Welcome back to my 7-part series on how to rewrite, revise, and edit a novel! So far, we’ve been talking about ways to fix up the story, and the 2 segments after this will be more about polishing up your writing style.
But before you get into sentence structure and word choice and so on, you need some feedback.
A beta reader is someone who reads the not-final version (or “beta version”) of your work and offers feedback. A critique partner is the same thing, except you also provide feedback on their work. I’ve blogged before about where to find beta readers, and how to avoid toxic beta readers, so you can check out those posts if you like.
I’m going to be honest: it’s hard to find people to agree to beta read for you… and it’s much, much harder to find people who agree to do it and then actually do it. When you can’t even get your writer friends to read your work and give you constructive criticism, it can be very demoralizing. Try not to let it get to you! The same thing happens to lots of writers, and your work is important regardless. Keep asking until you find your beta readers.
Things To Ask Your Beta Readers
Here are some questions you might ask them:
Did the first chapter get you interested?
Were there any parts of the story that dragged… or that felt rushed?
Were there any parts that confused you?
What did you think of the characters?
Did the ending leave you satisfied?
What would you change about the story?
What did you like about the story?
That last question is especially important, and it isn’t just to make you feel good! When you focus on your strengths, it makes you better, both in writing and in life. Obviously, you should try to learn about the problems in your book and fix them, but chances are good that you’re even more oblivious to what you’re doing right as you are to what you’re doing wrong.
I tend not to ask leading questions, such as: “Did this scene offend you?” or “Did you believe in this character’s motivation?” If it’s a problem, they’ll let me know. And if I already know it’s a problem, I go ahead and fix it.
Oh, and here’s the last question you should always ask them:
Can you please get me feedback by (insert date here)?
Without a deadline, most of us won’t do anything. Set a deadline, and if they miss it, follow up and ask when you can expect feedback from them. Yes, they are volunteers, but once they’ve committed, it’s okay to ask them to honor their commitment. Sometimes as a beta reader, I miss the date we agreed on, and I never resent someone nudging me!
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Let’s Talk About Accepting Criticism
I’ve worked professionally as a writer forever and ever, so I have a thick skin. But I started out being very sensitive to critique. If you haven’t gotten a lot of feedback on your writing, the beta reader stage can make you feel vulnerable… almost like you have no skin at all.
One of the reasons I invite people to share a little of their work on the first Wednesday of every month, in a critique-free zone, is that I want to help people get over the anxiety of just putting their work out there.
If you’re new to getting feedback, or you’re not even new and it’s still excruciating, try to keep this in mind:
Feedback on one version of one story is not a referendum of your talent as a writer… let alone a verdict on your worth as a human being.
Think about it.
You’re this great human being.
You’re also a creative writer getting better and better at your craft.
This is only one story you wrote. You’re probably going to write a bunch of stories.
And guess what? It’s only a draft. It’s going to get better. That’s the whole point of having beta readers!
So it’s nowhere near a judgement on your worth as a person. You’re already a valuable, worthwhile, precious human being. That’s already been decided. It’s not up for a vote.
Here’s what you do when you get feedback from a beta reader.
- Thank the person immediately for their time. (No matter what.)
- Read through their critique quickly.
- Don’t think about it again for a few days.
Your subconscious will use that time to sift through it and figure out what’s valid and helpful, and what can be dismissed out of hand.
You are going to get some useless feedback. Some readers just aren’t right for you. You don’t need to argue with them, and you don’t need to think about it any further. Say thank you, and cross them off your list of future beta readers. You’re done.
You’re also going to get some fantastic feedback… the kinds of insights that make you think, “HOLY SMOKES. YOU ARE SO RIGHT. I CAN FIX THIS! IT WILL BE SO MUCH BETTER!” And that feedback will make it all worth it.
After you make the changes based on beta reader feedback, you’ll be ready for the next segment of this series!
If you have thoughts or experiences about beta readers, please share them in the comments! And if you don’t want to miss the rest of the series, follow the blog, if you aren’t already: there’s a place to sign up below. Thanks for reading, and happy writing (and editing)!
Thanks for this awesome post, Bryn!!
I’m fortunate to have two CPs who aren’t afraid to get the red pencils out. I’m also fortunate to have the smarts to heed their critiques and fix the problem! I’m here to learn, not cry every time they don’t like something. They are also very supportive, and know I’m a slow writer. One is published, and the other has her first book coming out early 2018. They call me the “finisher” as I read their final drafts and have the knack to find the tiniest mistakes. Just a gift I have and feel blessed for it!
Have gained a lot of knowledge from your editing posts.
Thanks!
Marcia
Hi, Marcia! It’s so great that you’ve found CPs you can rely on — they are gold for authors, aren’t they? And it sounds like they are even luckier to have you! Thanks for commenting!
You are so write about being careful in your selection. I nearly gave up writing all together last year after I had someone take a look at the first few chapters of “Batter Days.” The completely tore it apart. They even went so far as to rewrite it for me so I could see “how it should be done.” It was awful. I threw everything I had for it so far out. After much encouragement from a friend and fellow writer, I started up again. Now that same friend, who promised to read it and give me feedback along the way, has stopped reading it. I can hand her anything else I’m working on, and she is on it like a dog with a bone. Very demoralizing. I agree, but I won’t let it stop me.
Thank you so much for doing this series. It’s giving me a much better idea for my plan of attack now that I am nearing the end of my rough draft. You’re a godsend.
Erin, I’m so sorry you had a toxic beta reader experience, and so glad that you’re still writing! “Batter Days” sounds like some kind of tasty baking mystery or caper—or is it about playing ball? Best wishes for everything you’re working on.
Thanks! The title is a play on words for sure. The story centers around a woman named Ally. She is a baker and cake designer in New York City that can’t ever seem to catch a break. Her boss drives her crazy. Her love life is a mess, and the second one thing goes right another falls apart.
Ugh, Erin, I am so sorry you had such a bad time with a beta reader. Rewriting someone’s work is so completely beyond a normal and respectful thing to do… it’s never even occurred to me to warn beta readers against doing that! I’m so glad you didn’t give up. If it makes you feel any better, dozens of people have straight up hated my work and have said so. 🙂 There’s not a writer alive who can make every reader happy!
Thanks for the kind words. I love seeing your Batter Days excerpts, and how exciting that you’re closing in on a complete rough draft!
Bryn, this is awesome advice for beta reading! I’ve queued up a link for my blog’s Write it Wednesday.
I posted several stories online before I connected with beta readers. Now I’m lucky to have mutuals in my fandom(s) who are talented writers themselves and excited to read for me. It’s still a challenge to get feedback, even when publishing chapter-by-chapter fan fiction. One good thing about having more than one beta is that if one of them is busy, the others can help. With this group, the turn-around on a beta-read of a single chapter is about 48 hours, usually via google docs. I’ve also given real-time feedback via etherpad dot org.
A plus to multiple readers: A section easily read by one can trip up another, so there are more opportunities for me to clarify intent, action, and dialogue.
Most of my betas are good at both the technical aspects and identifying the story flow—simultaneously. This is rare and amazing! I get the bonus of line-reads (grammar, punctuation) from these betas, so I don’t have as much editing later. When I get around to tackling my novel again, I’m sure they’ll all want to beta, but probably only one or two of them will have the time.
Writers, if you haven’t had a beta or been a beta, don’t despair! It can take multiple tries to find someone compatible. Each project and each read-through will be different. Like Bryn says, avoid the toxic, evaluate the rest, and move on.
It’s worth repeating: Avoid the toxic, evaluate the rest, and move on.
Bryn, your WIP Wednesdays have helped me stay active. Thank you.
You have the best tumblr, so I am always honored to be featured there! It makes me want to get back onto tumblr again. I have had so many accounts, haha!
That’s so great that you’ve found good mutuals… and having several like that is a rare situation. And it’s fantastic that most can tackle the story edits and the line edits in one pass!
Thank you, DAFan!
Love the series, Bryn – thank you!! The topic of a Beta Reader is one I’ll have to deal with eventually, and it’s the part of the process that I’m most afraid of tackling. I’m a thin-skinned person by nature, but I recognise that fact and am really trying to work on it and get over myself. I particularly loved the following line:
“So it’s nowhere near a judgement on your worth as a person. You’re already a valuable, worthwhile, precious human being. That’s already been decided. It’s not up for a vote.”
I need to print that line and put it up on my office wall…sometimes it’s hard to distance oneself from one’s writing, especially if you’re only just beginning to put your stuff out there. I love your WIP Wednesdays…am trying to decide what to post for the next one so I can continue pushing myself and toughening up a bit in a non-critical environment. 🙂
Hi, Lisa! Seriously, I started out as the most reticent and thin-skinned writer in the world. I remember when my first poetry workshop teacher told me we’d have to read our work aloud in class. I tried to practice, and I struggled to even read my own poem aloud when I was in a room by myself!
So some of it is just practice. In my day job now, I can get a detailed critique of my writing from someone in front of my boss, and it doesn’t ruin my day. (It’s not, like, my favorite thing ever, but it’s fine.)
And we have this weird expectation of writing coming naturally, but to me it’s more like figure skating. You can’t expect to do a double axel the first time you step foot on the ice. And even when you’re really good, you’ll fall once in a while.
YES, definitely post again in the next WIP Wednesday! Every time you put something out there, it’ll get a little easier. 🙂
I’ll have this up on my blog, http://matryoschka.com as soon as I’ve cleaned it up.
I’ve had mostly neutral experience with beta readers. Some really read the manuscript and provide incisive, and cutting advice. Exactly what I want. Unfortunately, some genre’s, I’m calling out YA-speculative here, don’t seem to be able to handle adult themes (not sex, porn, or erodica.) Those comments almost always derive from the expectations of a RPG (role playing game) hero or heroines “journey.”
The other item is about 1/2 of the exchanges seem to think that they can keep resubmitting their first 5 – 10 pages before sending the rest of manuscript.
Hi, Terry! Wow, thanks for sharing!
Yeah, beta readers are by nature very hit or miss. And I have the issue of finding beta readers that line up well with the material. I haven’t had the situation of people re-submitting their first pages, but I do know that many people get stuck there!
Thanks so much for commenting!
Great post, Bryn. I have one CP that is reliable. We help each other out and bounce ideas off one another. We did have a time where we would communicate through Facebook Messenger on a certain day and time. But that has fallen by the wayside. We’ve both acknowledged that we live busy lives, so we communicate whenever there is opportunity. So while I’ll keep the one CP, I’ll be looking for more to share my works with. I think the issue with me is writing more and working the courage to share what I’ve written.
Hi, G.R., it’s always nice to see you! It’s great to have a reliable CP. I know what you mean about busy schedules getting in the way. I think a lot of us feel weird about showing our work to someone new, but I hope you find more good people to get feedback from!