch. 3 | Natalie | Complication | Question Clara, hear about "visitor" | Clara's reluctance, cryptic clues | – → + | Ignorance/Knowledge | Clara describes strange night sounds, visitor with a coat, secretive clues. |
| 8 | Ch. 3 | Natalie | Progressive Complication | Explore Howard's greenhouse | Complexity in Howard's obsessions | – → – | Ignorance/Obsession | Howard's snail tanks, coded snails show the obsession runs deeper. |
| 9 | Ch. 4 | Natalie | Progressive Complication | Seek town rumors at Buttercup Blooms | Uncover social tension | – → + | Ignorance/Knowledge | Talk of rare seeds & new suspect Lydia, shopkeeper's subtle warnings. |
| 10 | Ch. 4 | Natalie | Complication | Engage with lore keeper Eliza | Interwoven history, undercurrent of secrecy | – → 0 | Comfort/Mystery | Raton's legend of hidden treasure, sense of secrets, links to Howard's motives. |
| 11 | Ch. 5 | Natalie | Complication | Learn of Howard/Harold conflict | Old rivalry, jealousy | 0 → + | Ignorance/Knowledge | Mrs. Henderson reveals Howard & Harold's feud over rare plants. |
| 12 | Ch. 6 | Natalie | Rest/Catharsis | Dine with Jake, reflect on life dreams | None | + | Love/Loneliness | Jake & Natalie share moments, dreams at La Luna, backdrop to growing danger. |
| 13 | Ch. 7 | Natalie | Resolution | Safe space with friends | Doubts, secret skills (Tommy's rice carving) | + | Ignorance/Knowledge | Girls' night in; realize Tommy's skill might link him to snail carvings. |
| 14 | Ch. 8 | Natalie | Crisis | Jake reveals Lydia's activism history | Reluctance to believe, personal doubts | 0 → – | Trust/Suspicion | Lydia's past, possible strong motive for murder introduced. |
| 15 | Ch. 9 | Natalie | Complication | More suspect interviews | Public argument revealed, new tension | – → – | Ignorance/Suspicion | Marty saw Howard & Harold's explosive public argument before the murder. |
| 16 | Ch. 10 | Natalie | Rest | Town's history at museum with Jason | Sense of legacy & town secrets | + | Comfort/Harmony | Natalie gains sense of local past, connects the treasure rumors to present. |
| 17 | Ch. 11 | Natalie | Complication | Solo interview with Harold | Stonewalling, anxiety, hints of deeper secrets | – → 0 | Ignorance/Knowledge | Harold mentions legendary plant/fountain; admits fear of others. |
| 18 | Ch. 12 | Natalie | Progressive Complication | Seek town legend with Eliza, find clues | Old map, legend, increased stakes | – → + | Ignorance/Knowledge | Eliza connects Howard's obsession to map, snails, and settling families; concrete clues emerge. |
| 19 | Ch. 13 | Natalie | Progressive Complication | Discover Howard's map links to Lydia | Sense of urgency, clues point to conflict | – → – | Suspicion/Danger | Map links Lydia directly to crime—a personal confrontation looms. |
| 20 | Ch. 14 | Natalie | Rest | Diner with friends, process findings | Doubts about suspects, support from community | + | Trust/Support | Close friends support Natalie, planning next steps, reinforcing theme of community. |
| 21 | Ch. 15 | Natalie | Complication | Kathryn finds government documents | Blackmail, secret project, tension rises | – → – | Comfort/Suspicion | Lydia's being blackmailed for "Project Goldenrod;" danger closes in. |
| 22 | Ch. 16 | Natalie | Climax | Natalie discovers Harold's illegal orchid lab | Breaking law, Harold's emotional confession | – → + | Comfort/Justice | Harold confesses rare orchid project, guilt weighs heavily. |
| 23 | Ch. 17 | Natalie | Rest/Catharsis | Diner heart-to-heart with Sandi | Reveal Tommy's activism; broadened suspect pool | + | Ignorance/Knowledge | Sandi's research raises Tommy as stronger suspect. |
| 24 | Ch. 18 | Natalie | Rest/Love | Date night with Jake | Emotional intimacy, plans for future | + | Love/Loneliness | Jake and Natalie move closer, cement their romantic arc. |
| 25 | Ch. 19 | Natalie | Complication | Botanical exhibition, gather alibis | Harold's airtight alibi, but suspicions linger | – → 0 | Suspicion/Ignorance | Harold's presence is verified, but his overplanning seems suspect. |
| 26 | Ch. 20 | Natalie | Progressive Complication | Lydia observed sneaking, tension | Lydia's evasiveness, increased suspicion | – → – | Ignorance/Suspicion | Lydia's behavior at exhibit (staff room, petunias) noticed. |
| 27 | Ch. 21 | Natalie/Jake | Crisis | Interrogate Tommy together | Tommy's lies unravel, panic/fear | – → – | Ignorance/Knowledge | Tommy's alibi collapses, confesses involvement with snail research, is arrested. |
| 28 | Ch. 22 | Natalie | Crisis | Friends process Tommy's arrest | Doubt, emotional fallout | – | Trust/Betrayal | Community reels; possibility Tommy is a scapegoat. |
| 29 | Ch. 23 | Natalie | Complication | Re-examine greenhouses with Mike | Can't find missing engraved snails, evidence incomplete | – | Ignorance/Despair | Search only brings more confusion; tension heightens. |
| 30 | Ch. 24 | Natalie | Climax | Re-examine Lydia's behavior, track her down | Lydia's guilt, confrontation imminent | – → + | Mystery/Solution | Natalie connects clues, corners Lydia to demand the truth. |
| 31 | Ch. 25 | Natalie | Climax | Roadside confrontation, Lydia flees | Dangerous standoff, Mike intervenes | – → + | Danger/Justice | Lydia apprehended after vehicular confrontation, high personal risk for Natalie. |
| 32 | Ch. 26 | Natalie | Resolution | Jail: Confessions and revelations | Repercussions, Lydia confesses, all secrets out | + | Knowledge/Ignorance | Lydia confesses to murder; the full plot is revealed—justice begins. |
| 33 | Ch. 27 | Natalie | New Equilibrium | Peaceful dinner, relationship decisions | Emotional healing, mutual decisions | + | Chaos/Order | Jake & Natalie plan their future together; new beginnings for all. |
| 34 | Ch. 28 | Natalie | New Equilibrium | Friends/family dinner, domestic hopes | Joy, healing, acceptance | + | Loss/Restoration | Friends reconnect, Mike & Sandi reconcile; Jake and Natalie commit to live together. |
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