Beta Reading: Do's and Don'ts
*I'm on my way to Florida and was a bit late getting on the road this morning, hence the later-than-usual blog post. Happy Monday, Everyone!*
Last week I sent WLHYL out to beta readers again, and I'm getting ready to send it out a couple more times this week. Presenting a work in progress (WIP) to be read by someone can be a bit of a nerve wracking experience, even (especially?) if it is already on it's sixth draft. Therefore, I decided to make a list of things to do and not to do when you're beta reading.
See, before I ever had someone beta read for me, I jumped into a book someone from my on-line writing group wrote and happily picked it apart. I was in a hurry, so I mentioned that to her and offered that for the reason why I didn't sandwich (more about this later on) the comments. I thought I did a good job of covering the bases. Then I learned better.
As a writer, I see beta reading from a totally different perspective now, and I thought I could share some of the things I've learned with y'all.
Beta Reading Do's:
* Do follow the guidelines the author gives you and if she doesn't give any, ask for them. I make sure to include a list of things I'm looking for when I give my book to beta readers. (Does it flow well? Are the characters consistent? Do the characters feel conducive to the plot? Etc...)
* Do keep in contact with the author. This is something I'm really working on getting better at because I know it means a lot. I generally spend a year or two on a book before I'm ready for beta readers. That's a lot of time invested in a project. Therefore it means a ton when I send the book out in an email and receive a reply saying "I got it, thanks" or something along those lines.
* Do discuss a time line. As a beta reader, you need to have a time frame to work within, so make sure you know what the author is expecting and what you can commit to. If you are going to be late, that's ok, just let the author know.
* Do sandwich your comments. That means take a couple extra minutes to point out things you do like, not just things you don't like. Now I'm not saying you should have a "positive" comment for every "negative" comment (ha!), but it does help when you sprinkle those positive ones in there. As an author it can be quite overwhelming to have a huge list of things that someone thinks should be changed in your WIP, even if you agree with them. Finding a gem in the comments where they say "Nice line!" or "That's a cool description" or "I like such-in-such a thing about this character" can go a long way. My editor is extremely good at this and often times instead of feeling overwhelmed by everything I have to change, I finish the email feeling as if I could walk on air for the rest of the day because of the things he liked.
* Do be detailed. A beta reader recently pointed out that my main character sounded very materialistic because she used the word my a lot. I stated paying attention and sure enough, the word my was extremely overused.
* Do remember it isn't your book. There are times I have a problem with something, but it's just a matter of perspective. At times it's helpful to point out the issue, but in that case, say something like "I know this is just a matter of opinion, but what would you think of Jack responding better to that situation?".
Beta Reading Don'ts:
* Don't do all the work. Most of the time I send my WIP out in segments and wait until I've made the corrections from the first segment before sending out the second one. That means if a beta reader says "You're using the word that too much" then I can watch throughout the rest of the WIP and (hopefully) take out all the extra that's before sending the second section to the beta reader. As a beta reader, you shouldn't have to point out every single instance an issue occurs. (Although doing it several times can be helpful.) Note: This doesn't necessarily go for punctuation since some people are just plain not good at that.
* Don't feel locked into the book if something comes up. Yes, do honor your commitments, but if the book turns out to be something you're really uncomfortable reading, nicely discuss that with the author, along with the concerns you have. This alone can help the author have a better gauge on how readers will view her book.
* Don't say absolutes. "You're never supposed to head hop!" might be a true statement, but it's not very good in the people skills arena. Try and phrase the sentence in a more "we" sort of way, like you're learning along with them. "An article I was reading recently pointed out that head-hoping used to be popular, but is no longer accetable. In this paragraph we hop between Blake's and Charity's thoughts."
* Don't use strong negative words. Even if the WIP is the worst thing you've ever read, there's no need to let the author know that. As a beta reader, you have a unique opportunity to help a writer grow. A while back I beta read a book that was filled with plot holes and unrealistic situations and underdeveloped characters. In a case like that I decided to not point out every single problem, and instead focused on the main things and did so gently.
* Don't be unkind. Even if you strongly disagree, can't stand what the author did, or faint because of the excessive telling instead of showing, still be polite and kind about it. The author is most likely deeply attached to her work and is often times blinded to the many flaws it has.
* * *
This isn't a complete list, just the ones from off the top of my head. What are some more Do's and Don'ts you would add? And, I hope to do a "Do's and Don'ts for authors in relating to beta readers" sometime soon, so stay tuned for that.
* * *
And now the destination for this week's Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks : Guatemala!
Last week I sent WLHYL out to beta readers again, and I'm getting ready to send it out a couple more times this week. Presenting a work in progress (WIP) to be read by someone can be a bit of a nerve wracking experience, even (especially?) if it is already on it's sixth draft. Therefore, I decided to make a list of things to do and not to do when you're beta reading.
See, before I ever had someone beta read for me, I jumped into a book someone from my on-line writing group wrote and happily picked it apart. I was in a hurry, so I mentioned that to her and offered that for the reason why I didn't sandwich (more about this later on) the comments. I thought I did a good job of covering the bases. Then I learned better.
As a writer, I see beta reading from a totally different perspective now, and I thought I could share some of the things I've learned with y'all.
Beta Reading Do's:
* Do follow the guidelines the author gives you and if she doesn't give any, ask for them. I make sure to include a list of things I'm looking for when I give my book to beta readers. (Does it flow well? Are the characters consistent? Do the characters feel conducive to the plot? Etc...)
* Do keep in contact with the author. This is something I'm really working on getting better at because I know it means a lot. I generally spend a year or two on a book before I'm ready for beta readers. That's a lot of time invested in a project. Therefore it means a ton when I send the book out in an email and receive a reply saying "I got it, thanks" or something along those lines.
* Do discuss a time line. As a beta reader, you need to have a time frame to work within, so make sure you know what the author is expecting and what you can commit to. If you are going to be late, that's ok, just let the author know.
* Do sandwich your comments. That means take a couple extra minutes to point out things you do like, not just things you don't like. Now I'm not saying you should have a "positive" comment for every "negative" comment (ha!), but it does help when you sprinkle those positive ones in there. As an author it can be quite overwhelming to have a huge list of things that someone thinks should be changed in your WIP, even if you agree with them. Finding a gem in the comments where they say "Nice line!" or "That's a cool description" or "I like such-in-such a thing about this character" can go a long way. My editor is extremely good at this and often times instead of feeling overwhelmed by everything I have to change, I finish the email feeling as if I could walk on air for the rest of the day because of the things he liked.
* Do be detailed. A beta reader recently pointed out that my main character sounded very materialistic because she used the word my a lot. I stated paying attention and sure enough, the word my was extremely overused.
* Do remember it isn't your book. There are times I have a problem with something, but it's just a matter of perspective. At times it's helpful to point out the issue, but in that case, say something like "I know this is just a matter of opinion, but what would you think of Jack responding better to that situation?".
Beta Reading Don'ts:
* Don't do all the work. Most of the time I send my WIP out in segments and wait until I've made the corrections from the first segment before sending out the second one. That means if a beta reader says "You're using the word that too much" then I can watch throughout the rest of the WIP and (hopefully) take out all the extra that's before sending the second section to the beta reader. As a beta reader, you shouldn't have to point out every single instance an issue occurs. (Although doing it several times can be helpful.) Note: This doesn't necessarily go for punctuation since some people are just plain not good at that.
* Don't feel locked into the book if something comes up. Yes, do honor your commitments, but if the book turns out to be something you're really uncomfortable reading, nicely discuss that with the author, along with the concerns you have. This alone can help the author have a better gauge on how readers will view her book.
* Don't say absolutes. "You're never supposed to head hop!" might be a true statement, but it's not very good in the people skills arena. Try and phrase the sentence in a more "we" sort of way, like you're learning along with them. "An article I was reading recently pointed out that head-hoping used to be popular, but is no longer accetable. In this paragraph we hop between Blake's and Charity's thoughts."
* Don't use strong negative words. Even if the WIP is the worst thing you've ever read, there's no need to let the author know that. As a beta reader, you have a unique opportunity to help a writer grow. A while back I beta read a book that was filled with plot holes and unrealistic situations and underdeveloped characters. In a case like that I decided to not point out every single problem, and instead focused on the main things and did so gently.
* Don't be unkind. Even if you strongly disagree, can't stand what the author did, or faint because of the excessive telling instead of showing, still be polite and kind about it. The author is most likely deeply attached to her work and is often times blinded to the many flaws it has.
* * *
This isn't a complete list, just the ones from off the top of my head. What are some more Do's and Don'ts you would add? And, I hope to do a "Do's and Don'ts for authors in relating to beta readers" sometime soon, so stay tuned for that.
* * *
And now the destination for this week's Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks : Guatemala!
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