Benefits of a Beta
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me." (Dudley Field Malone)
When I started writing way back when it was simply to tell a story. Anything I knew about writing was basic knowledge from school, and whatever I gleaned off reading. Although I considered myself a good writer, I didn't know my faults or how to improve. Not even taking a Reader's Digest Writer's Workshop via snail-mail seemed to show me much outside of character and plot building. I never really grew as a writer until I started working with a beta-reader
A beta-reader is merely a non-professional editor to go over your work before publishing. This can be someone you employ, or just a friend. Anyone can serve as a fresh set of eyes to catch misspellings or question use of grammar, and all of it will make your story better-as long as you take the advice with an open-mind.
When I decided to return to writing (a few years ago now) I knew I wanted to have someone spot me. I was concerned I didn't have a strong voice, and worried my lack of technical growth was holding me back. I was confident in my ability to tell a good tale, and that my strength was dynamic characterizations. So my criteria for finding a beta was someone to complement me, to provide what I felt I lacked; someone with an acute ability to find technical flaws.
If you're serious about gaining ground and obtaining new skill sets, you don't want to have a beta who thinks and writes just like you. Educating yourself on how to self-edit will help you find your trouble areas, which you can then use to search a beta-reader database.
Finding someone on a different level than yourself is a great benefit. I can tell you I've never learned more than while working with my beta, sybilrowan. Not only was she well-versed in the technical aspects of writing, having degrees in both English and History, she also enjoyed creating comedy (whereas I do not). Sometimes, too, her mathematician husband wingedpanther73 would help, and his clever wit and precision were much needed (I suck at math and science too).
Sybil showed me I was actually strong in grammar, but my major issues were over-using commas and excessive "that"s. Going over my old novels now I definitely find way too many sentences with "that". It created a sense of passive action which really didn't engage the reader, but also led into run-on sentences-another writing no-no. Thanks to Sybil and hubby, I can now clearly find and eliminate random commas and useless "that" state of being sentences. Even better, I discovered how to construct bold, animated short sentences to keep the reading experience sharp. Before, I was a flowery writer, still using outdated styles like J.R.R. Tolkien or T.H. White, which can be a little boring at times, especially in this fast-paced modern world.
Honestly, having a beta was such a success I now find myself spotting these technical flaws when I read others' works, even professionally published novels. Finding help doesn't mean you suck, neither does it change your style; it makes you a better author!
And don't be afraid to ask for help from more than one person. I read this Tweet by indie author Alex Hurst which showcases why:
"7 #betareaders looked at this story. I edited it 4 times before sending it to them. Just found a typo none of us saw. #Editing! You need it!"
Yes we do! And since Sybil has become too busy, once I get a new manuscript completed I will be looking for some beta-readers myself. Although right now I could do with a pair of editing eyes in the Young Justice fandom. If you need proof-reading help too, I might be available depending on the length of the work. Just shoot me a PM.
Happy writing!
When I started writing way back when it was simply to tell a story. Anything I knew about writing was basic knowledge from school, and whatever I gleaned off reading. Although I considered myself a good writer, I didn't know my faults or how to improve. Not even taking a Reader's Digest Writer's Workshop via snail-mail seemed to show me much outside of character and plot building. I never really grew as a writer until I started working with a beta-reader
A beta-reader is merely a non-professional editor to go over your work before publishing. This can be someone you employ, or just a friend. Anyone can serve as a fresh set of eyes to catch misspellings or question use of grammar, and all of it will make your story better-as long as you take the advice with an open-mind.
When I decided to return to writing (a few years ago now) I knew I wanted to have someone spot me. I was concerned I didn't have a strong voice, and worried my lack of technical growth was holding me back. I was confident in my ability to tell a good tale, and that my strength was dynamic characterizations. So my criteria for finding a beta was someone to complement me, to provide what I felt I lacked; someone with an acute ability to find technical flaws.
If you're serious about gaining ground and obtaining new skill sets, you don't want to have a beta who thinks and writes just like you. Educating yourself on how to self-edit will help you find your trouble areas, which you can then use to search a beta-reader database.
Finding someone on a different level than yourself is a great benefit. I can tell you I've never learned more than while working with my beta, sybilrowan. Not only was she well-versed in the technical aspects of writing, having degrees in both English and History, she also enjoyed creating comedy (whereas I do not). Sometimes, too, her mathematician husband wingedpanther73 would help, and his clever wit and precision were much needed (I suck at math and science too).
Sybil showed me I was actually strong in grammar, but my major issues were over-using commas and excessive "that"s. Going over my old novels now I definitely find way too many sentences with "that". It created a sense of passive action which really didn't engage the reader, but also led into run-on sentences-another writing no-no. Thanks to Sybil and hubby, I can now clearly find and eliminate random commas and useless "that" state of being sentences. Even better, I discovered how to construct bold, animated short sentences to keep the reading experience sharp. Before, I was a flowery writer, still using outdated styles like J.R.R. Tolkien or T.H. White, which can be a little boring at times, especially in this fast-paced modern world.
Honestly, having a beta was such a success I now find myself spotting these technical flaws when I read others' works, even professionally published novels. Finding help doesn't mean you suck, neither does it change your style; it makes you a better author!
And don't be afraid to ask for help from more than one person. I read this Tweet by indie author Alex Hurst which showcases why:
"7 #betareaders looked at this story. I edited it 4 times before sending it to them. Just found a typo none of us saw. #Editing! You need it!"
Yes we do! And since Sybil has become too busy, once I get a new manuscript completed I will be looking for some beta-readers myself. Although right now I could do with a pair of editing eyes in the Young Justice fandom. If you need proof-reading help too, I might be available depending on the length of the work. Just shoot me a PM.
Happy writing!