This one gave me chills!

It's not quiet enough for my taste...

This is great advice and really well-communicated! I'm going to go back and see how well my WIP follows this guidance.

Do you ever find it in conflict with parts of the story where you want to set a specific mood or do some worldbuilding?

This is absolutely true! I've already thrown out some whole chapters and a story direction I thought I wanted to go in because it just felt contrived and I couldn't make it work. If I can't convince myself, I certainly won't be able to convince my readers.

For me, I think the story and the world feel so much more open in the beginning. Even though I have an outline of where I want things to go, there are so many ways to explore the finer details. But by the back third, the stakes are so much higher and the conclusion needs to hit the right notes.

Thank you! Yeah, I haven't been on Twitter/X for a few years now and from what I've seen of it lately, I'm definitely not missing out. 🤢