Revise scenes with targeted feedback
AI analyzes your scene for conflict, pacing, dialogue quality, and show vs tell. Get specific suggestions to make every scene stronger.
No credit card required • Start in 60 seconds
Revise scenes with targeted feedback
River's Scene Revision Analyzer provides targeted feedback on individual scenes from your novel or short story. You paste a scene, and the AI evaluates conflict strength, pacing effectiveness, dialogue quality, showing versus telling balance, and overall scene purpose. Within minutes, you get specific comments highlighting what works and what needs strengthening. Perfect for novelists in revision who want to polish scenes systematically.
Unlike general writing feedback that stays vague, we analyze specific scene elements that make fiction compelling. The AI checks whether your scene has clear conflict driving it forward, whether pacing matches scene purpose, whether dialogue sounds natural and serves story, and whether you're showing readers experience rather than telling them about it. You get actionable suggestions tied to exact moments in your text rather than generic advice.
This tool is perfect for fiction writers revising novels, short stories, or any narrative fiction. Use it when you know a scene feels flat but can't identify why. Use it to ensure every scene earns its place in your manuscript by serving story purpose. Great for systematically improving each scene during revision rather than making vague overall edits. The feedback helps you understand craft principles you can apply to future scenes.
What Makes Scenes Work in Fiction
Every scene must accomplish something specific for your story. If a scene exists only to convey information, cut it and work that information into an actual scene with conflict. Strong scenes combine three elements: goal, conflict, and change. A character wants something, faces opposition, and the situation changes by scene end. Weak scenes have characters talking about things that happened elsewhere or thinking about problems without acting. Scenes without conflict are exposition pretending to be story.
Pacing varies by scene purpose. Action scenes need short sentences, quick dialogue, and minimal description to maintain speed. Emotional scenes can slow down for internal reaction and processing. Discovery scenes need space for characters to notice and understand. But all scenes need forward motion. If your scene could be cut without affecting the story, it's not pulling its weight. Every scene should advance plot, develop character, or both. Scenes that only establish mood or setting waste reader time.
Show don't tell becomes crucial at scene level. Don't write 'Sarah felt angry.' Show her slamming cabinets or speaking in clipped tones. Don't write 'The house was creepy.' Show specific details that create unease. Don't write 'Their relationship had changed.' Show through dialogue shifts or new dynamics in how they interact. Telling is writer explaining to reader. Showing is reader experiencing through sensory detail, action, and dialogue. Scenes live through specific moments, not summary statements.
What You Get
Analysis of scene conflict and whether tension drives action forward
Pacing evaluation showing where scene drags or rushes inappropriately
Dialogue assessment for natural speech and story purpose
Show vs tell identification with specific examples to revise
Overall scene purpose check ensuring it earns its place in story
How It Works
- 1Paste your sceneCopy 500-2000 words of a complete scene from your manuscript
- 2AI analyzes scene elementsOur AI evaluates conflict, pacing, dialogue, showing, and purpose in 4-6 minutes
- 3Review detailed feedbackGet specific comments highlighting strengths and weaknesses with examples
- 4Revise with directionUse targeted suggestions to strengthen specific aspects of your scene
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this analyze partial scenes or does it need complete scenes?
Complete scenes work best because the AI can evaluate whether conflict builds and whether the scene accomplishes something by its end. Partial scenes receive useful feedback on craft elements like dialogue and showing versus telling, but analysis of pacing and scene purpose will be limited. If you're analyzing a long scene, focus on the 2000-word section that feels weakest rather than splitting arbitrarily mid-conflict.
Will this work for all genres of fiction?
Yes. Scene fundamentals apply across genres. Mystery, romance, fantasy, literary fiction, and thriller all need scenes with conflict, purpose, and appropriate pacing. Genre affects what kind of conflict matters and pacing expectations, but the principles remain constant. A romance scene needs relationship tension. A thriller scene needs external danger or revelation. Both need conflict driving them forward. The AI adapts feedback to serve whatever your scene is trying to accomplish.
What if my scene is intentionally slow for emotional impact?
Slow pacing can be appropriate for emotional processing, character reflection, or building atmosphere. The AI evaluates whether pacing serves scene purpose, not whether it's universally fast. If your quiet, slow scene has clear emotional purpose and moves character understanding forward, feedback will note that it works. But if slow pacing comes from unnecessary description or circling without progress, feedback will identify the drag. Intention matters less than execution and reader experience.
How specific is the feedback compared to human critique partners?
The AI identifies specific craft issues at specific moments in your text. You'll get comments like 'This dialogue reveals character backstory unnaturally' or 'This paragraph tells readers about tension rather than showing it through action.' The feedback targets fixable craft problems rather than subjective taste. Think of it as a first pass identifying technical issues. Human critique partners remain valuable for subjective responses, emotional impact, and big-picture story questions. Use both for comprehensive revision.
Should I analyze every scene in my manuscript individually?
Start with scenes you suspect have problems or scenes readers flagged as slow. Analyzing every scene can help systematically strengthen your manuscript, but prioritize weak spots first. Many issues recur across scenes. If the AI identifies that you consistently tell emotions instead of showing them, you can address that pattern throughout without analyzing each scene separately. Use this tool strategically during revision rather than mechanically for every page.
What is River?
River is an AI-powered document editor that helps you write better, faster. With intelligent writing assistance, real-time collaboration, and powerful AI tools, River transforms how professionals create content.
AI-Powered Writing
Get intelligent suggestions and assistance as you write.
Professional Tools
Access specialized tools for any writing task.
Privacy-First
Your documents stay private and secure.
Ready to try Revise scenes with targeted feedback?
Start using this tool in 60 seconds. No credit card required.
Analyze Scene →