What can the reader understand about the protagonist’s immediate desire?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.MANUSCRIPT PROBLEM
Why are readers not connecting with my protagonist?
Readers do not have to like a protagonist, agree with them, or approve of their choices. But they usually need some reason to pay attention to what the character wants, fears, risks, or misunderstands.
BEFORE YOU CHANGE ANYTHING01 02 03 04 05
We would not automatically make the protagonist nicer or more sympathetic. Interest can come from competence, contradiction, vulnerability, desire, humour, or the consequences of a difficult choice.
FIVE QUESTIONS
What we would look for first
What makes the outcome matter to this character?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.Does the character make meaningful choices, even flawed ones?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.What do the character’s actions reveal that explanation alone would not?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.Is the reader being asked to care before the story has given them a reason?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.WHERE A DEEPER READ HELPS
Stay with the reaction before deciding what to change.
We would look at the distance between what the author knows about the character and what the scenes let a reader experience. Often the missing link is not likability but access, consequence, or agency.
A POSSIBLE NEXT STEP
Bring the question, not a diagnosis.
You do not need to arrive knowing which editorial service you need. If you want another pair of eyes on the actual manuscript, this is the route that fits the question above.
IF YOU ARE STILL NOT SURE
That is useful information too.
Sometimes the most honest starting point is simply, “Something isn't working and I cannot quite tell why.” You can start there.