How Should Writers Use The Mako Mori Test When Drafting?

2025-11-06 00:21:31 156

5 Answers

Stella
Stella
2025-11-07 03:32:32
A quick technique I use is to open my manuscript and highlight every scene with a woman present. Then I ask three direct questions: What does she want here? What choice does she make? How does she change? If any answer is weak or absent, that scene becomes a revision target.

The Mako Mori idea isn’t just about gender parity on page count; it’s about narrative ownership. I sometimes write two extra paragraphs from her perspective or give her an independent consequence that ripples through the plot. Even small edits—changing a line so she initiates action or swapping a reaction scene into a decision scene—can flip the score. In practice it’s deceptively simple and oddly satisfying, and it helps the manuscript feel fairer and more alive.
Georgia
Georgia
2025-11-08 20:16:12
If you want to draft scenes that genuinely center a woman's journey, I use the Mako Mori test as an editing compass rather than a rigid law.

First, I look for a clear, independent arc: does she want something, make choices, and change because of her own actions? If not, I sketch out what her active desire would be and where it could intersect with the plot. I also trace the moments when her presence exists only to motivate someone else—those lines get reworked or given a thread of their own. Reading back through, I ask whether there are scenes that could be flipped to her point of view or scenes that can be expanded so her decisions move the plot forward.

I also like to borrow examples from media—the way 'Pacific Rim' gives Mako an arc is subtle but meaningful—then apply similar beats: intro, complication, crisis, choice, consequence. That often reveals gaps I didn't know were there. In the end, the test helps me sculpt characters who feel alive and not merely props, and I usually end a pass with at least one scene that surprised me by becoming hers, which always feels gratifying.
Ian
Ian
2025-11-09 07:50:47
I treat the test like a lens for spotting structural blind spots rather than a checkbox to pass for prestige. First, I map the protagonist and secondary characters across a timeline, then overlay the emotional beats for the woman I’m testing. Where her beats are missing or coincide exclusively with someone else’s turning points, I know I need to reallocate narrative weight.

Practically, I create a mini 'character bible' entry if one doesn't exist: goals, stakes, fears, and a private milestone only she could reach. Then I deliberately seed scenes where her decision creates irreversible change—this might be a line that redirects the antagonist or a choice that costs her something. I also watch for token arcs and intersectional invisibility; it’s not enough for a woman to have an arc if it’s stereotyped or serves as shorthand. I bring in alternate POV fragments, roleplay scenes aloud, and sometimes cut scenes that exist only to support another character’s redemption. The result feels truer to the story and usually surprises me with new emotional depth.
Ella
Ella
2025-11-10 21:55:00
When drafting, I often use playful exercises to make the Mako Mori test concrete: I write a five-minute monologue from the woman's point of view, then a scene where she fails, and finally a short future snapshot of her life two years later. Those three pieces quickly expose whether she has a life and trajectory beyond the main plot.

I also swap scenes: if she’s only present in supportive moments, I rewrite one such moment so she initiates a plan. If that rewrite collapses the scene, it tells me the original structure was propping up other arcs at her expense. I don’t stop at gender either—I examine her relationships, work, and internal logic to avoid tokenizing. This playful, iterative approach keeps drafting fun and reveals whether the character truly carries her own story, which is the best kind of discovery for me.
Quinn
Quinn
2025-11-11 23:09:39
My rough-and-ready checklist is blunt but useful: highlight every chapter where a named woman appears, then mark whether she has her own goal, faces obstacles, and changes because of her own choices. I go scene by scene and circle moments where she's purely reactive—like existing only to comfort, marry, die, or cheer someone else on—and then I force myself to write a tiny scene that gives her agency. Sometimes that tiny scene becomes a full subplot.

I also watch for tokenism: a single line of backstory or a single heroic act doesn’t equal an arc. If the test fails, I either deepen her motivations, move plot points so she drives outcomes, or add a committed viewpoint chapter. I’ll even write a one-page future scene where she gets what she wants (or fails spectacularly) to see if the rest of the draft supports that trajectory. It’s work, but it makes the story richer, and I usually end up with characters I care about more than I expected.
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