The Importance of Beta Readers
The Importance of
Beta Readers
Why Every Author Needs a Beta Reader
When writing a book, we all know the importance of having someone read it when we're done.
Of course, we love to hear how much they liked it, but in the end, this doesn't make us better writers. Mind you, this was my exact wish when I first gave my book to my sister to read over.
She took her time to read through it and I waited patiently to hear her praise. Good God, what a newbie I was! What I received instead was a list of everything wrong or missing from the story.
Here's The Meat Of The Problem...There is No Meat!
I've
recently gotten into reviewing indie books. I know how it feels to be a
small fish in a big pond and decided to help others gain exposure and reviews.
Everybody is griping about the unpolished product of our novels, but I don't see that as the primary problem.
Everybody is griping about the unpolished product of our novels, but I don't see that as the primary problem.
Of
course, grammar and spelling are essential, but you can hire an editor for that.
I’m talking about what is in the author’s sphere of change. I'm
talking about story editing.
The Narrator Can't Do All The Work
I find it's development that's lacking. I've read
stories that dictate the development of plot, not revealing it through dialogue
or action.
When this happens, the reader doesn't believe the author. They don't
buy into the writer’s story. It also
makes the story choppy and a difficult read.
The
narrator can't do all of the work. It’s ok if the reader doesn't know
what a term means in your fantasy novel or the background story of a character. Mind you, this is sometimes needed, but
usually not.
Eventually, we'll figure it out. In fact, it lends a
sense of realism to the story. The tale
needs to unfold naturally. You can't just
say something happened; the reader needs to see, hear, feel and almost taste
it.
What's At The Heart Of The Matter?
We all
love to analyze and critique things. But really, we judge things by how they
make us feel. If we don't connect with the characters or the world of the
author, it won't resonate with us.
It’s
great if our beta reader finds a spelling error. But what I really want to know is how my
writing made them feel. Did they
empathize with my characters? Were they immersed
in my written world?
Did they believe
it hook, line and sinker?
Story Editing Tips:
- Read your book:
- Read it aloud.
- Read it Backwards.
- Read it on printed paper.
- Get other people to read it for you.
- Look for lapses in logic.
- Take out anything not related to the core of your book.
- Look for areas that need more: humor, action,
character development, etc.
- Consider alternate routes your plot can take and see if
they work.
- Keep track of plot and smaller details. The
reader will remember if you deviate.
- Make sure there is some type of conflict/resolution
throughout your story.
- Dialogue should be natural and not
necessarily grammatically correct. Their speech
should reflect their character.
- Avoid clichés.
- They are readers.
- Pick someone who already likes your genre and the age group you wrote for.
- They are objective. They understand that just because they don't like something, it doesn't mean someone else wont.
- Opinionated with tact.
- They don't focus on typos and such. The issue is the plot, character, etc.
- Remember: I know we all use friends and family in the beginning, but get out there and find someone who you don't know. You can join local writers groups, workshops, look on twitter, writers blogs and there are loads of specific groups on social media. And when you find a good one, keep them.
Looking for a Beta Reader? Check out this site:
Beta Readers & Critique Groups
What do you think makes a good Beta Reader? Let me know.
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I really enjoyed this post. Very thorough.
ReplyDeleteIt was in September, last year, that finally I came to the correct conclusion.. The Representative isn't meant for reading!
ReplyDeleteDue to its story's nature, meaning in turn that the format I chose to express it with is the one that's more fitting, the text of The Representative isn't in fact fit for reading. Instead, looking.
After "so much" soul; after "so much" purity of vision, and after "so much" injecting just meat, but no fluff or filler, this is the logical conclusion of what you end up with.. not a book, that's meant for reading, but an unprecedentedly distilled and new kind of fiction, meant for presentation.
About ten days ago, I think it was, the article was to do with writing being a choice, or a calling (remember Aimee?).. This relates to that, in terms of how I perceive The Representative's having been written. Always, the final form was there, you just have to be able to persevere through time to discover it. Strictly speaking, of course, a certain sentence here or there, or a certain plot beat, or a certain facet of narrative structure can be different, but there's no doubting the power of the perceived whole to inspire!
The three planets. The resource. The father and daughter. The four young adults.. As a "perceived whole", all too wonderful, and all too inspiring to the mind to feel like just chance.
(Another 24 hours.. then "Why I wrote my book".)
I'm almost ready to review The Representative. "'A new kind of fiction'" has me intrigued.
Deletein the end completed The Great Gatsby and it was distributed in April 1925, it was to be later hailed as Fitzgerald's artful culmination and is touted by numerous similar to the Great American novel however it was not respected so upon it's discharge, offering less than a quarter century duplicates amid the essayist's life. http://www.mordocrosswords.com/2015/12/liable-to-snap.html
ReplyDelete