What question does the opening make the reader want answered?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.MANUSCRIPT PROBLEM
Why does my opening feel slow?
“Slow” can mean a few different things from the reader’s side: I may not have a question yet, I may not know what matters, or the story may be taking a while to change. The useful part is figuring out which experience you are actually seeing.
BEFORE YOU CHANGE ANYTHING01 02 03 04 05
Cutting words may help, but we would not start there. If the reader is not curious yet, making the opening shorter can leave the same problem—just less of it.
FIVE QUESTIONS
What we would look for first
When does the protagonist’s immediate goal become legible?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.Is information arriving before the reader has a reason to want it?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.Do early scenes change the situation, or mainly explain it?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.Does the same issue recur after the opening?
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 for the point where the reader’s attention changes, then go back to the page and ask what caused it. Sometimes it is information; sometimes it is stakes, scene function, expectation, or something less obvious.
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.