What is "beta-reading"?
Beta-reading is the second line
of defense for a writer. It's like editing, but you're getting the
corrections and opinions of somebody who represents actual readers, not a
completely disinterested, non-invested, third party whom you are paying
to tell you everything wrong with your book. A beta-reader works most
of the time for free, and a lot of times the ones who agree to beta are
either huge fans of the genre, so are predisposed to like your book, or
they are voracious readers looking for an excuse to read a free book and
directly tell the author what they think, before the book goes to
print. (Guilty!)
Yes, this is kind of what I
have been doing instead of writing another chapter to excerpt for you
all. I have been reading a book which I am bound not to divulge prior to
its release... But when it comes HOO DAWGIES HANG ONTO YOUR BUTTS
because I will be super-duper excited to share it!! (Can I at least say
it's a sequel to a book I have already reviewed?)
Anyway,
I decided that today's post will focus primarily on the concept of
beta-reading, not just because I have been the beta-reader, but also
this year I have been in the business of seeking out beta-readers and
editing a previous work (something I have not had a lot of practice
doing; typically, my habit has been to finish a project and either
abandon it for the next one or scrap the whole thing and rewrite it
completely...) in preparation for publication! (ICYMI: "Princess of Undersea" will be included in an anthology to be published next year!
Stay tuned!)
Anyway, back to beta-reading.
It's
really an involved process—or I would like it to be. As a writer I know
how it is to be so attached to this character or that one, or so
steeped in a particular version of the story that, were anyone ever to
object to it, I would be completely at a loss as to how it could
possibly occur any differently. (This has happened to me before, and I
have literally blocked that particular story from my mind... Have not
thought about it in years!)
At the same time, as a reader I
also know what it is to be reading a published book and thinking,
"Really? I mean, really? Did you have to do that? Did she have to say
that? I am confused, why is this even in the book?"
Ergo,
when I sit down to beta-read, I am marking the spots where this
happens. I am combing for typos and repeated language (something no
writer should feel compelled to do), I am looking for those spots that
would make me roll my eyes in disgust at the character who should have
been the hero of the scene.
 |
| MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF ONE MORE TIME! |
I am looking for those points where the
info-dump is so boring that I just skim over it. I am looking for the
confusing word choices, and also for the excellent ones. I am looking
for the bad literary habits (such as using an apostrophe when the word
ought to be plural... Makes me want to go all "Pulp Fiction" on the
writer!) and reading twice to catch the glorious and devious moments of
foreshadowing that readers will doubtless miss on the first time
around... While at the same time making sure the story is worthwhile
enough that readers will want to read over and over, just to prolong the
experience. I am the front-runner well aware that I am representing
everybody who will be reading the story after me, so I want their
experience to be the best possible.
In short, I am the sort of beta-reader I want to be reading my books.
There
is a quote that goes something like, "If you are looking for a certain
kind of friend, be the kind of friend you want to have." I think it
applies in a lot of situations, including this one; if I want a certain
kind of feedback on my work, I need to be giving that sort of feedback
to others. If I want comments on my blog, I should be commenting on
other people's blogs, too. (I do, and I am!)
A
beta-reader should read the book at least twice. The first time, to
gauge the overall experience, and the second time to really get down to
brass tacks and find all the little spots they missed. ALL of them. If
there is time before the deadline (because often, a writer looking for
betas has a deadline; I don't, but that's just me) then the beta-reader
can set the book aside for a few days, and come back to read it a third
time with fresh eyes. But the first and second reading should be done in
quick succession. The third time is only if you are completely obsessed
with the characters and would rather read a book three times than
anything else.
A beta-reader should offer
suggestions whenever possible. This is not to presume that the writer
isn't doing their job, or that the beta-reader knows more about how the
story "should" go than the writer who freaking invented the characters
and the world does—but again, knowing myself and the "stuck places" I
can get myself into when it comes to generating ideas, I know that I
would greatly appreciate this kind of help in my writing, if anything is
amiss. When I highlight a passage that has missing punctuation or a
weak word choice, I offer the writer options of other words that would
work better in the context; when I don't like a certain detail, I start
coming up with possible solutions that I believe would strengthen the
narrative. Who knows? Maybe my suggestions will help the writer in more
places than just the one I am editing. Plus, often times correction is
easier to swallow when it's less of "You're wrong!" And more of "Have
you thought about it this way?"
Above all, a
beta reader should absolutely be engaged in the reading that they are doing.
There is something to be said for the writer to actively produce something worth reading... but even then, the beta-reader should let the writer know that their writing is that boring! The first time through, the beta reader should be focused on the
emotions in their reading. How do they feel about the characters? How do
they feel about the circumstances? Does the flow of the story make
sense? Does the writer explain concepts in an understandable way? Does
the ending leave readers wanting more, or feeling like "enough
already"?
The second time through, the beta
reader is reading for mechanics—repeated words, foreshadowing,
misspelling, dropped punctuation, word choice, etc. Now that the reader
is fully apprised of the events and the plot arc, it shouldn't be such a
distraction, so the reader is free to focus on line by line, on the
actual words of the story, not just the feeling of the story.
So
to sum up: how do you beta? Read; read intentionally; read with a
purpose; learn to analyze and understand what you're reading and be
aware of why you might be feeling a certain way. Beta readers are the
foremost when it comes to a writer testing out their works on a
non-related prospective audience member. A writer takes a beta's advice
very seriously, so if you have something to share, even if it's going to
change the whole direction of the story, do share it. We writers want
people to be engaged and delighted by what we write; a beta reader can
be the key to helping us do exactly that.
Sure,
when I sent out my novel to beta-readers, I had a list of questions
from somewhere that looked like they would be useful, and the answers I
got back from the few who finished are definitely insightful (not quite in the way of suggestions, but definitely food for thought!)–but really,
the burning motivation at the center of every post I publish on this
blog is just this:
Is my writing interesting and are the stories worthwhile?
No comments:
Post a Comment