As you may have gathered from previous posts, the manuscript for my forthcoming novel Vaetra Unveiled is undergoing second draft rewrites and a simultaneous review by beta readers. I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learned from the notes I’ve gotten back from my beta readers.
Lesson #1: Brace Yourself
I told my reviewers that I wanted them to be brutally honest in their comments about the book. This is my first novel, so if it was going to be an embarrassment, I needed to know that.
Well, I don’t think they have been particularly brutal, but they did take me at my word. They weren’t afraid to tell me what they thought when something didn’t work…
Don’t like this last sentence. Is he glad to leave? Is he looking forward to something?
That makes me think about conflict….let your characters fight.
Let those conflicts stay unresolved in some cases for a while…you
are asking and answering a lot of questions…maybe leave some of them
unanswered.You write, “As much as I cared for Dela” and I just yelled at the page “You do? How would I know that?” I needed to be shown this before or eliminate this statement or change it to what you really mean.
I started writing fiction with the understanding that I had no idea what I was doing. I’ve been writing articles and contributing to non-fiction books for years, but this was my first shot at a fantasy novel. Having that perspective has made it easy to see the criticism my beta readers have given me in the light it was intended; as constructive criticism that is helping me improve my story. And it definitely has helped!
The good news it that it isn’t all bad news. As I documented in a previous post, my beta readers have been generous with their praise as well as their criticism. I appreciate both.
If you decide to put yourself out there and share your novel with others for review in any form, brace yourself to receive their honest opinions.
What Have You Learned?
Please share the lessons you’ve learned from your beta readers, critique partners, and editors in the comments. Have you had to develop a thicker skin? Tell me about it!
