Examine Your Novel Like a Scientist and an Astronomer
Most writers are good at one of two things.
They can either tell a great story…
or write beautiful sentences.
But publishing requires both.
Literary agents see the same problem over and over again: a novel that works in one area but fails in the other. The story might wander aimlessly, or the writing itself may be confusing line by line.
The writers who succeed learn how to examine their work in two different ways.
They use a telescope and a microscope.
The Telescope: Seeing the Story as a Whole
A telescope lets you see the night sky from a distance.
It reveals the big picture.
Writers need to do the same thing with their novels.
When you step back and view your story from afar, you begin asking important questions:
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Does the story follow a clear path?
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Does each scene move the plot forward?
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Does the pacing feel natural?
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Does the story follow a clear three-act structure?
Many manuscripts fail right here. The writing may be beautiful, but the story wanders. The plot drifts from one idea to another like train tracks laid in every direction.
Readers need a clear line from beginning to end.
A telescope helps you see whether that line exists.
The Microscope: Examining the Sentences
Now imagine looking at your novel through a microscope.
Instead of the big picture, you’re focusing on the smallest building blocks: sentences.
This is where many writers struggle.
Under a microscope you start asking different questions:
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Does this sentence make sense?
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Can the reader clearly see what is happening?
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Are the five senses being used effectively?
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Is the dialogue natural?
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Are you accidentally jumping between characters’ thoughts?
A common mistake agents see is when a paragraph suddenly slips into another character’s point of view mid-sentence. The writer understands it because they see the scene in their mind. The reader, however, becomes confused.
The microscope reveals those problems.
Why Writers Must Learn Both
Some writers naturally think in big story ideas.
Others naturally think in beautiful sentences.
The best novels require both skills working together.
Hollywood screenwriting often solves this problem by using multiple writers. One creates the structure of the story, while another strengthens dialogue and scene detail.
Songwriters do the same thing.
Bernie Taupin writes the lyrics.
Elton John writes the music.
But novelists usually work alone.
Which means the writer must learn to become both the storyteller and the editor.
One Practical Exercise
Try this simple method when editing your novel.
Read one chapter two different ways.
First pass — Telescope
Read quickly and ask:
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Does the scene move the story forward?
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Is the pacing right?
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Does the chapter end with momentum?
Second pass — Microscope
Slow down and examine each paragraph:
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Is the wording clear?
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Are the sentences strong?
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Is the dialogue believable?
This single exercise trains your brain to switch between structure and sentence craft.
Great Writers Learn by Reading
Every novel you read is quietly teaching you something.
You begin noticing:
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how authors build tension
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how they shape dialogue
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how they construct sentences
Over time your brain starts connecting the dots.
Your own voice slowly emerges.
Not overnight.
But gradually.
Like learning to juggle, writing improves with practice.
Seeing Your Novel Clearly
Writing a novel is difficult work. If it were easy, everyone would do it.
Most manuscripts are rejected not because the idea is bad, but because something isn’t working — either the story structure or the sentence writing.
The writers who improve learn to examine their work from both directions.
From a distance like an astronomer studying the stars.
And up close like a scientist studying cells.
Master those two perspectives, and you’ll begin to see your novel the way editors and agents do.
And that changes everything.
you might be interested in these blogs…
HOW TO EDIT AFTER YOUR FIRST DRAFT
WHY YOU SHOULDN’T SWITCH GENRES HALFWAY THROUGH
THE GREATEST TIP ON HOW TO BE A GREAT WRITER
