You don’t have to solve the whole book tonight.

First three minutes: find a passage, not a verdict.

Open a scene you can still picture. Read just enough to remember who wants what. Resist deciding whether the entire draft is good; choose something small enough to work on before the session ends.

Next four minutes: write the question.

Ask what you can actually test. Does this conversation change their relationship? Why does the character stay? Have I told the reader the same thing twice? Put the question in your notes so the session has a purpose beyond making the prose nicer.

Example working note: She says she wants an apology, but she keeps asking about the key. Which answer is she really waiting for?

Next eight minutes: try one change.

Keep a copy of the passage before you edit. Cut an explanation, move the reaction or let a question go unanswered. Read the result in context; if listening helps, use the app’s listening tools or read it aloud yourself. A different version is something to assess, not something you have to keep.

Last five minutes: leave a way back.

Write down what changed and what still needs attention. Be specific enough that tomorrow’s self can begin without reconstructing tonight’s reasoning.

Example handoff: Start at the kitchen door. Keep the silence after the question; check whether the earlier scene already explains the key.

If the session only tells you what is wrong, keep that too.

You may finish with a better question rather than a finished scene. Save the draft and your note. You have narrowed the work for next time.