An Author’s Opinion on Employing Beta-Readers

I've mentioned before at great length how important it can be to find yourself some decent beta readers to help you with your writing process. Today I thought it might be nice to see this advice put to use by a fellow writer and soon-to-be published author. It’s all very well to explore these techniques in theory – but how effectively do they translate in practice? And how can they put your writing a cut above the rest?

Caitlyn E. Mitchell (who stands in the ranks of a select group I possessively call “MY Authors”) is a writer of young adult novels whose works I have been editing for the better part of a decade. In the past few years she has been exploring the combination of re-told fairy tales and historical fiction, casting the magical stories that we all know and love into realistic and concrete sections of world history. Two books into the process, Caitlyn has entered into contract with a literary agent and is well on her way to seeing the finished pieces in print. You can read her bio and access her own blog on my Authors page.

Tell us about your writing process and where the beta readers come into it.

Well, my writing process can be rather fluid. Generally, though, I come up with an idea and do all of my research at the front. A lot of brainstorming happens during this time with my editor. I’ll throw ideas around, we’ll discuss plausibility and whether or not something is too far-fetched, and eventually I’ll have between 20 and 30 pages of strict resources and randomly generated thoughts. For the most part I don’t outline extensively. I have a formula that I use for the number and size of my chapters to help me reach and then stay within my page/word counts. I jot down a paragraph or some bullet points of what needs to happen in each chapter, if I know, and then I start writing.

I have two beta-readers who read each chapter as it is finished in its full, messy, first draft goodness. They don’t edit for style, grammar, or functionality, unless there is something seriously egregious that I let slip by. Mostly they ask questions, verify that they understand the story correctly, and provide feedback, maybe a few thoughts if something isn’t very clear. They keep me honest about my goals (where’s the next chapter, eh?!) and they also help nudge me along if I seem to be straying from the path.

After the book is written, my editor will do a complete read of the raw draft. At this time the grammatical and stylistic errors will be notated and corrected, and any last tweaks to the flow of the story will be suggested. By this time, though, most of the major story flaws have already been noticed by the chapter-by-chapter beta readers. The goal is to send as clean and correct a manuscript to the editor as possible; extensive rewrites should occur during the writing process beforehand. If I did my job correctly, editing should always just be editing.

What are some concrete benefits that you have experienced by having beta readers?

No one lives in a vacuum. And even if you think it, you don’t always have the best ideas. Sometimes you can stagnate with no real resources for how to get out of this plot hole you’ve created. Sometimes you just don’t like a character, and a beta reader can tell you that character is their favorite and you’d better not touch anything—or their least favorite and yes, you do need to change it. Basically, beta readers help get you out of your own skull and to see things from a fresh perspective. Your readers are going to be forming opinions on your book anyway—what author wouldn’t want to know what some of those thoughts might be as they’re going along?

A beta reader may have a good suggestion, or they may say just the right thing, turning on that light bulb and getting you working again. Beta readers also, as I said before, keep you honest. You can’t do much dithering if you know your readers are waiting at the end of the line for that next chapter you promised them. Procrastination is a writer’s worst enemy. In my own experience, writer’s block, lack of inspiration, plot holes, anything that causes a delay in writing has nothing at all to do with the book. It’s all a hidden form of procrastination that then ends up in twenty games of lost Solitaire. Writers may not write every day; they may not write every week. What they write may not be good, it may be amazing. But writers do write, and beta readers help me get that writing on the page, good or bad. Rough drafts are allowed to stink. But you can’t finish a book if you don’t just giddy up and write it.

Another benefit is that, personally, I have the tendency to over-rewrite. If I could, I’d edit forever and end up getting nowhere. Beta readers have allowed me to throw that perfectionism to the winds—and as a result, my production timeline has gone through the roof. I wrote three books in the last two years and I have another planned to begin later this summer. And it’s the best writing I’ve ever done.

When you have a beta reader, there’s no time to agonize over perfecting the book the first time. Do your job and let them do theirs. Once that chapter is finished, don’t reread it, don’t edit it, don’t even look at it. Just send it along. They’ll let you know what’s what, and then you can go back and make tweaks. But at the same time, you have to keep pushing forward. They’re waiting for that next chapter.

Have you encountered any downsides to the process?

The only downside I’d say exists is less of a downside and more of a job hazard. Your beta readers have opinions. That is, after all, what you’re asking them to give you. They’re going to tell you what they like and don’t like.

It’s the author’s job to read all of those edits and opinions openly and without any intention of offense. Because in the end, you’re holding the pen. If you don’t agree with a beta reader’s suggestion—then you’re free to disagree and move on. At the same time, are you disagreeing because of some valid reason? Or just because you feel like it? Because you say so and it has to be that way? You have to throw aside all touchiness (and I know, it can be hard—this is your brain baby after all) and evaluate each thought and suggestion as a crucial building block. What are the merits, or the flaws in the idea, either yours or the reader’s? If they made a comment, they made it for a reason—so if you don’t take their suggestion, is there another way you could clarify it to reach a middle ground?

Your beta readers aren’t going to have all the answers, but their role is to make you think and work for your result, rather than coasting it in because you’re the writer and you say so. You don’t have to take all their suggestions as gospel, but you should take all their suggestions as flags to point out that something isn’t quite right yet. That can be hard on an ego (and all authors have that in quantities, whether it’s obvious or hidden—it’s what allows us to do our job, because if we didn’t think our writing was worth reading, we wouldn’t do it). But you have to put ego aside and work for your art.

How did you pick your beta readers?

I’d say there’s no strict way to pick beta readers. Some people would want a blank honest opinion from a forum or someone they don’t know. Some people would want friends and family members they can trust to be honest. Both options have their flaws and potential pitfalls (someone on a blank forum may not have the time to really commit to you or may cause latent trust issues with where your content is really going; whereas a family member might just tell you what you want to hear, or they may be your worst nightmare, constantly dredging up every detail at every social event or nitpicking you mercilessly with no real effort at engaging in artful discussion).

I picked my beta readers from people I knew I could trust, who would be utterly honest with me while also staying within the realm of constructive criticism and who also enjoy the genre in which I write. If I’m writing fantasy, I don’t need someone saying I need more robots and laser beams (unless I’m trying to be like Piers Anthony). If I’m writing romance, now is probably not the time for zombies (Pride and Prejudice with Zombies already covered that).

You need people who will push you to be your best, but who are also ultimately on your side. You need people who are as invested in your work as you are. Because if they’re just doing it as a one-off favor, you’ll probably get partial suggestions and distracted reads. If they know nothing about your genre, they won’t really be able to make insightful comments on the characters or the way the story is going. Now, that last bit can be excepted if they’re just overall well read or enthusiastic book lovers. You don’t necessarily have to be a huge fan of historical fiction to make an honest and informed comment on it. But it does help.

What do you have to say about the assertion that friends and family do not make the best beta readers?

I think it really depends on the friend or family member. Someone who is just going to gush over you constantly is not who you need. Someone who is going to nitpick every single word is also not who you need. Leave that to the editor.

You need someone who will praise you when you deserve it and push you when you do not deserve praise. In my experience, friends and family members have been the best beta readers because they’re invested in me, my work, and can also be brutally honest if necessary. They get what I’m going for, and if I’m feeling glum, they can remind me that what I’m doing is worthwhile. Beta readers are your cheerleaders, your first-draft editors, your firing squad, your drawing board, your crack-the-whip taskmasters. In the end, be they friend, family, or complete stranger, you need someone who is going to be by your side for the long haul.

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In other news, stay tuned next week for a potential post on my foray into the world of submissions! Final revisions to my current project continue to proceed at a slower pace than they started (crumbs!) but we'll get there sooner rather than later. And then the real fun begins. 

Keep writing! Keep reading! We'll catch up next week.

Pinch Points - Structure or Constriction?

The other day I stumbled across this article on “Pinch Points” and how they can be used as a tool to effectively structure your novel. I’d never heard of Pinch Points, so I thought I’d give it a look and learn something new.

Pinch Points are the sections of your book that squeeze the protagonist in some way, building tension and foreshadowing to the inevitable climax. They highlight the struggle that the main character is facing and set high stakes – these are the sections of the story that make your reader gasp, or jump around frantically, or if you’re really good, throw the book to the other side of the room in a bizarre one-person game of fetch.

This is a perfect example of a technique that I think most writers use instinctively, whether or not they know it has a name. And there’s no doubt about it that really great stories tend to employ Pinch Points of some kind. Everyone loves a good “OH NO” moment.

However.

By the time I got to the flow-chart illustrating where you should put your Pinch Points, I had already lost interest in the article. What mathematical algorithm was used to calculate that the prime place for a Pinch Point is exactly at 37%? Is this 37% of the word-count? 37% progress in the plot? 37% of your time and effort? Why does the first Pinch have to center around the antagonist? This technique starts to smell very arc-of-the hero-esque, and it makes my nose twitch.

There are lots of writers in the world who excel at employing more mathematical, process-oriented techniques. But as much as I love and can depend on process, I tend to be suspicious of anything that goes too far, taking creativity and cramming it into a formula.

Personally, the only reason I ever use outlines for my work is to keep me on track with where I need to go – not so that I can calculate the exact recipe for a successful story. My outlines are for my benefit, not for the readers'. If a story is moving along at its own pace, sometimes I will even throw structure to the wind and let it flow. A tale will often tell itself, despite what your original intentions for it were.

Sure, I try to organize the story in such a way so that the reader is drawn along, hungry for more; but organization will only help so much. In revisions you may change the location of specific paragraphs or revelations several times before you find the place that really ‘fits.’ It’s a subjective process and it takes a little wiggling to get it right.

Call me rebellious, but there are too many restrictions on style that this article is suggesting you adhere to.

Granted, the article is not saying that Pinch Points are the only way to write well. It is saying that they can make your life easier. So if you are already constructing outlines, it might be a good exercise to see where you are putting your Pinch Points. If you haven’t thought about it before, try to identify the sections where you are inflicting the most pressure on your protagonist. What does this tell you about the structure of your story? Is there a new place where you could apply the screws that you hadn't paid attention to previously? How effective are they in the grand scheme of things?

It's great to try new techniques and see if they work for you. As writers we are always growing and developing our craft. And if you don't like the way Pinch Points work, you don't have to use them.

If I had to sum it up, I'd put it this way:

Pinch Points! A great way to structure your story…(at least 37% of the time).

Writing Prompt Reviews

Following back to my previous post about writing prompts, I decided it would be interesting to find a couple and test them out myself, pointing out their potential weaknesses, strengths, and perhaps writing a few paragraphs based on how they inspire me. A few, brief, un-revised paragraphs (do forgive me!).

Prompts can often get looked down upon by writers. Until recently I was not a fan, and still today am unlikely to use one for anything but casual exercise. Perhaps it feels less authentic to use someone else’s idea to spur your own writing. But, as the saying goes, “there’s nothing new under the sun.” Even the most brilliant ideas have their roots somewhere, and it’s likely that someone else in the world has had the same thought at some point. Man does not live in a vacuum, and neither does inspiration. It is our responsibility as writers to bring a unique perspective and an individual voice to our ideas and to represent them faithfully in a way that is entertaining and hopefully thought provoking.

Today’s prompts come from the Writer’s Relief “Writing Prompt” pinterest board. I love the combination of images with text. It changes the way you read the prompt, perhaps pushing you in a specific aesthetic direction. Which you can absolutely ignore if you want, but emotional guidance can be a good way to start on especially blocked days.

#1.

I almost passed this one by because it’s too specific. Plus you toe the line with cliché when you throw in immortal beings and their very special artefacts. Been there, done that. It’s the last line that really caught my eye – “its very special reputation.”

Ahah! What reputation? This immediately gives the author a chance to look for museum stories associated with items on display. What historic pieces have legends and myths attached to them in the real world? How could we use that to our advantage in creating an original story?

Would this tale be serious or comedic? How does the immortal keep losing the artefact? What consequences are there to their being separated from it for long periods of time? How successful are they in breaking into these collections without being caught? If they have been caught, what happened to them? How did they get out of trouble?

How do the curators view the item? Do they misjudge it horribly (and hilariously?) or does the item have some separate significance that they focus on instead?

Does the immortal have other motives for getting the artefact back? Perhaps insidious plans to cause mischief which is only possible with the power of the artefact? Or do they just want to live in peace, despite a series of recurring, unfortunate events that cause the item to continually be lost in a world of glass cases?

Is the immortal really Nicholas Cage?

#2.

“Do you remember the day we left Earth?”

Now that’s a beautiful, open-ended question if I ever saw one. The possibilities with this prompt are pretty endless. The question can be discussed between as few as two people (or even one, if you’re really looking for a challenge!) or addressed to an entire assembly.

It begs an answer – yes? If so, what was the day like? Was it joyful? Melancholy? Was the departure forced or willing? What were the travelers looking forward to? Or were they looking behind?

Or if the answer is no – why doesn’t the recipient remember? What might they be blocking out? Were they too young to remember? Too old? What might be the consequences of not remembering what your home planet was like? What does it do to a person’s emotions to be displaced like that?

What have the characters left back on Earth? What did they bring with them? Is the Earth deserted, or is it still thriving?

How does the image of the mountain fronted by ocean inspire your answers to these questions? Does the color-scheme push you in any particular direction?

And did you notice the small line in the sky hinting at where the travelers have gone?

The thing I love about this prompt (other than my natural inclination towards space travel) is that you can do anything you like with it. Even the words of the prompt aren’t particularly unique enough to bind the author in the fear of being unoriginal. Yet they have a power in their brevity, and that’s what encourages the writer to answer.

Do you remember the day we left Earth?

Do you remember the day we watched the skies burn?

When that golden world turned black with ash,

and everything that ever was became ‘no more’?

Do you remember the day we left Earth?

I was wearing a blue dress; the one you gave me on my fifth birthday.

You said it was the same color as my eyes,

the same color as the ocean.

But the oceans boiled and turned the shade of night.

And you ripped my sleeve as we ran.

You never sewed it back.

Do you remember my mother’s face?

They say we are of star dust – and to dust we return.

I like to think that she,

caught up in that dissolving world,

was blown to someplace better

and is now a star again.

Do you remember the day we left Earth?

Revisions and Why You Shouldn’t Avoid Them

The past couple of weeks have been a learning curve for me in the best possible sense. Sometimes our good experiences come hard, and we have to struggle mightily just to get through to the other side with something we can look back on with pride. And sometimes, we get a break, and the learning process can be an absolutely joyful experience.

It doesn’t happen terribly often, so relish it while you can. Use the experience to learn something about the attitude you take with you when you anticipate something unpleasant. I’ll admit – my attitude two weeks ago was not nearly as confident or happy as it is today. And what was I dreading?

Revisions.

I was starting to consider updating a short story that I have been hanging on to for a few years now. It was the last great piece I wrote before I really descended into what you can call “writer’s block” – perhaps better described as “writer’s fatigue.”

When the story was new, I distributed it to family and friends and I received so much great feedback on it that I attempted to get it published. Be forewarned that what I am about to describe is not how you go about submitting your work. It was a very brief attempt. I sent the story to one journal and got rejected. It was what I had expected to happen. I had shot for the stars, just to see if I could, and so I wasn’t all that surprised or disappointed when I got the letter.

But for some reason I let it go at that. I got lazy, shrugged my shoulders, and let the project fall by the wayside. I think that deep down I knew all along that I was not satisfied with the story as it was. First drafts are rarely the final draft. For some reason, however, I have dreaded all my life the idea of revisions.

You can chalk that up to perfectionism, plain and simple. I had it in my head that anything that needed to be revised wasn’t good enough in the first place. Which is…just…wrong.

Mind-bogglingly wrong.

And I knew it was wrong, but I let myself stay scared anyway. I was stubborn, and so I just flipped from one project to the next, never revisiting the same work twice. Dummy.

I don’t know what changed my mind. My renewed fervor, between this blog and my latest project, has altered my attitude on writing significantly. All for the better. It’s a beautiful transformation, and it led me to sit down and look at this story once again to see if it was worth sending out for publication.

It only took me a few sentences to start cringing at the out-of-date writing style. There was nothing inherently wrong with what I had written, or even how I had written it. But the story was like a skeleton. It contained all the essential pieces, but it lacked flair, taste, and was just not that enjoyable to read (in my mind; I asked a reader to look at it again and provide criticism, and they said they loved it just as much as they did when they first read it; we are our own worst critics, after all).

But I was still unsatisfied, and there was no way I was going to send it out for publication as it was. Which meant revisions.

At first I wallowed in the fear that all was lost, and oh, how horrible, I would have to rewrite the whole thing.

After I calmed down I looked at it again and realized that I had very little work to do after all. I started reading, updating phrases where I thought they could be better, clarifying details, making connections that had been left undone. I gave the story a new name (hallelujah!) and finally got down to the business of fleshing it out, giving it shape.  It’s now almost three thousand words longer, and I’m only halfway done.

You see – revising a story does not mean you have to start from scratch. You are building on a world you have already constructed. If writing a story is comparable to building a house, then revising the story is comparable to decorating it exactly the way you want it (money is no object to your creativity).

Seeing the story grow up in such a radical way has been delightful, not to mention confidence boosting. It showed me all along that I had been afraid of nothing, and that my skills were not being undermined by doing revisions, but instead bolstered and refreshed. Just like the story.

In other news, I have found a cool new toy that I have loved using while I write called MyNoise. This website has a large list of interactive soundscapes that you can use to practice immersive writing. For example, my story takes place in an alien jungle, so I have been listening to the soundscape “Jungle Noise” for two weeks. You can adjust the levels to your own preference, or you can choose to “animate” the sliders so that the noise constantly randomizes (which I find to be a little more realistic).

Immersive writing, ideally, is the practice of replicating the setting of your story perfectly, but not many of us have access to alien jungles or thirteenth century Russia, for example. Surrounding yourself in the appropriate noises can get us close enough.

So what projects have you been putting off lately because you were afraid of failure? Whatever they are, take a deep breath, plug in, and get to work. Success is closer than you think.

This is Only a Test

ALERT. ALERT. ALERT.

This is an emergency broadcast from the Federal Organization of Official Leaders. Important information will follow the Attention Signal. For the next thirty seconds, the Attention Signal will sound.

ALERT. ALERT. ALERT.

Two identical transmissions have been received at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from the Voyager mission probes. The data from Voyager 1 was received at approximately 12:25 am, followed soon after by the data from Voyager 2 at approximately 12:33 am. Both probes have been sending back data from interstellar space consistently. However, the probes ceased communication less than five hours after the transmissions were received at NASA.

We reproduce the transmission here for your information. Viewer discretion is advised – what you see and hear may shock you.

This concludes the emergency broadcast of the Federal Organization of Official Leaders.