See What You Get
Real examples of the comprehensive feedback NovelFoundry provides for every manuscript
Strangled and Snails
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.
Complete Beat Sheet
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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