Words About Writing

Three days until the end of the month, when I should be able to begin the next draft. Two days ago, I contacted the 4th reader, who I've not heard a word from, just to see if she was still on track. She had read the first couple chapters, then got busy with work. She hoped to read some more the next day. I know from the other three readers that the start is slow and confusing in places. My guess is she got bored and stopped. I hope she gets a bit further into it, but I'm not holding my breath. My point being, I need to better prepare my readers, and prepare my book for my readers, next time around. And I have now read multiple blog posts and articles about using beta-readers, and they contradict each other in various ways. After I figure out what works and doesn't (so, a few years down the road) I will write my own "how to use beta-readers". I guess it's different for everyone. As unexpected as this process has been, I can honestly say, it helped. Ju

Feedback has started rolling in from my Beta-readers. I'm learning a lot. First off, it's valuable feedback, but the first two readers to finish did not do as I had expected. Notes are not as in-depth as I had requested, and one even wasted time pointing out typos or missed word placement, which I distinctly said not to look for. But I do have a couple things that I know I need to fix for the next draft, and I'm so glad I'm doing this before seeking an agent, etc.! I do know that the two who have supposedly finished will not be readers for me at this stage on future books. One gave broad, sweeping notes, and said that the grammatical issues were a distraction for her. The other seemed to think of it like reading a pre-release - just make a couple notes and give a review? I would love to have them read at a later stage on a future book. It's all good information for me. This is a learning process. I think next time I might ask on my blog, or on twitter, and s