10 reviews

FictionProof: The Story Diagnostic v7.6

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$49.99

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10 reviews

Does your story hold up?

You don’t upload your manuscript. FictionProof asks you questions about your story, then shows you where your answers reveal holes. FictionProof checks whether you know your own book, and whether it made it onto the page. Offline, private, and no AI ever touches your book.

You answer short questions about your own story, the way a sharp editor would ask them. Where you can't answer, where two answers contradict each other, or where you can't point to the page a reader sees it on, FictionProof flags the gap and hands you the question that fixes it.

See the full tour, with screenshots and answers to common questions.

What you get

Works on laptop and desktop computers only (Windows, Mac, or Linux, in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, or Brave). It does not run on iPad, iPhone, or Android phones and tablets.

The complete FictionProof tool as a single file you download and own.
The full six-pillar diagnostic with eight genre lenses (Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Literary, Historical, and Picture Books) and 51 sub-types: more than 380 story questions in all.
New in 7.6: Picture Books. A full lens for children’s picture books (Bedtime, Funny and silly, Friendship and feelings, Adventure, Concepts), with page-turn and read-aloud checks.
New in 7.6: Suspense. A slow-burn type for thrillers, with every thriller question reworded to fit.
New in 7.6: Looks. Eight looks, one for each genre. Keep the classic look, let it match your genre, or lock in your favorite.
A genre finder that knows more than 75 genre names, and 28 setting flavors like Steampunk, Victorian, and Gothic.
The Reader Promise Sheet: what your genre’s readers expect, a trope checklist, your hook, and the words your readers use, on one page.
Genre blending for mixed-genre stories, like a fantasy mystery.
A quick genre-only audit when you want to check one thing fast.
Conditional follow-up questions that go deep only where your story is weak.
Cross-answer contradiction checks that catch what you cannot see in your own work, and a score that won’t flatter you: a serious problem holds it at 85 until it’s fixed.
A “Your answers” list on every question: see what you’ve answered, skipped, or still have to go, and jump straight back to any question.
Prove It: name the chapter and scene (or, for picture books, the page or spread) where a reader sees each answer, and get an On the Page score.
A worked example and a “try this” for every gap it finds.
Download any report, sheet, or outline as a text file or a printable PDF, or print it on paper.
Save as many stories as you want, with one-click backups you can carry to updates or another computer.
Progress tracking: re-run after you revise and watch the gaps close.
Serial Mode: for serials with no set ending, it tracks every promise your story makes and flags the threads that have gone quiet. Edit or insert episodes any time, and your thread history updates itself.
Character Mode: check each character by their role, then check the whole cast against each other.
Worlds from FictionProof Junior. A young writer’s world from FictionProof Junior (fictionproofjunior.com) opens here as a full story diagnostic, with their answers already in place. In Junior, click Back up all projects. Then in FictionProof, click Open a project file and pick that backup.
A Help button inside the tool, with the fix for anything that acts up.
Free updates as new genres are added, sent to you by email with a fresh download link. Buying from the EU? Tick the email box at checkout so the updates can reach you.

All sales are final

FictionProof is a digital download. Once it's on your computer it can't be returned, so there are no refunds and no trial period.

Not sure it's for you? Try the free Story Health Scan first. It asks the same kind of questions, and in ten minutes you'll know whether this way of working fits you. If it does, FictionProof is $39, once, with free updates.

If your copy won't open on a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer, email fictionproof@jaimebuckley.com and I'll make it right.

By buying FictionProof, you agree to download it right away and understand that this ends any right to cancel or return the purchase, including the 14-day withdrawal right for UK and EU buyers.

You stay the writer. Every word is still yours.

You will get the following files:

PDF (81KB)
HTML (1MB)

Customer Reviews

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PL C.

Verified Buyer

I recommend this product

1 week ago

More Than a Little Helpful

I tried this and was surprised by how much information it provided and how helpful the results were. Now I need to go back and add several things to follow what was needed in my WIP. The results I received were worth the cost.

Jaime Buckley

Thank you! That’s exactly what it’s for: finding the pieces your story still needs while you can still add them.

When you’ve worked those changes into your WIP, run the diagnostic again. The report shows your new score next to the old one and lists every hole you’ve closed, which is a nice way to see the book getting stronger.

Happy writing,
Jaime

Ola Anne J.

Verified Buyer

I recommend this product

1 week ago

weak and strong points

The program showed my where my story was weak and strong. I have a lot of work to do. Thanks.

Jaime Buckley

Thank you, Ola! A lot of work to do means you’ve got a clear list now, and that’s the best place to start.

Take the Hole Ledger one item at a time, worst first, and tick each off as you fix it. Then run the diagnostic again to watch your score climb and see every hole you’ve closed.

Happy writing,
Jaime

Margie P.

Verified Buyer

I recommend this product

1 week ago

FictionProof

I have a finished draft with problems. The questions helped me define the major problems. I haven’t tried the character section, but I expect that clarifying other specifics. Revising can turn into copy editing , if you don’t have a plan.

Jaime Buckley

Thank you, Margie! You’ve put it perfectly: without a plan, revising turns into polishing sentences while the big problems stay put. Naming the major problems first is exactly how to stop that.

When you get to the character section, start with your lead and your villain. It checks each character on their own, then checks them against each other: what they want, where they collide, and who has no real job in the story. With a finished draft, that’s often where the next layer of fixes turns up.

Happy revising,
Jaime

Anonymous

Verified Buyer

1 week ago

The Mysterious Miss Elle

Hard to capture all that is in the storyline in questions that are asked which leaves feedback questionable. Also, the model doesn't seem to be designed to provide feedback on character development, ease of dialog, pacing, story arcs, etc. The feedback given, while helpful in a few areas, seemed lightweight. Looking forward to the model being developed further, but right now, I'm glad I bought it at a discount rate. Thanks, keep working on it.

Jaime Buckley

Thank you for trying it, and for the honest notes.

A couple of things that may help with The Mysterious Miss Elle. Character development has its own mode: choose “Your characters” on the start screen. It checks each character’s want, need, wound, and change, then checks them against each other. The story check also covers the arc at the big turns: what your lead wants, where they fail, and what changes them.

Dialogue and pacing it leaves alone on purpose. FictionProof never reads your manuscript, so it can’t judge how your sentences sound. Those stay with you and your readers.

If any of the feedback felt off for your story, reply to your receipt email and tell me where. I’d like to see it.

Jaime

Desmond R.

Verified Buyer

I recommend this product

1 week ago

Showing the Gaps!

FictionProof does one job well. It makes you decide your story before you write it, then shows you where the decisions are missing.

You answer questions built for your genre. A cozy mystery gets different questions than a locked-room puzzle. You get a score and a Hole Ledger. Every gap comes with why it matters, a worked example, and a step to try. The “Prove It” field asks where a reader actually sees each answer. That separates what you have decided from what you have written.

The cross-checks impressed me most. It compares your answers against each other and flags contradictions, like claiming an airtight re-read while your culprit shows up late.

Serial Mode and Character Mode are useful extras. Everything runs offline in your browser.

Awesome product!!!

Jaime Buckley

Thank you, Desmond! You’ve described it better than my own sales page does. Deciding the story, then proving it reached the page, is the whole design, and the cross-checks are the part I’m proudest of.

I’m glad Serial Mode and Character Mode earned a spot too. More is coming.

Jaime