I think I’ve mentioned before that my writing is a fairly solo process up until my deadline.
I really do look at my books as collaborative efforts between me, my agent, and the editorial staffs at my publishers. I’m open to suggestions, I’m happy to make changes or substitutions. Want to send the plot off in another direction? I’m game. Want me to write in a character or kill one off? I’m your writer. If you have an idea, I can write it and we can see what happens. Try me!
But I don’t really have the beta readers in on the drafting process. I should. It would definitely help me out.
The reason I don’t, I think, is because I’m frequently working on more than one project at once and my drafts are disasters. Right now I’m editing two different manuscripts and writing a requested synopsis for the second book of the new series. I’m under several deadlines.
I know what’s going on in my draft. I make cryptic notes to myself with Track Changes in the margins. I know that there are huge sections that are out of place. I know that there are unintentional cliffhangers that lead off into nothingness. It all makes sense…to me. And I know in my head exactly how I’m going to fix it.
It wouldn’t make sense to anyone else though. My cryptic notes in the margins don’t even make sense unless you can get inside my head. And that’s why I’m really reluctant to share it out.
My next deadline is June 1. When I was in Anderson, SC, last weekend, I gave my mother the manuscript. She needs to edit on paper, so I carefully printed it out for her.
This time I actually thought ahead and tried to be considerate. Ordinarily, there are no page numbers on the document, and no chapter breaks. :) And this time, the manuscript was even sort of in order.
But… “Mama?” I said. “The only thing is that the ending won’t make sense.”
“Oh, it’s one of those endings where you have to think about it and figure it out?” she asked.
“No, I mean it’s really just an incomplete ending. Like—not finished. But no worries! It’s all under control!”
You can only do something like this to your mother. Here’s a book. Please read it very carefully from start to finish, the sooner the better. But you’ll have to make up your own ending because it’s not included.
If I gave that mess to my agent, I can only imagine what she’d say. She’s a little more worried about endings that don’t make sense or endings that are completely AWOL. Since our livelihoods are somewhat tied together, I can understand why she’d be concerned.
I’ve had some great offers from beta readers and I really do mean to take advantage of them…when my manuscripts are a little more orderly. The only problem is that by the time they’re orderly, I’m right up on the deadline. And it’s not very nice to ask someone to critique a book in three days time. :)
So…I’m dumping it all on my poor mother. Because mothers take on stuff like that! She’s a special kind of first reader.
So this is my question for you—if you use a beta/first reader, what kind of condition is your manuscript in when you hand it over? Do you have different kinds of beta readers—some who you could dump a messy manuscript on, some who get a more finished product? If you don’t have a beta reader, why not? Is it just a matter of not finding one, not having time to return critiques, or another reason altogether?
I sought a handful of beta readers before sending out a “final” draft of my ms to an agent. One of these, by chance, turned out to gold dust (I’ll come to her, in a minute). Two out of four readers said roughly the same about roughly the same problem areas with the ms. Of the others, one didn’t like the story at all (but admitted she didn’t like the genre as a whole, so I didn’t allow her candid negativity to scare me too much), the other said different things to anyone else, so I (again, cautiously), laid her comments aside, to concentrate on the consensus. One of the first two I began to work with very closely as I polished the ms. I quickly found I could rely on her to spot things I couldn’t; she had an ability to hold multiple plot strands in her head simultaneously when I resorted to notes. She enabled to work faster and more loosely, precisely because I knew she’d catch any dropped balls. And she loved the story. Through 4, 5, 6 drafts – she loved it. That must be rare. Past the point where I was tiring of it, she loved it and wanted to make it as good as possible. Now I feel I could send her earlier drafts of something new, because she’s proved how good she is at this. I’d hesitate to try a messy draft on someone untested, though. It wouldn’t be fair on either of you.
I have never managed to ask anyone to be a beta reader – I think I’m more scared of someone I know reading an almost-finished novel than of a stranger looking at it.
My ideal beta reader would be my younger son, who also writes, but he just isn’t interested in the mystery genre at all and also is studying English at university at the moment and constantly complains about how slowly he reads and how many books there are on his reading list!
Elizabeth – Thanks for sharing the way you prepare manuscripts. I always learn from the way other people do things. As for beta readers, I depend on them. I need them. Before they see my manuscript, though, I do finish the first draft. I then send the completed draft to them. Now, I do verbally tell the story to one of my beta readers so that I can get some input on the basic plot: Who’s the victim, whodunit, whydunit, who are the other suspects. But it’s easier all around if I draft my work out before sending the written work out for beta readers.
My process is still evolving. I have two critique partners who see the big mess. They’re awesome.
I have two beta readers who see the semi-final draft. They’re awesome, too.
I love the idea of notes to myself along the way in track notes. I can sell my stock in the stickie notes company! Thank you.
Have a wonderful weekend.
I have a few close friends that I give my manuscript to when I feel it’s in good enough shape. I’ve learned to wait until it’s pretty decent, though – not final, but close.
Karen
I’ve tried. Lord, I’ve tried to find beta readers, to get my MS (or at least pieces of it) to them in a timely manner, to incorporate their comments into my next draft…all with no real luck. I think it’s a combination of my writing style – WIPs not really ready for any form of public consumption until they’re DONE – and trouble finding beta readers.
I’ve been in a couple writing groups that failed. We all like each other and like to write, but are busy, so even meeting once a month didn’t work out. I’ve shared shorter work, usually sending online. Now, I’ve switched to writing plays. I had a few talented friends over for breakfast one Sat. and had a table reading. That was fantastic!
Marvin is my original beta reader. Its a draft that is more filled out in some places than others. This is to identify any major gaps before I fill out the draft and go into editing stage.
I do have a few beta readers lined up and ready to go once I get Marvin’s editing and proofreading feedback. I’ll run off copies from CreateSpace and send them to my beta readers for any last feedback before “going live.”
Oh, and you’ve been tagged on your two cooking themed books at Amazon.
My husband gets the fresh of the press first drafts, full of awful sentences and underwhelming scenes. After talking things over with him, the drafts get a heavy duty makeover and it’s only then that I share it with my CPs. Not only is the story more crystallized in my head, but it’s closer to submitting quality. I don’t want them to get distracted from identifying major problems with my MS by typos, passive verbs, telling.
Currently, I have been having my crit group reading my book pretty much in first draft format. I like the way this is working out for me.
But on the subject of beta readers, I have a few that I send my stuff to. One is my wife, usually the first one to really build up my ego.
Then I have a few fellow writers who tear me down. See that’s why I need the ego boost first, so the tearing me down brings me back to normal. It works for me. At least I think it does.
Sarah–Exactly. It would take a beta forever to wade through the morass of my drafts. Not an effective use of their time, at all. But sounds like you found a real gem–and one good reader is really all you need.
Sheila–It is a little bit weird, I have to admit. For a while, I felt the need to keep reassuring my mother that I really *wasn’t* going to turn the book in like that. :)
Well, your son will finish up school and then it sounds like he’s the perfect candidate! He won’t have to actually enjoy mysteries to be able to help you out. It just might not be as fun for him!
Mary –That sounds a lot like me! I’ve got available betas, but I’d feel ashamed of myself if I gave them the manuscripts the way they are right now.
Margot–It sounds like a good method. You get a little feedback early in the project on your basic plot idea, then you’ve got crit partners for all the detail work.
Mary–I think I saw the pics from that session–looked like y’all were having fun! Yes, I’ve been in some crit groups, but it didn’t seem to work out.
Carol–You’ve got a great crew on your side!
Oh, yes, Track Changes. I use the comment feature on almost every page to check my facts, note a spot where I’m not making sense, ask myself whether the scene is too repetitive of something I wrote somewhere else in the book…all that type of thing. I have Post-Its, too…somewhere. I think my children run off with them!
Karen–It’s great to have friends to edit for you. I have a feeling most of my friends would be horrified by the state of my drafts. They’re used to reading my published books, which not only *I’ve* edited heavily, but which have been professionally edited. And tend to have chapter breaks! Unlike my drafts. :)
Stephen–Marvin is a good go-to guy to have!
Thanks Stephen, for the tags! :)
Bluestocking–You’ve brought up a good point–the fact that sometimes we need different readers for different things. Maybe we want betas to look for typos/grammar/spelling problems. Maybe we want them to look for global revisions like character motivation or plot problems.
John–So like a chapter by chapter thing? That approach might work better for me. It’s really the transition *between* chapters and scenes that’s so messed up in my first drafts. Looking at each separately instead of something cohesive might work.
Oh, it can be completely demoralizing to have a critique. I remember that. Now, of course, my skin is like an alligator’s in its thickness. Most of the time I’m able to look at the book as something very separate from me. Sometimes, though–yeah, it still hurts.
At this point, I am giving my readers my 2nd draft, because my first is ALSO a mess… usually plot holes and problems. I need to do a full edit before it’s ready for other eyes. Then I like to have another edit, another peer review, a clean up, THEN agent… at least that’s my hope…
I don’t have beta readers and I probably should but…I tend to work on 4 or more projects at a time and my drafts are a huge mess…thoughts, ideas roughed in but not complete until i get the other ideas in my head on paper somewhere. Then I go back and expand on some ideas and areas, pull out others…and just make notes to go back even later to think more on something.
My messy drafts aside….I’m not even sure where I could find a serious beta reader, especially for the genres I tend to write in.