The Reader asks: Would I continue?
For the next twenty minutes, you do not own this manuscript. Read only the title, genre or subject, reader promise and opening 2,000 words. Do not consult the synopsis, comparable books or later chapters.
Read once without repairing anything. Mark only:
- up where your interest noticeably increases; and
- down where your attention begins to weaken.
The Reader may report what the opening communicates, where curiosity rises, where clarity fails and whether the promise and opening belong to the same book. The Reader may not rewrite sentences, diagnose the complete structure or predict sales.
Complete the attention map and Reader report in your pack. Your answer may be Yes, Not yet or No. The useful part is the evidence behind it.
Close Day One
Before leaving the room, make sure the report contains:
- one strongest reason to continue;
- one principal resistance;
- evidence from the opening;
- one quality that revision must protect; and
- one priority action.
Then close the manuscript. Do not begin revising.
Tomorrow, the Editor will ask a different question: is there a coherent book here?
Open the Day Zero and Reader workbook (PDF)
A genuine free resource from Stonecurrent Press.
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