Critique that made me rewrite my entire first chapter

Ngl, I got some feedback on a fantasy novel I'm working on that really split my brain. A beta reader in my writers group in Seattle told me my main character was too passive and that I needed to start the story with her making a huge decision instead of just reacting. But another writer said that slow character building is what makes you care about them later. Do you side with the 'hook them fast' crowd or the 'earn the investment' approach? I'm curious where other people land on this.

2 comments

2 Comments

mason.paige19d ago

Hmm, I actually lean the other way on this one. That slow build can backfire hard if your reader doesn't have a reason to turn the page, and in my experience, most people give a book about ten pages before they bail. Making your character choose something big right out of the gate gives you something concrete to build on, and you can always layer in the softer moments later once we've already bought into her journey.

hugo5019d ago

Yeah but hooking someone with a big choice right away can feel gimmicky if they don't know the character yet. You gotta earn that emotional punch, otherwise it's just noise. Ten pages is plenty of time to drop little breadcrumbs that make us care.