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Warning: my beta readers went silent after draft 4
I sent my 80k word sci-fi draft to 6 beta readers in March, got detailed notes back in April, then made big changes to the pacing and character arcs. By June, 4 of them stopped responding to my follow-up questions and 2 said they 'lost the thread' after chapter 12. Did I kill the story by over-editing the voice, or is that just what happens when you take 3 months between drafts?
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karenhenderson1mo ago
Wait, they said they LOST THE THREAD after chapter 12? After you completely rewrote the pacing? That's not a subtle hint, that's them straight up telling you they got bored or confused. I'd be freaking out too. Three months between drafts is a long time, but losing 4 out of 6 readers is a red flag, not a normal thing. Did you maybe cut a subplot or a character connection that was holding the middle together?
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