What does the reader want the character to achieve or avoid?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.MANUSCRIPT PROBLEM
Why do readers understand my plot but not care?
A reader can understand exactly what is happening and still not feel much about it. Usually the question is not whether the plot is clear, but whether the reader has a reason to care what happens next.
BEFORE YOU CHANGE ANYTHING01 02 03 04 05
Adding more emotion is not necessarily the fix. We would first ask what the story wants the reader to care about, and whether the page gives that thing enough consequence, attachment, or uncertainty to matter.
FIVE QUESTIONS
What we would look for first
What consequence feels immediate rather than abstract?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.What changes if the character fails?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.Where does the reader form an expectation about the character?
Start here, then go back to the page and see what the manuscript gives you.Does the manuscript give that expectation a reason to matter?
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 trace the feeling back to character desire, consequence, expectation, and what actually happens in the scene. “I did not care” is useful information, but it is a starting point rather than a diagnosis.
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.