Without further information, I would guess that it’s either a marketability issue or something to do with the coherence of the story idea. Remember agents are looking for a product they can get behind, so try to look at it from that perspective as best you can

I would start by trying to imagine yourself/character in the situation and figuring out which details are the most salient from your stories prob then write that description with no padding.

I agree; you still need to make sure you allocate attention properly across main and lesser characters in your story.

By far the best writing hack, ie how to write efficiently, is to tell the story to yourself in advance, making sure it’s coherent and compressed into the smallest space. Then, stick to that nugget and write to it. Of course, developing that crystal takes effort and testing.

Absolutely! This is also something you can do between the character and yourself better yet the character and your test readers. 😀

Count yourself lucky if they take on a life of their own! 😀

We think the first step is to look at the credibility and intentions of the person providing the criticism.

A second step would be to change your method for soliciting feedback if indeed it was solicited.