Edith vs Fictionary: A Self-Edit Framework, or an Editor?
Fictionary is one of the best tools for learning to edit your own story, built around a clear framework and some genuinely useful visualizations. The question is whether you want to do the diagnosis yourself, or have an editor do it for you. Here is an honest comparison with Edith.
On a phone? Edith works on your computer. We’ll email you a link.
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Your first 10,000 words are free: Edith reads your opening and writes you an editorial letter. The whole book, with every point open to discuss, is $15.
The short answer
Fictionary imports your manuscript, splits it into scenes, and walks you through a framework of story elements grouped under character, plot, and setting, with charts that visualize your arc, pacing, and where your key plot points land. It is developmental by design, and a strong way to become a sharper self-editor.
The key difference is who does the editing. Fictionary gives you the framework and asks you to be the editor. Edith is the editor: she reads the whole book, tells you what is working and what is not, discusses it with you, and carries on through line, copy, and proofreading. If you want to build the skill, Fictionary is excellent. If you want the book edited, that is Edith.
At a glance
| Fictionary | Edith | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | A framework and charts to evaluate your story, scene by scene | An editor who reads the book and tells you what is and is not working |
| Who does the diagnosis | You do, guided by its story elements | Edith does, then explains it clearly |
| Reads your whole book | Yes, imports it and splits it into scenes | Yes, reads it as one story, up to 150,000 words |
| Discuss the feedback | No, you self-assess with prompts and visuals | Yes, every note, and it adapts |
| Covers line and copy editing | No, structure only by design | Yes, developmental through proofreading |
| Cost | Subscription; StoryTeller $19 a month, or $14 a month billed yearly | Pay once, per book |
Fictionary prices and features checked on on its own site.
A framework to edit yourself, or an editor
Fictionary's approach is to teach. It imports your manuscript, breaks it into scenes, and guides you through evaluating each one against a framework of story elements, with visualizations of your story arc, pacing, and plot-point placement across the whole book. Worked through honestly, it really does make you a better self-editor.
The catch is that it guides, and you judge. Fictionary will show you where your midpoint falls, but it asks you to decide whether that is a problem. Edith does that part for you: she reads the book and tells you what is working and what is holding it back, so you are not left interpreting your own charts.
A framework rewards the work you put in, and doing that work well is exactly what we set out in how to self-edit your novel before hiring an editor. If you are not sure which layer you are working on, see what kind of editing does your book need.
The visualizations, and the verdict
Fictionary's charts are one of its best features. A graph of your arc or your pacing can reveal a sagging middle or a climax that lands too late at a glance, and there is real value in seeing your story's shape laid out.
A chart shows you the shape; it does not tell you what the shape means for your reader. Edith reads the same structure and turns it into specific, concrete notes: not just that a stretch is slow, but why it is slow and what to do about it, discussed with you rather than left for you to infer.
A chart shows you the shape of a problem without telling you what to do about it, the gap we describe in a story critique, not just a score.
Self-assess alone, or talk it through
Fictionary is a solo workspace. You move scene by scene at your own pace, making every call yourself, which is exactly right if your goal is to build the muscle.
Edith is a conversation. Her notes come one at a time, and you can accept a suggestion, ask why, or push back, and watch it adapt. She remembers your decisions as you go and re-checks the book for consistency when you revise. And where Fictionary stops at structure by design, Edith carries on through line, copy, and proofreading, so one tool takes you the whole way.
Judging your own book is the hardest part of self-editing, for the reasons in how to get honest feedback on your novel.
Built to teach you, or to edit for you
This is really a difference of goals, and both are valid. Fictionary is built to make you a better editor of your own work, a skill you keep for every book you write. Edith is built to edit the book in front of you, now, and hand you the verdict and the fixes. Plenty of authors will want both: the skill from one, the finished manuscript from the other.
Either way the layers come in an order, which we explain in what order to edit your novel.
Where Fictionary is the better choice
Fictionary is the better choice when:
- You want to learn developmental self-editing with a concrete, repeatable framework.
- You like visual maps of your story arc, pacing, and plot-point placement.
- You enjoy being the editor and want tools that sharpen your own judgment.
- You are a professional editor wanting a structured workflow for client manuscripts.
Edith is the better choice when:
- You want the diagnosis done for you, not a framework to apply yourself.
- You want to talk the notes through rather than self-assess alone.
- You want the whole edit, structure through line, copy, and proofreading, in one place.
- You want feedback on the entire book at once, with consistency tracked as you revise.
The bottom line
Fictionary is one of the best ways to learn to edit your own story: a structured framework and clear visuals that make you a sharper self-editor. Edith is the editor herself, reading the whole book, handing you the verdict, and then doing the full edit with you.
If you want to build the skill, Fictionary is excellent. If you want the book edited, that is Edith.
On a phone? Edith works on your computer. We’ll email you a link.
Email me the link to start
For $15, your edit starts with the Editorial Review: an honest read of your whole novel, written as an editorial letter.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Fictionary edit my book for me?
- Fictionary gives you a framework of story elements and visualizations to evaluate your own manuscript scene by scene; you make the judgments. Edith reads the book and gives you the developmental diagnosis herself, then takes you through the edit.
- Does Fictionary do grammar and copyediting?
- No. By design, Fictionary focuses on story and structure, not line or copy editing. Edith covers the whole edit, developmental through proofreading.
- Does Fictionary rewrite my writing?
- No. Fictionary guides rather than rewriting. Edith also never rewrites your words; she leaves notes aligned to your voice.
- How much does Fictionary cost?
- Fictionary is a subscription, with StoryTeller from about $14 a month billed annually, and a higher Premium tier. Edith is paid once per manuscript.
Compare Edith with other tools
- Edith vs AutoCrit
The line-level reports tool authors have used for years. Where its algorithmic reports help, where they stop, and why an edit you can talk through is a different thing.
- Edith vs Marlowe
Authors A.I.'s whole-book report tool, fast and cheap. What its one-time assessment gives you, and why an edit you work through is a different thing.
- Edith vs Inkshift
The closest tool to Edith: a whole-book AI critique, paid per report. What its critique gives you, and why an edit you talk through is a different thing.
- Edith vs FirstReader
A critique that cites a craft principle for every note, and never rewrites you. Two things Edith shares, and why the whole edit, worked through, is still a different thing.