Beta Reader Feedback for WLHYL
This week I finally began the 15th draft of When Life Hands You Lymes; and believe me, it's a lot harder than it sounds. The problem is that I'm no longer sure what's absolutely necessary to the story, what helps give it life, and what is just excess.
To give y'all a glimpse of what I'm working with, I figured I would post a compilation of some of feedback I've received from beta readers who read the 14th draft of WLHYL. I'm also posting some suggestions they had of how to fix it.
*I felt let down by the way a lot of scenes ended-No hook, punch… making me feel like we'd left off in the middle of a scene-A concluding statement, but it came separated from the action that made me want to see how the action led to the statement
*Some scenes made me wonder what their point was.-No solid, intentional ending-Nothing to build my expectation and then satisfy it
Questions to ask:What is the purpose of this scene? How is this scene carrying the story forward? What does this scene reveal about the plot or an important character? What will the reader get from this scene? How can I communicate that in an effective way that will leave them either with a greater understanding of the story's events or with a desire to keep reading? Scene Endings:*How does each ending tie a knot after the scene? *How does it leave you wanting to read more? *How does it convey purpose? *By the end of each scene, readers ought to know why that scene is in the story
Felt let down by events or thought processes that were never shown. Consider all the details you include:*Are they important to the story? *Do readers need to know these details? *What expectations are they setting up? *Will the story fulfill those expectations?
Only details that should be in the story are the ones that affect the story.
There seemed to be a fair amount of repetition, especially with emotional scenes. Without anything new, or bigger, or better, it's hard to keep the reader's interestNeeded: *A steady build toward the climax*A plunge to this emotional depth where she expresses hopeless and despair*The next emotional plunge is deeper, where she wonders what her purpose of her life is*The next emotional plunge is the deepest yet, where she contemplates suicideEtc…
Examine each scene and determine how it affects the story. *What does Maddie realize*What does Maddie think*What does Maddie pray …that she hasn’t before
To give y'all a glimpse of what I'm working with, I figured I would post a compilation of some of feedback I've received from beta readers who read the 14th draft of WLHYL. I'm also posting some suggestions they had of how to fix it.
*I felt let down by the way a lot of scenes ended-No hook, punch… making me feel like we'd left off in the middle of a scene-A concluding statement, but it came separated from the action that made me want to see how the action led to the statement
*Some scenes made me wonder what their point was.-No solid, intentional ending-Nothing to build my expectation and then satisfy it
Questions to ask:What is the purpose of this scene? How is this scene carrying the story forward? What does this scene reveal about the plot or an important character? What will the reader get from this scene? How can I communicate that in an effective way that will leave them either with a greater understanding of the story's events or with a desire to keep reading? Scene Endings:*How does each ending tie a knot after the scene? *How does it leave you wanting to read more? *How does it convey purpose? *By the end of each scene, readers ought to know why that scene is in the story
Felt let down by events or thought processes that were never shown. Consider all the details you include:*Are they important to the story? *Do readers need to know these details? *What expectations are they setting up? *Will the story fulfill those expectations?
Only details that should be in the story are the ones that affect the story.
There seemed to be a fair amount of repetition, especially with emotional scenes. Without anything new, or bigger, or better, it's hard to keep the reader's interestNeeded: *A steady build toward the climax*A plunge to this emotional depth where she expresses hopeless and despair*The next emotional plunge is deeper, where she wonders what her purpose of her life is*The next emotional plunge is the deepest yet, where she contemplates suicideEtc…
Examine each scene and determine how it affects the story. *What does Maddie realize*What does Maddie think*What does Maddie pray …that she hasn’t before
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