Advice wanted on beta reading please

[jongibbs]

I can't believe I didn't think to ask my LJ friends this before. Tomorrow, I hand over Waking up Jack Thunder to my three wonderful beta readers, along with a note (copied below) listing the kind of feedback I'm looking for. This is the first time I've ever used beta readers as opposed to having someone read a draft. If anyone can think of anything

Comments

[bogwitch64]

If this is your LAST (haha) draft, you might want to consider asking your betas to note any writing ticks you might have. For example, too many 'said' tags, or worse, said bookisms. Do you use a certain word a LOT? Adverbs? Too many sentences starting with But? Does your strange British spelling of 'or' and 'ize' words turn their heads inside out? Ok, I'm kidding about the last one, but some writer ticks really distract a reader, and if you're not asking for that sort of notation, you might change an otherwise great bit because your reader wrote, "A bit boring, sorry old bean," in the margin when it was simply an abundance of dialog tags slowing the snappy banter down.

[jongibbs]

I know what you mean. We all have those personal cliches, stage directing habits etc. Hopefully, that would come under the 'bored' or 'huh?' headings.

As for strange British spellings, all I can say is pthhhhffrrrrrt! ;)

[bogwitch64]

Did you just give me a raspberry? Did you?? :)

Did I ever tell you that I spelled the British way when I was a kid? Color was colour. Realize was realise. I don't know why I did this, but it got me marked off on papers quite a bit. I suspect, because I read a lot, that I picked it up from books; but to this day I have to make an effort not to use "our" in place of "or." I often find it in my writing when going over drafts. Crazy, huh?

[jongibbs]

Dang, I didn't think you'd recognize it the British way ;)

If it helps, 'our' is used when you're talking about something belonging to you and someone else, 'or' is used when you're showing a choice of options.

hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe :)

[bogwitch64]

You're a cheeky bastard, you know that. :)

[jongibbs]

Lol, I do seem to recall my old gran mentioning it on (more than one) occasion.

[bogwitch64]

You're also pretty fabulous, so it evens out.

[jongibbs]

And modest too. Don't forget modest, it's my very best feature :)

[bogwitch64]

And I thought your best feature was your smokin' hot abs. I guess I was wrong. :-P

[jongibbs]

I used to have a six-pack, but it grew into a barrell :(

[bogwitch64]

A barrel of monkeys? Yay!