“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.” —Oscar Wilde
One of the best ways to improve
your writing before you send it off to a publisher is to employ the assistance
of Beta Readers. Even if you are an experienced and fastidious self-editor, in
the end, you know your work too well and are bound to overlook mistakes that,
to an outside eye, are disruptive to the reading process. The last thing you
want happening when someone picks up your book is for them to lose momentum in
what may have been a page-turning moment.
Sending your work to beta
readers can take a lot of courage, but the critique you receive now is critique
you won’t be seeing in bad reviews later. Besides, beta readers do not get
involved with the creative process because they love to gut your work and watch
it bleed on the floor. Many beta readers are writers as well, or at the very
least are passionate about stories – innately they will want you to succeed.
Robert Wood, author of one of
the articles linked below, “Why Beta Readers are Vital to Your Success,” sums
up your need for beta readers perfectly --
You
can skimp on characterization and explanation, on building themes and
foreshadowing major events, because you already understand how everything
works. If your characters are feeling emotions and experiencing situations with
which you’re familiar then you don’t have to waste time explaining how they
feel. Why would you? Your intended audience already knows. Even the best
writers sometimes dip into this behavior. They understand their characters so
well, are so familiar with their stories, that they can’t help but assume
certain vital information is already understood. These moments are the author’s
blind-spot, and they can be huge.1
Beta readers don’t share your
brain. They don’t know what is going on behind the scenes, or what the
character is feeling, and they will catch the gaps you leave. The best part is
that they will catch these gaps in time for you to fix them before you send
your precious story out into the world to be gutted by people who don’t care if you succeed or not.
You will want to be picky in
who you decide should be your beta reader. A good rule of thumb is to choose
readers who are already familiar with your genre. Don’t ask a die-hard science
fiction fan who has never appreciated Tolkien to read your epic fantasy
adventure. It will be an uphill battle for you both.
If you have a writing mentor,
ask them to read for you, but remember that beta reading takes a great deal of
time and work, and more experienced writers may not have the spare hours to
dedicate to your book. It never hurts to ask, though, and a writer with a more
seasoned perspective can give you invaluable insights not only into your own
work, but how it fits into what is currently being done in the genre. Even if
your mentor can only donate a quick read-through, take whatever you can get!
When it comes to the format in
which you send your work to readers, make every effort to meet their preferences,
within reason. If a reader insists that they cannot work on your book unless it
is printed on high-quality paper with iridescent ink, then you may just want to
find another reader. Sources tend to disagree on what state your work should be
in when you decide to send it out – some say that it should be your absolute
final product, and some suggest sending your work fairly early in the process.
Obviously you should make some effort to provide your readers with a complete
and clean piece of work, but this technique will be something that is decided
between yourself and your reader. Some readers may not mind receiving the book
as it is being written. Do not assume though – you are building a relationship
with your reader, so be sure to ask what will work best for them. Breaking up
your work into pieces can be confusing for some readers.
Another point of contention
in the writing community is whether or not it is wise to employ friends and
family as beta readers. Familial bias can be an unfortunate taint on truly
helpful critique. No matter how strict and unfavorable your loved ones promise
to be, they may still hold back from advising you on something that an
unrelated reader might point out. As a result, many writers assert that friends
and family are always unfitting beta readers. I for one have seen it go both
ways, and so would challenge writers to be honest with themselves as to what
kind of critique they can expect to receive from family. An especially
convincing point that has nothing to do with bias, however, is the fact that
family and friends will generally understand where you are coming from as a
person. They will be used to how you speak, and therefore how you write, and
will be hindered by the same blindness towards your work that prevents you from
fully editing it yourself. In the end, it is up to you as a writer, but
remember that variety is the spice of life. If you insist on using friends and
family as beta readers, try also to include someone who is outside of your
immediate connections.
It can be helpful to specify
what kind of critique you are looking for, especially if you know that you have
struggled with certain sections of your work. However, you may want to see if
the readers notice the problem section themselves – your biases as a writer can
blind you to what is fine in the book as much as what is wrong. Giving the
reader a list of specific questions, or things to watch out for, can also help
you get a more thorough critique. Try both techniques – if you have two readers, ask for
a focused review from one and let the other reader read through it without
direction.
Always be polite, respectful,
and willing to assist your beta readers in any way. Beta readers are not paid
for their work, and this means they have no incentive to put up with divas and
bad attitudes. If you want readers to stick around for your future work, treat
them right! That does not mean you have to take their word as gold, however.
You have to be faithful to your instincts as a writer as well. Don’t be
prideful about the feedback you receive, but learn when to set aside
suggestions that are not in line with what you are trying to accomplish. If you
have multiple readers who all make the same comment, pay attention – if it
bothers them, it will bother other readers too. And remember that you do not
have to fix a problem the way the reader suggests you fix it. You can choose to
solve it from a different angle that fits your story better.
