Short story critiqueProofreading & Copy Editing

Short story critique before contests or magazines

Usually ready in 15 minutesRevisions includedQuality check
Payment protectionDetails
  • Revisions within the package are free.
  • If you do not respond within 3 days of delivery, the work is accepted automatically.
Order · $25

The money is reserved when you pay and released only once you accept the work.

Short story critique before contests or magazines

Example result

Example for the Standard package

Manuscript critique: opening chapters of a small-town mystery

Overall impression

The voice is the strongest thing here: warm, a little wry, with a clear sense of the harbour town. The mystery itself starts too late. The body is found on page 19; until then we have two chapters of setup that are pleasant but low on tension.

Plot and structure

  • Chapter 1 introduces Nell's bookshop, her cat, her ex-husband and the festival committee. Four threads at once, none with a question attached.
  • The lighthouse keeper's death would work far better as the end of chapter 1, not the middle of chapter 3.
  • The festival deadline is a good ticking clock. Mention it early and keep returning to it.

Characters and dialogue

Nell is likeable, but mostly passive in the opening: things happen near her rather than because of her. Give her one small choice in chapter 1 that has consequences later.

Dialogue is natural, but characters often explain what both already know:

"As you know, Nell, the lighthouse has been closed since the storm three years ago."

Suggested: "Still closed?" Nell nodded at the lighthouse. "Three years, and they still haven't fixed the door."

Style and language

  • Strong sensory details: "the smell of tar and lemon soap" sets the scene in six words.
  • Overuse of "just" (41 times) and "suddenly" (12 times) softens tension.
  • Several long paragraphs of backstory in chapter 2 (pp. 11–13) stop the scene; spread them across later chapters.

What works

  • The cat, Admiral, is a charming running joke without stealing scenes
  • The town feels lived in; secondary characters are distinct from first appearance
  • Nell's humour fits the genre perfectly

Revision plan

  1. Move the discovery of the body to the end of chapter 1; cut or compress what comes before
  2. Give Nell a decision in chapter 1 (e.g., she lends the keeper a book that is later found with him)
  3. Remove "as you know" exchanges; let the reader infer
  4. Search and trim "just" and "suddenly" by at least half
  5. Move backstory from chapter 2 into short flashes later in the book
  6. Plant the festival deadline in the first two pages

Client: first-time novelist. Text: chapters 1–3 of The Lantern Keeper, a cozy mystery, 4,800 words. Author's question: "Does the opening hook readers, and is my detective likeable?"

The client and all details are made up.

About this service

A short story competes for a slot in a contest or a magazine slush pile, and editors often decide within the first page. We critique your story for that moment: the opening lines, a single clear effect, whether every scene earns its place within the word count and whether the ending lands. We also check that the story fits the guidelines you are submitting to, such as word limits, genre and content rules.

What is included

  • What you getA written critique: first impression as an editor, strengths, problems with quotes, a check against the submission guidelines and a revision plan. Premium adds line edits of the opening.
  • Opening linesWould an editor keep reading?
  • Single effectOne story, one strong impression
  • EconomyScenes and words that can go
  • EndingWhether it lands or fizzles
  • Guidelines checkWord limit, genre and content rules

How it works

  1. 1
    BriefYou paste or attach the story and the guidelines
  2. 2
    ReadingWe read it as a slush reader would
  3. 3
    CritiqueYou get the assessment and a revision plan

What we need from you

The story pasted into the brief, the contest or magazine you are aiming for and its submission guidelines. Documents can also be attached as PDF, Word or Excel files.

We will ask you:

  • Where do you plan to submit the story?
  • What genre is it?
  • What effect should the story leave?
  • Has it been rejected before, and with what feedback?

Compare packages

BasicStory up to 2,500 words$12StandardUp to 5,000 words$25PremiumUp to 8,000 words with line edits$45
Deadline2 days3 days4 days
Revisions123
Text lengthup to 2,500 wordsup to 5,000 wordsup to 8,000 words
Revision planYesYesYes
Line editsNoNofirst 1,000 words
OrderOrderOrder

Payment protection

You pay when you order, but the money is released only for accepted work.

  • Fixed priceThe package price does not change after you pay.
  • The money is reservedWhen you pay, the amount is only reserved. It is released to the service once you accept the work.
  • Checked before deliveryEvery result goes through a quality check before it reaches you, and you see it on the order page before accepting it.
  • Free revisionsAsk for changes within your brief as many times as the package allows.
  • Acceptance after 3 daysIf within 3 days of delivery you neither accept the work nor ask for changes, it is accepted automatically. If you write in the order chat after delivery, the order waits; once we answer, we may start the 3 days again and will say so in the chat.
  • Redo or a full refundIf the result does not match your brief and the revisions did not fix it, or the work takes more than twice its deadline, write in the order chat: we will redo the work or refund the payment in full.
How it works →

Questions and answers

Will my story win the contest?

We cannot promise any result. We help you send the strongest version of your story.

Can you help me cut it to the word limit?

The critique shows what can go. If you want us to do the cutting, order text shortening separately.

Can I send several flash pieces in one order?

Yes, if their total length fits your package.

Is my manuscript kept private?

Yes. Your text is used only for your order.

Did not find your answer?

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Order · $25· ~15 min