Appreciation post: my coworker's 5 word critique fixed my whole opening scene

Last Tuesday in the break room, my coworker Dana glanced at the first page of my fantasy draft and said 'too many names, too fast.' I had six characters introduced by paragraph three. She wasn't being mean, just practical, and I sat there counting them. Now I'm down to two names in the first 500 words and the pacing feels way better. Anyone else get a tiny note that untangled a bigger problem than you expected?

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1 Comment

kellygrant2d ago

That note is like a magic eraser for messes you didn't even know you made. Six names by page three is a whole roll call, not a story. Cutting to two names forces you to actually pick who matters. Most people just add more stuff to fix a problem. Getting a note that tells you to delete stuff instead, that's the real gift. Keep that coworker close.

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