Hey Folks,
In “Of Interest” below, I mention a Smashwords podcast. It’s all about how to work with beta readers. As such, it extolls the virtues of letting readers into your work and (I’ll bet) mentions none of the downsides.
You all know that I often employ a first reader. That’s one avid reader who knows exactly what to look for (specific places where confusion ensues, inconsistencies, and OBVIOUS wrong-word issues IF they pop out at him) and what to leave alone (literally everything else).
Sometimes, with some stories, I ask Kenneth to look for certain overall things: Is there too much description? Is the story too vague? Too anything? Not enough something?
But even when I do that, I never ask-for (or want) his advice on how to fix anything. He understands that and he’s good with it.
So if you use a first reader and the two of you are clear on a set of strict guidelines, that’s fine. In fact, I recommend it. In fact, I recommend Kenneth (krf1952@gmail.com).
So what are the downsides of using beta readers?
The first and biggest, to me, is that using beta readers is the latest thing. The latest craze. I’m lucky, I guess, in that I’ve never been big on chasing after the latest craze. Like writing in all lower-case or omitting quotation marks around dialogue or not using punctuation at all or using beta readers.
So here, just to play devil’s advocate, I’m going to point out a few more downsides. Consider them food for thought.
1. If you allow ten people to read your book, all ten will give you different input. (Of the ten, two or three will LOVE your book, two or three will HATE it, and the others will think it’s all right. And chances are, none of them will tell you the truth.)
2. Input from one reader will often directly contradict input from another. In that case, whose advice do you take?
3. Most advice from beta readers, no matter how it’s disguised, will boil down to how they would have done it.
4. The biggie — why would you ever allow anyone else, especially someone who’s never written a novel, to influence how your novel is written?
Of course, every writer is different, and I’ve heard that a lot of writers swear by beta readers. So there y’go.
As the Big Mick just said, “Hey, whatever you wanna do. I got my own mountain to climb.”
***
Had a slow early morning, then a leisurely trip to Sierra Vista, then home. I’m going to read today, and maybe do some thinking, but I’m not going to write fiction.
Back tomorrow.
Of Interest
Via The Passive Voice, I encourage you to read “The Pendulum May Be Swinging Away from Fair Use” at http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2017/11/the-pendulum-may-be-swinging-away-from-fair-use/. Read TPG’s comments, then maybe click through and read the original post. But read TPG’s comments.
Maybe to make up a bit for “8 Things…Fight Scenes” in yesterday’s Journal, via The Passive Voice see “Q&A: Uneven Balance is a Tension Killer” at http://howtofightwrite.tumblr.com/post/165745299548/qa-uneven-balance-is-a-tension-killer. If you don’t read it all, scroll down to the 12 “rules of action.” This seems a great deal more realistic than the thing from yesterday.
And finally, see “How to Work with Beta Readers” at http://blog.smashwords.com/2017/11/how-to-work-with-beta-readers.html. Remember your salt shaker, please.
Fiction Words: XXXX
Nonfiction Words: 560 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 560
Writing of ()
Day 1…… XXXX words. Total words to date…… XXXXX
Total fiction words for the month……… 1105
Total fiction words for the year………… 450547
Total nonfiction words for the month… 2280
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 170343
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 620890
The Daily Journal blog streak……………………………………… 706 days
Calendar Year 2017 Novels to Date………………………… 9
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 27
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 4
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……………………………… 182