Edit notes from a stranger online made me scrap my whole first chapter

Posted a first chapter on a critique thread two weeks ago. Someone said my protagonist sounded like a tour guide, not a person. At first I figured they were just being harsh, but then I reread it and yeah, every other line was describing a building or a street. No thoughts, no reactions. I cut 1,200 words and rewrote it with her complaining about her shoes the whole time. The scene came alive. Has anyone else gotten one brutal comment that made you rethink everything, or do you usually ignore the negative stuff?

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1 Comment

sammurray4d ago

Wait, you cut 1,200 words and the whole chapter came alive just from her complaining about shoes?