Thanks for this.

Both your links on point 21 are to the same page.

Would you care to take a crack at how much and what sort of redundancy is useful, and how to supply it? I think I err too much on the side of only saying things once.

The Hot Zone struck me as a perfect example of how non-fiction is written for a popular audience, especially the way it alternated between stories and abstraction. I don't know that's still current, or if fashions have changed.

Consensus from writers: your beta readers are much better at identifying problems than solving them. A beta reader who can report accurately on their own specific reactions is a treasure.

Tentative: think about what cognitive resources you're invoking. I realized that one of the reasons I don't like most milsf is that my ability at visualization for tactics is limited. I'll take the trouble for Tolkien, but not much of anyone else.

Discussion of skimming and fiction-- short version: there are people who skim sex scenes, action scenes, and/or description. No one skims dialogue.