I am in the process of looking for beta readers! It’s exciting to be at this stage of the novel writing process but I’m a little wary of what to do and who to ask. So what the heck, lets blog about it.
The first thing I did was reach out to loved ones and my writing circle. I will definitely approach the subject of writing circles at some point, they are a life saver to the writing process. I wasn’t expecting much of a response.
It’s a big commitment asking someone to read your novel, even bigger I think when asking them to critique and give their helpful suggestions.
When you’re whopper is over 180k, it feels like you’re asking the impossible.
But I’m lucky. And sooo very thankful. A few have volunteered to be my guinea pigs and so the prep begins!
Right now I’m working on a set of questions for them to keep in mind while reading my manuscript. It’s… well they seem obvious but I want there to be something for them to refer if they’re not sure what to look for. On top of that, they’re questions I want to have a conversation about once they’re done. I’ve decided to share this list. Which has shamefully come from a myriad of sources on the internet. You too can “borrow” these details! I mean why not, right?
The list is broken down into some categories I feel are important to address. Or at least ones I want addressed and feel I can’t do so anymore after staring at my manuscript for days. For days.
Plot
1. Was there enough conflict, tension, and intrigue to keep your interest?
2. Was the ending satisfying? Believable?
3. Does every scene add to and seem important to the story?
4. Were there places that needed a connecting/missing scene? (Mark in the manuscript)
Pacing
1. Did the story hold your interest from the very beginning? If not, why not?
2. Does the manuscript begin in the right place?
3. Was there a point at which you felt the story started to lag or you became less than excited about finding out what was going to happen next? (Mark in the manuscript)
Characters
1. Were the characters believable?
2. Did the dialogue keep your interest and sound natural to you? If not, whose dialogue did you think sounded artificial or not like that person would speak?
3. Do the characters act or react to events in a plausible, realistic, or believable way?
4. Did you get confused about who’s who in the characters? Were there too many characters to keep track of? Too few? Are any of the names or characters too similar?
Style
1. Did you get oriented fairly quickly at the beginning as to whose story it is, and where and when it’s taking place? If not, why not?
2. Did the setting interest you, and did the descriptions seem vivid and real to you? Was there too much or too little?
3. Were there any parts that confuse, frustrate, annoy or take you OUT of the narrative? (Mark in the manuscript)
4. Did you notice any discrepancies or inconsistencies in time sequences, places, character details, or other details? (Mark in the manuscript)
5. Did you notice any obvious, repeating grammatical, spelling, punctuation or capitalization errors? Examples?
Some Bonus Q’s!
1. What three things worked best for you?
2. What three things worked least for you?
3. Which parts resonated with you and/or moved you emotionally?
4. Which characters did you really connect to? Did you connect with any?
I’m sure there are loads of questions I could ask on top of these but I don’t want to bog down my beta readers. I want them to feel like we can have a conversation about the book once they’re done and to really dig into the details. So what’s the next step? Sending the damn manuscript. Again, obvious right? Since it’s coming up on the christmas season and I too will be busy out of my gourd, I’m asking that they read it by the end of January. That gives them just over two months. Whether this is the right amount of time, I’m not sure. This is my first time (aside from a few friends plugging at previous drafts).
Fingers crossed! I’m stoked to be at this stage but also nervous. Terrified? Yes. That’s probably more likely. Yes. We’ll go with terrified.
LMG Wilson 