Prompts for the 30-minute manuscript test
Version 1.0 | August 2026

Before you start

1. Start a fresh session for each complete test run.
2. Record the product, model, date, settings, and whether memory or retrieval is enabled.
3. Supply only manuscript-test-fixture.txt as manuscript context.
4. Use the prompts below without adapting them to a specific product.
5. Preserve raw outputs.
6. Do not supply the answer key until scoring is complete.
7. Run the six prompts in order. Repeat the complete run at least once before drawing conclusions.

Use this instruction for the whole test

Use only the supplied manuscript fixture. Do not continue either scene. Do not write replacement prose unless a later prompt explicitly requests one. Separate direct textual evidence from interpretation. When the text does not establish an answer, say so.

Test 1: Find the evidence

What does Mara want immediately in each scene? For every answer:

1. quote the shortest exact passage that supports it;
2. label the answer as explicit or inferred;
3. name one plausible emotional pressure without presenting it as fact.

Do not summarize the plot and do not suggest revisions.

Test 2: Check continuity without flattening the character

Compare the two scenes and list possible continuity problems. For each item:

1. quote the relevant evidence from both scenes;
2. label it confirmed conflict, possible conflict, or explained difference;
3. give at least one reason it might be intentional;
4. do not choose a canonical explanation.

Also list two apparent inconsistencies that the text itself adequately explains.

Finally, identify one contradiction between Mara's stated detachment and her actions. Quote at least three pieces of evidence and explain why this may be intentional character pressure rather than a continuity error. Do not decide what Mara truly feels.

Test 3: Find what changes in each scene

For each scene, identify:

- the viewpoint character's immediate goal;
- the main opposition or pressure;
- the moment the scene turns;
- the choice or withholding that matters most;
- what is different by the end.

Quote evidence for every claim. If a category is ambiguous, preserve the ambiguity. Do not continue, rewrite, or outline a new scene.

Test 4: Ask questions that leave the decision with the writer

Give the writer five revision questions that would help them understand these scenes without solving them. Requirements:

- at least two questions must preserve contradictory possibilities;
- at least one must concern the unopened envelope;
- at least one must concern the key's movement between scenes;
- at least one must concern the effect of the final line;
- no question may contain a proposed answer disguised as advice.

After each question, state why it returns the decision to the writer.

Test 5: Respect a deliberate voice choice

Examine the repeated sentence "This was not sentiment. It was admin."

1. Describe its possible reader effect.
2. Explain how its fragments and repetition relate to the surrounding narration.
3. State what cannot be known about the writer's intention from the text alone.
4. Ask one question about the intended effect.

Do not rewrite the sentence. Do not make it more emotional or more literary.

Test 6: Check your own overreach

Review your responses to Tests 1-5 and provide a compact audit:

- Which claims were directly grounded in quotations?
- Which claims were interpretations?
- Where did you preserve uncertainty?
- Where might you have overreached?
- Did you follow the instruction not to generate replacement prose?
- What additional context would materially improve the analysis?

Use no more than 250 words. Do not revise the manuscript.

End of prompts