JosephWrit

I started writing as my "pandemic hobby" and finished my first novel in about a year. Following the advice in this sub, I set it down for a while to focus on other writing/hobbies. Recently I came back to it and realized I didn't hate it (this is a first for me creatively), so I spent a few more months editing and fixing up weaker areas in the story and now I have a finished product.

So now what?

I want to try traditional publishing first because doing my own editing, marketing, cover design, etc. is intimidating. It seems like a lot of time and quite frankly I don't have $2k to spare for those expenses.

Can I just start querying agents in my genre? Or should I hire a professional editor

Hello! After some excellent feedback from u/writesdingus u/PorkLogain and u/theFalseFinish and some helpful google docs comments, I have a complete rewrite of my first chapter. The big changes were the writing style and making Trepont more of an active character rather than a passive one. I hope you like it!

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I would love feedback on the following:

-Your thoughts on the character/world

-How is the prose? Specific examples of what works and what doesn't would be greatly appreciated!

-would you keep reading? (If not, why?)

-Anything else you find important to mention.

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My submission: [link](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xCbOyZw6RHvDumgH6RFT42vyVQj2Ra

This is the first part of Chapter 1 in my fantasy story, The Detrant. The novel/novella will follow Trepont, a supernatural investigator, as he solves a small-town murder. Please let me know your thoughts. My goals here were to hook the reader on the character and the world, with the plot taking hold after this section at the end of the chapter.

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My submission: The Detrant

My critiques: [591] [[568]](https://www.reddit.