A first reader for an article

[tts-skip]Maya:[/tts-skip] Could you look over my article before Friday? I know the subject well, but I'm no longer sure whether the opening gives a new reader a reason to keep going.

[tts-skip]Leo:[/tts-skip] I could spare fifteen minutes on Thursday. If you're looking for a full edit, though, I wouldn't be able to check the argument, the examples and the wording properly in that time.

[tts-skip]Maya:[/tts-skip] Would you mind checking just the opening paragraph? If possible, focus on whether the main question is clear. I can deal with the wording later; first I need to know what a reader thinks I'm asking.

[tts-skip]Leo:[/tts-skip] I can do that. Do you want me to suggest a stronger opening, or would it be more useful to tell you what I understand before you explain the rest of the article?

[tts-skip]Maya:[/tts-skip] The second would help more. There is no need to rewrite anything. If you tell me what question you expect the article to answer, I can see whether that matches what I intended.

[tts-skip]Leo:[/tts-skip] That makes the task manageable. I'll read the paragraph on its own first, then leave a comment about the question I think it's setting up. If I'm uncertain, I'll say where the uncertainty starts.

[tts-skip]Maya:[/tts-skip] Great. Feel free to leave comments in the document or send a voice note. Hearing your first reaction could be useful, so you don't have to turn it into polished editorial advice.

[tts-skip]Leo:[/tts-skip] Comments will be easier for me to fit in. Let me know if the Friday deadline changes, especially if it moves earlier. Thursday is the only time I can promise at the moment.

[tts-skip]Maya:[/tts-skip] I will. I'll send the paragraph tonight and leave that version in place while you're reading it. If I think of a different opening, I'll keep it separately so your comments still have a clear reference.

[tts-skip]Leo:[/tts-skip] Thanks. Otherwise I might spend the fifteen minutes reacting to a sentence you've already removed. You can add a note beside the paragraph if there's one particular point you want me to notice.

[tts-skip]Maya:[/tts-skip] I'll keep the note to the kind of feedback we've agreed on, without explaining the answer in advance. Once I have your reaction, the decision about changing the opening will still be mine.

[tts-skip]Leo:[/tts-skip] Then we have a useful plan: one paragraph, a first-reader reaction and a clarity comment on Thursday. That is something I can do carefully, rather than promise an edit I can't finish.