Hi community, Any BETA readers in here? I'd love your help with my first mystery/suspense novel. I reached just under 60,000 words and would love some input where to add the remaining 15,000-20,000 words best. This is my elevator pitch: Soon after face-blind Mila, twenty-eight, moves into her dead grandmother’s cabin after her dad’s untimely death she uncovers a dark family secret and finds herself entangled in a mystery surrounding missing girls. If anyone here is into this genre, please let me know and I'll send over my manuscript. Thanks! And thank you Dani, for your friendly pushes :)

Since today is my birthday AND my son's, I figured to shine the light on authors! A great gift for authors would be to give them reviews, share about their book, and be supportive! SO, I'm sharing this with you all! ❤️

Write a short scene where your character has to choose between: What feels safe vs What feels true Don’t overthink it. Let the tension lead.

There’s a moment in every book where it starts to feel like you’re moving but not actually getting anywhere. ✍️ You’re writing chapters. ✍️ Scenes are happening. ✍️ Words are filling the page. And yet… something feels off. Like each piece exists on its own island. 🏝️ If your chapters feel disconnected, this isn’t because you’re a bad writer. 📝 It’s because your through-line isn’t locked in. Story First means this: 💥 Every chapter… 💥 Every scene… 💥 Every moment… …is in conversation with the same core shift. Not just “what happens next”, but what is this story transforming? Let me show you what this looks like: Example 1 (surface vs. depth): On the surface: A girl travels across kingdoms to find others like her. Underneath: She learns that trust, not isolation, is what brings people together. Now every chapter has a job: ❓ Does this moment challenge her ability to trust? ❓ Or push her deeper into isolation? If not, then it doesn’t belong. Here’s another example. Example 2: On the surface: A man rebuilds his life after failure. Underneath: He learns that his worth isn’t tied to achievement. Now the story sharpens: ☑️ Every scene either reinforces his old belief… ☑️ Or cracks it open. When this piece clicks, something shifts: 🛑 You stop guessing what to write next. 🛑 You stop restarting. 🛑 You stop writing in circles. ⭕️ Because now, you’re following a path. 👉 So here’s where I want you to look: What is your story really about underneath the surface? This isn’t the plot, or the scenes. It’s the shift. Drop it below if you’re ready to map it out 👇

Let’s think about it. There’s a reason that you haven’t finished writing your book. There can be a variety of reasons and it’s important to identify what is stopping you. Is it: 😵‍💫 Fear of finishing? 😵‍💫 Not knowing your structure? 😵‍💫 Not knowing how long it will take? 😵‍💫 Avoiding choosing a real deadline? Drop the real answer. This is where we can start getting to the bottom of what’s happening. If you’ve been circling the same uncertainty for months, that’s usually a clarity issue, not a discipline issue. Now’s the time to reach out to get some support. My team and I are here to help guide you on getting that clarity to make the book creation feel a lot more smoother. ❤️