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For reason that I’ve never done this before, nor have ever heard of it besides on here, beta-reading is new to me. What does one do in beta-reading? Is there any method to it? Anything I should keep in mind?
@daeus @kate-flournoy @emma-flournoy @northerner @jess @graciegirl @winter-rose @ethryndal @overcomer @anyone else☀ ☀ ☀ ENFP ☀ ☀ ☀
@Dragon-Snapper easy. Read the book, tell ’em what’s wrong with it. XD
Okay, do try and be civil. But basically, they’re asking you to read it because they want your honest opinion on it. So give your honest opinion.
@dragon-snapper, What Kate said. Most people use the comments function to insert comments into a document, and then the writer gets them back and goes through the doc, implementing those ideas or not. I like to insert comments as I go, then after I’ve read the whole thing, go back and do things like character development and plot. But there is no real method. Beta reading can be for anything, like short stories, novellas, novels. If you are getting something beta-read, try not to take offence. 😉 The beta-readers don’t mean any offence at all, and if they do, you should probably get new beta-readers. 😛
@dragon-snapper Err..what they said….? I was actually gonna ask this myself! 😝 Thanks for saving me the trouble!
*is probably geeking out about something*
@dragon-snapper Yeah, be mostly mean, but when something’s awesome, it’s good to point it out. Beta-reading is basically editing, only without getting paid. Normally, you aren’t pointing out little things like tiny wording differences and missing commas, but you should point out anything that confuses you, anyways you think the plot or characters could be improved, ideas for improved wording, and things like that.
🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢
@Dragon-snapper, don’t think of it as editing, because that conjures up images of people pointing out your comma splices and adverbs or passive voice and such things. Beta-reading is for the higher-order concerns like character development and cliched plots and that kind of thing. Kate summed it up well as telling the writer everything they did wrong. (Still, we appreciate it when you notice the good things too.)
The beta-reader’s responsibility is to be thoughtful with their criticism and try to keep up with the work (getting the book back by the deadline if possible, and that sort of thing). The writer’s responsibility is to weigh the offered ideas thoughtfully and not dismiss them out of hand because they’d be too much work to use or something like that, to get things out on time, to make sure that the draft the betas get is ready for the public or semi-public eye, and (probably other people disagree) to acknowledge them in the book when published.You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation. (Isaiah 12:3)
@northerner @daeus @kate-flournoy @jess @graciegirl Thanks all! Now, if any of you are asking for beta-readers, I can offer my services with confidence. 😛
☀ ☀ ☀ ENFP ☀ ☀ ☀
@Dragon-Snapper I may test you on that soon… 😉
@kate-flournoy *prepares pen and paper* You have my sword!
☀ ☀ ☀ ENFP ☀ ☀ ☀
Once I finish the planning stage and start writing my story, I’d love to have you take a look at how it’s playing out.
Writer. Dreamer. Sometimes blogger. MBTI mess. Lover of Jesus and books.
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