![]() ![]() It’s not your responsibility to talk the writer into using all your suggestions. You’ve had your say you’ve fulfilled your duty. Once you’ve turned over your critique, let the story go. No matter how much effort and time you spend critiquing this story, there is no guarantee the author will make the changes you’re suggesting. Do your best to figure out what type and tone of story the author is going for, and shape your comments to help her figure out where she’s falling short of her vision. If she wrote an adventure story, but you wanted a romance, don’t take it upon yourself to rewrite the genre. It’s definitely not your job to try to impose your vision (or worldview) onto the writer’s story. In the same vein as #8, your job is to help the author realize her vision for the story. There’s a difference between pet peeves based on technical mistakes and pet peeves that are specific only to us and our personalities. If you have a personal dislike for characters with red hair, the word “stupendous,” or rainy scenes, keep it to yourself. Remember: as a beta reader, you’re there to serve the writer, not the other way around. 8. Check Your Personal Agenda at the Door An unasked for line edit at too early a stage may not only end up wasting your time, but also killing the writer’s confidence in her story. She knows what stage her story is in and what kind of opinion will be most helpful. If the author says she’s only looking for a general overview of the story–not a line edit–then respect that. No need to waste either the writer’s time or you own with comments he won’t be able to access or decipher. Either use Word’s Track Changes to mark your comments and corrections right into the manuscript, or use standard editing symbols for marking up a hardcopy. Make things easier for both yourself and the writer by observing standard editing protocol. If you’re going to be unable to meet the deadline, always take a moment to let the writer know about the delay. Yes, you’re doing the writer a favor, but he’s also depending on you. So once you agree to a timeline, try your darndest to meet it. Observe DeadlinesĪside from the fact that most writers will be chewing their fingernails with anticipation from the moment they send you their precious manuscript, they’ve also probably got some serious deadlines to meet. Insofar as honesty allows, try to avoid negative absolutes: “This book is awful.” “I hated this character.” “Your theme is nonexistent.” Focus on the fix, rather than the problem: “I recommend using a more cheerful tone.” “ What if you let this character pet a dog?” “Have you considered a theme for this story?” Even writers who want to hear all your criticism will grow resistant to accepting it if you put them on the defensive. Open your critique by telling the writer what you liked best, and sum up with either a generally positive opinion or a belief that the author will be able to refine his rough draft into something good. Whenever you can, be lavish in your comments on a bo0k’s good points. Say what you gotta say about the book’s faults, but couch your criticism in praise. But be a sport and don’t be too rough on a writer’s delicate ego. The whole point of a critique is the criticism. Give your writer friend something concrete on which to build his revisions. Even if you start out with only a gut feeling about the story, do your best to figure out why you liked or disliked something. Generalities like, “I loved it!” or “Your plot was boring!” aren’t going to be much help. No, you don’t want to hurt any feelings, but just assume that any writer who asks your opinion will be big enough to handle even a negative response. You can’t be useful to fellow writers unless you’re willing to be honest with them: about the good and the bad of their stories. In the interest of keeping peace and patience amongst ourselves and, even more importantly, maximizing our helpfulness to one another, let’s consider ten bits of beta reader etiquette and eight bits of writerly etiquette in response. Because trading critiques is the time-honored mode of reimbursement between writers, most of us will end up wearing both the beta-reader hat and the being-beta-read hat more times than we can count. ![]() I hadn’t, so today I’m remedying that oversight. Best rss reader 2014 manual#Why isn’t there a manual for beta reader etiquette–for how beta readers should conduct themselves and how writers, in turn, should respond?Ī few weeks ago on Facebook, a reader asked if I’d written a post on beta reader etiquette. But others… well, let’s just say their lack of tact and their questionable knowledge of the craft can sometimes leave us howling in frustration. Some of them are perfection: as polite, professional, and talented as any in-house editor. ![]()
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