Doc Review

Doc Review — Working Document Audit

Audits planning and reference documents for unnecessary content. Not a prose craft review (that's narrative-revisor). Not an AI-pattern strip (that's humanizer). This checks whether every line in a working document is doing its job.

When to use

• Before locking any character sheet, worldbuilding file, or planning doc
• After drafting any vault entry that will be referenced during writing
• When a document feels "off" but you can't say why
• On request: "review this", "check this for fluff", "is this tight?"

The test

For every sentence, ask: does this change a decision the writer will make later?

If yes: keep it. If no: cut it or compress it.

A character sheet is a tool. It informs drafting decisions. It is not a story about the character. It is not a performance of the character's voice. It is the information the writer needs to write the character correctly.

What to cut

1. Performative casualness

Writing that tries to sound relaxed to prove it's not AI. "His mom probably said eat something before you go." "He figured nah." These are filler dressed as personality. The sheet doesn't need to be entertaining. It needs to be useful.

Fix: State the fact. "Left by choice. No conflict with family." Done.

2. Negative definitions

Telling the reader what something ISN'T to make what it IS feel more deliberate. "No raid, no dead parent, no inciting trauma." The absence of a thing is not information unless the absence is surprising and relevant.

Fix: If the absence matters, state why in one line. "No traumatic backstory (deliberate — his choice is the whole origin)." Otherwise omit.

3. Over-explanation of simple choices

"Just walked out." "That's the whole origin." "Sometimes a choice is just a choice." These are the writer reassuring the reader that the simplicity is intentional. If the choice is simple, state it simply. The reader will get it.

Fix: Trust the statement. Don't annotate it.

4. Redundant restatement

Saying the same thing twice in different words for emphasis. "Not cold. Focused." "Not painful. Just... not his." One of the two is doing the work. The other is decoration.

Fix: Pick the stronger one. Cut the other.

5. Quirky dialogue that doesn't reveal

Sample dialogue lines that sound cute but don't demonstrate the character's voice under pressure. "Bit embarrassing, honestly" is a quirk. "Get behind me" is a voice under pressure.

Fix: Every sample line should show the character in a situation that tests them. No throwaway banter unless banter IS the test.

6. Worldbuilding that doesn't affect a scene

"His dad was probably a little disappointed." Will this change how you write a scene? No. Cut it.

Fix: If it won't appear in a scene or inform a decision, it doesn't belong in the working doc. Save it for an iceberg note if you want to keep it for yourself.

What to keep

• Facts that constrain drafting (species, weapons, combat role, relationships)
• Psychology that drives decisions in scenes (lie, want, need, fear)
• Voice markers that differentiate dialogue (tics, vocabulary, rhythm)
• Arc beats that map to specific chapters
• Contradictions and tensions (these generate scenes)
• Physical anchors (these generate moments)
• Relationship dynamics that create conflict or warmth on page

Output format

When reviewing a document:

TIGHT: [lines that are doing their job, no changes needed]
CUT: [lines to remove, with one-line reason]
COMPRESS: [lines to shorten, with suggested rewrite]
MISSING: [information the document needs but doesn't have]

Then apply the cuts and compressions. Present the cleaned version.

Pitfalls

• Don't strip personality from voice notes. "Warm, a little loud" is useful. "His mom probably said eat something" is not. The line is: does it inform how I write his dialogue, or is it a vignette?
• Don't cut iceberg notes that are explicitly labeled as iceberg (author-only, never on page). Those are allowed to be speculative.
• Don't flatten everything into bullet points. Some fields need a sentence. The test is usefulness, not brevity for its own sake.
• This skill does NOT apply to fiction prose. Prose is allowed to be atmospheric, slow, decorative. Working documents are not.