Well, the deed is done: the book is read, the review of that single most important reader of all is in my hot little hands. Drat.
Wonderfully written. Your best writing to date. Couldn’t change a thing. Wonderful. You’re about half way there.
If you’re of an age you’ll hear the needle scratch across the record.
Whhhaaaaaat?
Your story is good, but not compelling. I’ve breezed past page 51 and still have no idea what this story is about!
Let’s see, 51 out of 133 – rats! That’s almost halfway.
Now I’m on page 93. So, is there more to this story?
So that’s it, then, eh? No compelling plot. Well written, fun to read, but nothing to learn or worry or wonder about. Like those Valentine’s hearts – saying something and nothing at the same time?
Like the icing of a cake, but when you cut into it, you find no cake. Just form – no substance.
Ouch. That’s dreadful!
But she liked my writing! That’s a first! She said it was a thousand times better than previous efforts, style-wise! Hey, hooray!
Plot shmot. I’ll give you a plot. Any simpleton can come up with a plot. There’s a plot in this story, but obviously it’s soooooooooo subtle that it can’t even be seen.
I can fix that.
I’ll give you your cake, and you can eat it, too!
Yin and yang, right? Calamity and opportunity?
Plot. Plot this.
So, back into the garage, but not forever. Not for very long. I gots it. I know what to do! And it’s well written!
No cake under the icing. Grrrrrr
John D Reinhart 
Hi there. I wrote a long response about you possibly getting a second opinion…but WP has been randomly logging me out of certain blogs, so then when I log in, everything I wrote gets erased.
But yeah. Especially if the writing’s good, as the reader said, and the story is moving forward in SOME capacity…a clear-cut plot may not be absolutely 100% necessary…. ?
Hi, Selina. Sometimes it seems as if the role of WP is to be the Great Equalizer! Thank you for suggesting a second opinion. Sadly, my wife’s WAS the second opinion! A previous reader had said “all sizzle and no steak.” Rats. Thanks again – be well!
Seliza- sorry! The autocorrect chose Selina…
Ah, well. I gotcha. You DO have a foundation to work from, though. It’s better than a big nothing, not having even begun! Good luck. 🙂
Stacey, I’ll get it right yet! Thank you for the encouragement. Funnily enough, my thoughts were the same as yours: if the writing is good and the story flows, how sgrong does the plot need to be? My mantra: how much better will it be with an aggressive plot? Thanks for writing with me! ~John