Beta Reader Anxiety!

[Stuart]

With my latest novel out to three beta readers, it's made me realise just what a solitary experience writing a novel is. Thousands of words written and the only judge up until you press that button has been you, the author. What if you have lost the ability to tell what's good and what's not? What if you have gone entirely insane and just blown any opportunity of a career in writing?

Is it just me who has those thoughts when your pride and joy is in the hands of somebody else for the first time?!

I have to say though that this moment of doubt was merely a moment, thank goodness! Oh I love ye K cider, you giver of confidence and reducer of memory!

[Michael]

No, I get them as well.

The nervous wait after you've fired off the beta copies is quite, erm, nerve wracking.

[David]

Michael wrote: "No, I get them as well.

The nervous wait after you've fired off the beta copies is quite, erm, nerve wracking."

It's even worse than that for me. I'm too scared to even ask for beta readers.

[Rosalind]

Even worse if you receive advice that appears to be wrong. How to doubt yourself! (However, mostly it's a great great benefit to have a beta reader)

From a serial rewriter

[David]

Rosalind wrote: "Even worse if you receive advice that appears to be wrong. How to doubt yourself! (However, mostly it's a great great benefit to have a beta reader)

From a serial rewriter"

Oh, that's okay. I've been married over thirty years, I'm used to being wrong.

[Kath]

I have done it a great deal (beta-reading) and now know how it feels from the other side. I have had some very good feedback from mine. Things I have taken on board and which I think have improved my writing. The best thing though, is that they were gentle with me. But thorough! Hell, yes!

[David]

Kath wrote: "I have done it a great deal (beta-reading) and now know how it feels from the other side. I have had some very good feedback from mine. Things I have taken on board and which I think have improved ..."

I think I'll have to set some traps in the woods, see if I can capture a few beta readers of my own.

[Tim]

Stu, you and me both. Mine's just gone out to beta readers too, and frankly I'm crapping myself. I took some risks with this one, in terms of story direction, what I do to my characters, how it gets resolved and so on... What if they hate it?

I didn't get a wink of sleep last night.

Already one person (not one of my beta readers) has said to me something along the lines of "if I read a story and it ends on a cliffhanger, I refuse to ever buy that author again." Well I don't end on a cliff per se, but there's a distinct slope!

I have to suffix that and say that I'm not too worried about my actual writing. I've had individual scenes critiqued at my writers group enough to know that my style is generally readable and pacey. And I'm not too worried about mistakes being found - that stuff is easy to fix. It's basically that no one other than me has actually read the novel.

[Darren]

My beta readers are people who I respect, so each time I send out the latest work I fear that this will be the one that's pure .... Well, you get the point.

Still, the art is to consider everything that they say seriously and then accept or reject it. The final choice is always yours. Your beta readers are always right, but sometimes you're righter.

[Stuart]

With you there Tim! Mine is almost entirely bizarre and there may be a very small audience for such nonsense!

[Stuart]

Darren wrote: "My beta readers are people who I redpect, so each time I send out the latest work I fear that this will be the one that's pure .... Well, you get the point.

Still, the art is to consider everythin..."

Like your thinking Darren - particularly the righter bit! ;-)

[D.A.]

I generally have a group of beta readers, most of whom are great. Occaisionally I get edgy when they just email back 'yeah, great', as I think they feel I've written rubbish, but are too polite to say.