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Got a critique from a beta reader that made me rethink my whole first chapter
She said my opening scene had too much description and not enough tension, so I cut three paragraphs about the weather and started with the character finding a note. That one change got me 500 more words into the actual story. Has anyone else had a single piece of feedback that totally reshaped how you write your openings?
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jake_hall881mo ago
Read Stephen King says all first drafts are just you telling yourself the story.
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the_kim1mo ago
Wait, Stephen King actually said that? Honestly, that's wild to me because I always thought first drafts were supposed to be this perfect thing you had to get right the first time. Tbh, I've spent so many nights staring at a blank page, trying to make every sentence perfect from the start. Ngl, it never worked out and I'd just end up frustrated and deleting everything. So hearing that even King, like the master of horror, writes messy first drafts kinda blows my mind. It makes me feel way less alone in the struggle.
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xena_miller311mo ago
Honestly same, I used to think first drafts had to be perfect too but that quote changed my whole view on writing.
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