Took a beta reader's advice to cut my first 3 chapters and it actually worked

They said my story started way too slow and I needed to jump right into the action. I trimmed 40 pages of setup and now the first line is a car crash - feels like a completely different book.

2 comments

2 Comments

diana15518d ago

Oh man, that's awesome! A car crash as the first line is such a strong start.

luna_craig5818d ago

Wait, did they have you cut the ENTIRE first three chapters or just trim them down? I had a friend who was writing a fantasy novel and her beta reader told her to chop the first 50 pages. She was really upset about it, almost didn't do it. But she finally caved and started the book with her main character already running from a monster in the woods. She said it turned her whole story around and she ended up getting an agent with that version. I guess sometimes we just get too attached to our own setup.