The Dangers of Beta Readers

I've written before about using beta readers to find holes or inconsistencies in your manuscript. Good beta readers, including good online critique sites, can be an invaluable part of polishing your novel or other writing, especially if you're fairly new to writing and your betas are more experienced (or more widely read).

But there are downsides to beta readers, too. 

When I finished Two In Winter a few weeks ago, I put it up on Zoetrope.com to get some feedback from other screenwriters. I've been a member of Zoetrope since 2002, and have found the feedback I've received on the site to be mostly helpful. Unfortunately, not everyone is going to get what you're trying to do, and you have to be able to sort through the feedback you get to make decisions that are right for your manuscript. The goal with beta readers is to improve your manuscript, not to write a novel by committee.

I received one review so far where it was obvious the reader just didn't get what I was going for. Now, I'm grateful for every review and critique I get. I'm grateful that someone took the time to read the story and offer constructive criticism. I would never bad-mouth a reviewer, and that's not what I'm doing here.

This person, though, didn't get what I was trying to do. Two In Winter is not supposed to be a heartwarming story. It's about making tough decisions, where you're pretty much screwed either way. It's honest, and it aims to show that life sucks sometimes, and love sucks sometimes, especially when the people in love have different aspirations in life, and sometimes you'd rather take the easy way out, even if it's wrong. Or at least that's what I want it to do.

The review I got, on the other hand, wanted it to be a heartwarming Christmas story. They wanted it to have a nice, happy ending where everyone wins. I want it to be true to life, where that kind of thing rarely happens. And at the same time, a lot of the suggestions made would turn my characters into stereotypes. It would add a lot more external drama, and take the focus away from the interior drama. 

Basically, it would completely change my intentions for this screenplay if I were to follow the advice offered.

Now, that doesn't mean that the critique is useless. What this critique is telling me is that I'm not getting my story across the way I intend. It means I need to go back through the script and refine it in areas. I need to make sure that motivations and characterization are clearer than they are currently, so there's no confusion.

If I weren't as confident in the story I'm trying to tell, I might follow the advice I've been offered and I might change the basic structure and idea of the story. This is why writers need to carefully consider what their beta readers tell them, and follow their own instincts when it comes to which advice to take and which to ignore.