Problems with your story are not something you’ll solve in a day…
But no way will you have “writer’s block” if you follow the 7 Revision Checkpoints. Instead, you will have exhaustion and sleepless nights because you’ll need to roll up your sleeves and work! Eat, work, sleep.
Revision Checkpoint 1. Look at your Character Web outline. What does each character Desire/Want in each scene? What are their Moral Flaws and Need in each scene? What will happen if they don’t get their Desire/Want in that scene? Who are they fighting in the scene?
Revision Checkpoint 2. Look at the Act 1, Act 2, Act 3 structure. There are 12 Sequences in 3 acts. Within each Sequence, there are scenes. So, while you fix each scene, you also need to look at where each character is in his Character Arc, and also pay attention to his Flaws/Need, Want/Desire and possible Self-Revelation within the 12 Sequence structure.
Is the character a Real Ally or a Fake Ally? Where will you give ‘hints’ (set ups) along his Character Arc as to who he really is? If he is a Fake Ally, he generally will be revealed to the Main Character in Sequence 9, the lowest point of the story. You need to decide where you want the Reveal of the Fake Ally to occur. Do you even want a Fake Ally in your story?
Revision Checkpoint 3. Focus on Actions your Hero/Opponents take to reach their Desire/Goal/Want.
Revision Checkpoint 4. Focus on Physical Reveals your Hero/Opponents discover while taking those Actions to get to the Desire/Goal/Want.
Revision Checkpoint 5. Focus on Set-ups in prior scenes for the actions or reveals of your Hero. Nothing happens in a vacuum. What’s the character’s motive? What is the psychological/moral flaw that’s driving the character’s action in a particular scene? Where is your Hero in the 12 sequence arc?
Revision Checkpoint 6. Look at your Opponents. What Actions are they taking to block the main character’s Desire/Want/Goal? What are their motivations? Where are the set-ups for their actions/reveals? Ie. Which sequence contains the set-up? Is it logical? Does it belong in another sequence? If you make a change, how will that affect the other characters in the Character Web?
Revision Checkpoint 7. What is your genre? Do you have a genre mix? If so, are you sticking to the Beats in your genre?
Key Point: The goal for you, the writer, is to focus on the nuts and bolts story parts, so you can end up with an organic whole!