AI-assisted revision, level by level
Many people treat revision as one block: I reread and fix. In practice it's distinct passes, with different goals, and AI helps in a different way with each. Asking it for the right thing at the right level is half the job.
The levels of revision
Top to bottom, largest to smallest:
- Structure — the order of events, the turning points, what's missing and what's surplus.
- Scene — does each scene have a goal, a conflict, a change? does it stand on its own?
- Sentence — rhythm, clarity, repetition, weak words.
- Typos and form — spelling, punctuation, slips.
You work from the top: there's no point polishing the sentences of a chapter you might cut at the structural pass.
What to ask AI at each level
- Structure and scene: use it as a critical reader that flags, not one that rewrites. "Where does the tension drop?", "does this scene move anything forward?", "does this character's motive hold up through chapter 10?" The decisions stay yours.
- Sentence: here AI can put its hands in the text, but on small stretches and with constraints. "Untangle this sentence keeping the two images", "remove the repetition in this paragraph without changing the tone".
- Typos and form: full delegation. There's no stylistic choice at stake.
The intensity dial, 1 to 5
For cleaning up text — especially after dictation — NovLore offers a 1-to-5 scale that decides how much free rein you give the AI:
| Level | What it does | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Fixes typos, grammar, punctuation. Doesn't touch style | Text already fine, just needs dusting |
| 3 | Untangles the roughest sentences, removes obvious repetition | Dictation or a raw first draft |
| 4–5 | Rewrites for flow and rhythm, with more freedom | An exploratory draft you already know you'll rework |
At levels 1–3 the work runs through a fast profile; at 4–5 through a more careful one, because the stakes are higher. The further up you go, the more closely you have to reread what comes back: convenience rises, control over your voice drops.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have AI do the structural revision?
You can have it analyze the structure and produce a list of problems — very useful. Don't have it decide how to fix them: that's the heart of the book and it has to be you, not least because every structural choice drags dozens of consequences behind it that only you know.
How much does assisted revision cost in credits?
Text corrections use credits in proportion to the level and the length of the passage: a level-1 dusting costs little, a level-5 rewrite more. Using AI as a critical reader in chat has a separate, lower cost. Above the confirmation threshold the app shows you the estimate before proceeding.