After my front-line editor has scrutinized
my manuscript and we’ve wrestled to the ground every punctuation and grammar
error, and repaired every lapse in plot flow we can find, I print copies for my
beta readers. They are my last line of defence, my last chance for perfection,
before the submission letter. I know perfection is impossible, but I still
strive for it.
The
really important thing about beta readers is that they love to find errors. And
I love it when they do. I am profusely and genuinely grateful when they pass me
their well-thought-out comments. I do the happy dance when they find anything
amiss, whether it’s in timing, grammar, or punctuation. When one of them triumphantly
informs me that a character stood up twice on the same page without sitting
down in between, I could cry with joy. I mean, how would a mistake like that
look to a publisher? Amateur time, right?
Often,
a beta reader will come back to me with a question like, “Why did Lyris get hit
in the eye with a snowball in Chapter 2, but there’s no mention in the rest of
the book of the eye turning black?” See, this is a good question. Not a
deal-breaker maybe, but easy enough for me to go back and hit Lyris in the
stomach where it won’t show, or drop in a mention of her black eye in a
subsequent scene. Beta readers help ensure every little sub-plot is tied up in
a pretty bow. Paying customers may not notice the bow, but they might be thrown
off by the omission of a black eye.
I
have one reader with a highly-developed sense of justice. She thinks every
character should get their just desserts. They should pay for every
transgression. Um, no. Nobody gets away with murder in my books, but plenty of
minor offences go unpunished. Knowing her as I do, I overlook the social order
critiques and celebrate her gift for locating double words, missing words,
missing punctuation — in short, she takes my manuscript closer to perfection.
If
more than one beta reader makes the same, or similar, comment, I pay attention.
At this late stage of the writing process, I’m not keen on making any major
changes to plot line or character development. But, if something is bugging
several beta readers, then it will bug a lot of paying customers. Thankfully,
though, this doesn’t often happen.
I
would never send out a manuscript without first filtering it through my beta
readers. When I give them the printout — much better for finding discrepancies
than electronic reading — I ask them to get back to me within three weeks. To
encourage them to be honest with their opinions and make it easier to list
their findings, I also hand them a pre-printed form. Not one of them has failed
me yet.
Where
do you find beta readers? They are everywhere, and mine include relatives and
friends. A few are also writers. I acknowledge them by name and thank them in
my books.
I
know writers who don’t use beta readers at all, and some who only ask other
writers to read their manuscripts. Whatever works, there’s no wrong way to do
it. But, my little posse of beta-readers works well for me!
A former technical writer, Gloria’s first
mystery, CHEAT THE HANGMAN, won the 2012 Bony Blithe Award for best light
mystery. She is working on another mystery novel and occasionally writes a
short story or novella just for the heck of it.
Follow Gloria on Twitter @GloriaFerris
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