What changes from one scene to the next?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.MANUSCRIPT PROBLEM
Is my pacing problem really a pacing problem?
When a section feels slow, the reaction may come from several different things. Maybe nothing changes. Maybe I am waiting for a question the story has not given me yet. Maybe the information is repeating or the consequence is too far away.
BEFORE YOU CHANGE ANYTHING01 02 03 04 05
Word count is easy to measure. That is exactly why it can become a tempting answer. It is not the same thing as momentum.
FIVE QUESTIONS
What we would look for first
Is information producing new understanding or repeating what the reader already knows?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.Does each scene have a distinct function?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.Where does anticipation increase or fall away?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.Are you considering word count because it is evidence—or because it is easy to measure?
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 follow the reading experience across the section: when the reader is oriented, when curiosity develops, when anticipation builds, and when the story actually changes.
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.