BlaezA zero draft is a gift: the story exists in time. It is also a trap if every scene looks the same in the outline — a gray soup of “done?” Progress needs a ladder. Mark each scene with a status and you can see what the book still owes you.
Readable does not mean published. It means a trusted reader can follow the story without you sitting beside them translating. Statuses get you there without polishing chapter one forever.
The status ladder (keep it short)
- To Do — purpose known; little or no prose
- Draft — beginning, middle, end on the page (ugly allowed)
- Revise — structure, POV, subplot, continuity addressed for this scene
- Polish — line-level clarity, rhythm, typos
- Final (optional) — locked for this version / submission
If you invent twelve statuses, you will stop using them. Four plus optional Final is enough. Chapter vs scene as working units: chapter vs. scene.
Draft means words exist. Revise means the scene’s job is honest. Polish means the sentences earned their keep.
Zero draft rules
While hunting completeness:
- Promote To Do → Draft as soon as the turn exists
- Do not promote to Revise mid-zero-draft unless a scene is blocking everything else
- Leave [TK] brackets for research; keep moving
- Thin-outline the next few purposes so momentum has a runway — hybrid outline path
Word-count goals can support this phase if they stay sustainable: word count goals without burning out.
After “The End”: promote in waves
Do not start polishing page one. Wave the book:
- Inventory — every scene at least Draft; list still-To-Do holes
- Structure — midpoint / act turns; reorder on corkboard
- Revise wave — passes by subplot, POV, continuity — revision passes that actually work
- Polish wave — only scenes already Revise
Scenes that might be cut stay at Draft. Polish is expensive; spend it last.
What the corkboard should show
Color or badge by status. At a glance you want:
- A sea of Draft after zero draft (good)
- Revise creeping from act one forward or by plotline (good)
- Polish only on a minority until late (good)
- Random Polish in act three while act two is To Do (stop)
Progress is the distribution shifting right — not a single perfect chapter.
Scene-level definition of done
Before marking Revise, the scene should answer:
- What changed? (If nothing, it is still Draft atmosphere)
- Whose POV? (Tagged and clean)
- Which plotline(s) paid? (Linked if you track them)
- Continuity vs bible? (No known contradictions)
Before Polish: no known structural debt in that scene. Before Final: matches submission formatting needs — yourself vs industry format.
Readable manuscript checklist
- 0 scenes still To Do in the through-line you intend to show
- Major plotlines paid or consciously cut
- Primary POVs revised for immersion
- Names / facts match the bible for major cast
- You can hand PDF/export to a reader without a disclaimer novella
That is readable. Sparkling is a later career problem.
FAQ
What if I revise while drafting?
Allowed for the last two scenes to find voice — not for chapter one archaeology. Keep the ladder honest.
Multiple POVs?
Same statuses. Filter by POV tag when doing a revise wave per viewpoint.
Screenplays?
Statuses still work on scenes/sequences. “Polish” includes formatting and transitions; “Draft” means the scene exists in slug-line form.
Statuses in the same file as the draft
In BlaezForge, scenes carry status through outline, corkboard, and editor views — so zero-draft momentum and revise waves share one project. You always know what is Draft versus what is ready to Polish.