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If I’m not entirely sure about which way to go with a story I’m working on, I ask for suggestions from one (or occasionally two) of my fellow writers. If the story is a fanfic, then I approach someone who is familiar with that fandom. For example, I’ve been having a PM dialogue with GrayNeko about a Big Hero 6 story I’m doing preliminary work on. I’ve asked him for suggestions about the science-y aspects of the plot, bounced ideas off him regarding including music in the story, and kicked around thoughts about the title. He’s been a big help.

This is easy for me to say, but I would suggest putting aside the question of character popularity and ordering the chapters in whatever way will make the most sense for the story as a whole. Readers are willing to forgive a lot of things if you give them a story that really holds their attention, and telling the story in a way that makes sense to them will help with that.

Only relevant discussion to my originals (as I’m not planning another fanfic). TBH, as there’s an overarching plot/theme across all of them, I typically won’t consult readers, it’s about figuring out the universe I’m writing in (or making up a holiday/halloween oneshot).