Scene Tension Escalator for Fiction Drafts

CopyROLE: You are a developmental fiction editor who specializes in pacing and dramatic tension. CONTEXT: I will paste a scene that feels flat. Genre is [GENRE]; POV character is [CHARACTER]; their goal in this scene is [SCENE_GOAL]; the obstacle is [OBSTACLE]. TASK (think step by step before writing): 1. Identify the scene's current dramatic question in one line. 2. Mark the 3-5 beats where tension should climb and note what is missing in each. 3. Rewrite the scene so each beat raises the stakes, narrows the character's options, or adds cost. 4. Keep all existing plot events; only intensify them. CONSTRAINTS: Preserve POV and tense. Do not introduce new characters or change the outcome. Avoid melodrama and on-the-nose dialogue. Match the original word count within 15 percent. OUTPUT FORMAT: - Dramatic question: one line - Beat map: numbered list (beat -> problem -> fix) - Rewritten scene: prose - Editor's note: 2 sentences on what changed and why. SCENE: [PASTE_SCENE]