On the Origin of Beta Readers
12 Feb
I am almost convinced (quite contrary to opinion I started with) that species are not (it is like confessing a murder) immuatable.
It’s from a letter Charles Darwin wrote to a “fellow naturalist”. I was reading this month’s Smithsonian this morning and saw it in there. Gotta love the drama of a scientist who knows he’s holding a lighted stick of dynamite.
Happy 200th, pal. Still making waves, at least in this weird ass country, two centuries later. You and Lincoln. (That’s the other half of the issue this month. It’s been half of every issue of Smithsonian this year, predictably enough.)
So lest anyone think I’m not working hard (Don’t ask me who “anyone” would be– I’ve no idea), let me say that I’ve just been beta reading some fun stuff. As of today I’m fairly done. Which means I’m no longer unable to put off editing my own crap, which is always decidedly less fun.
Not fun, but it is good. At least when I edit my own stuff I feel forward progress, like I’m learning how to write instead of just puking some half-baked idea onto my computer. Making something shiny and polished as possible, seeing your baby grow up and do well in the world…
That’s the idea anyhow. But it’d never work without the beta readers and editors I’m lucky enough to talk into helping me. Fresh eyes are a necessity for me, as I tend to memorize passages after a few reads. Doesn’t make for good self-editing without a good six month wait in between.
I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately, seeing multiple posts about the difficulty of finding a writing group or consistent, helpful beta reader. There are a very limited number of reasons anyone would want to do this for someone else– the most compelling being a personal interest in a writer or their work. Equally respectable would be the idea of trading critiques or perhaps some other form of payment– not necessary with friends but useful in inducing perfect strangers to help out. (I see people talk about writing groups and how useless they are and I often wonder if they’ve gone in and slapped something up and asked for help without first helping others. Someone didn’t watch enough Sesame Street, I think. Clearly this isn’t the only reason for the failure of these groups, but you know what I mean.)
And then you have the most obvious kinds of cold critiques, the ones where it’s some bored dude sitting on his computer trashing other people because he’s angry about living in his mom’s basement and surviving on Mountain Dew, Papa Johns, and Cheetos and fantasizing about an anime character in a catholic school girl outfit. He’s trading his useless tirades for a minuscule boost to his rightfully flagging self esteem. We can’t begrudge him that, poor guy.
(Disclaimer: I do love Mountain Dew, Papa Johns, and Cheetos. Also, anime and my mom’s basement. Just saying, nothing against them.)
However, it seems to me that some people actually don’t need critiques on everything and are much more independently functional than I. I see a lot of people talking about significant others helping (my husband is a darling about it), but I wonder if people go outside looking for help very often or not. Sheer curiosity.
Do you need help much, or do you find that it throws you off? Do you have a group? Do you wish you did? Are you scarred by bad experiences? Where do you look for help? What about for longer works? Do you have any longstanding relationships that translate into Mutual Editorial Awesome? Do you pay for editorial services with mad cash (or, you know, anything else. Come on, we won’t tell…)?
In the interest of fairness, I will say that I get most of mine from amazing people I met doing fanfiction, who also write a lot of original stuff. I hang out at a writing group based on that, and all but one of my most trusted betas come from a similar pool. It’s entirely personal interest in them and their work, at least on my end. Which is not to say that I’m not a critical f#%ker, because I am, but so are they, thank god.
If you feel like indulging my inane curiosity, let me know. I saw a post like this on Fangs, Fur and Fey once, and it was pretty interesting to see what people had to say, and just how widely effective methods vary between writers. Kind of cool.
—————-
Now playing: Kasabian – Thick As Thieves
posted with FoxyTunes
Well my poor old Mum has been reading my books for the last fifteen or so years – the trouble with that is a)she loves me and b) she understands me and so often gets what I mean where others may not.
I was a a member of an online writers group and I learned a lot from my time there. Finding people to read something novel length is harder though, (or should have been, I had a fantastic response to my post about ‘The Poisoned Apple’) and while I worry about the clarity of my ‘Theatre’, I wouldn’t impose on people via my blog again. Though I am ready and willing to be imposed upon.
Haha I have that issue with some of my best buds reading my stuff. “Well I know what she means…” Oh the things we excuse with long association! (Or family ties. Your mom sounds adorable.)
I seriously doubt it’d be an imposition, Cate. Personal interest in what you’re writing is not hard to come by! Thanks for the reply, that’s good stuff. Maybe I should start making a spreadsheet…
I dislike writing groups/clubs/what have you in general. Too much slush floating around, plus the guy who comes out of his mom’s basement only for writing group. I’ve had some help from an online group, but I basically have developed the internal voice to separate crap from good ideas. Usually.
Like Cate, I make my mom read too much of my writing. My wife doesn’t like to do it/doesn’t get it at all. Most of it “scares” her and not in the good, horror-writer way.
Usually, if I let something sit, I can be fairly objective.
And Cate, you know I would be happy to read Theatre. No imposition.
Yeah, I like having a beta reader. I prefer people that I don’t personally know so I can get an unbiased opinion.
You well know how much I rely on a good beta. I rely on the kindness of folks like you who are willing to put up with reading my brain dumps, or just listening to me try to sort out what I want to do with this, that, or the next thing. I find it invaluable, quite frankly.
Significant other as beta? HA! He’s still never read anything I’ve written that isn’t business-related. **eyeroll**
I love our little writing group, I really do (regardless of how infrequently I actually post to it). It’s small, which helps, and it’s comprised of really talented people, which also helps. Feedback is (generally) constructive and something you can actually use. Shocking, really, compared to some of the horror stories I’ve heard. I wouldn’t be particularly eager to join a group whose members I wasn’t so familiar with, or that had a membership in the hundreds. Small, friendly, and personal, that’s the way to go.
I attended my uni writing group for several years, long after it probably should have been put to sleep. It started well, but by the end it was down to only two or three people who turned up regularly and threw injokes at each other, and a rotation of newbies who never bothered to learn group etiquette. The attempt to produce an online version has resulted in something where you almost never get comments, let alone criticism, and when you offer it people it takes people by such surprise that they’re forced to confront the fact they didn’t really want criticism, just the friendly squee you got in the face-to-face group. I learnt a lot at the group, and it was great fun, but it was more of a social event than a criticism group.
You’ve heard me complain about the groups on Absolute Write; no criticism apart from smilies or basement guy on a tirade. I’m not immediately compelled to try again, though I’ll probably crit some other pieces occasionally.
The writing group we’re both in is probably the best one I’ve found online, well organised and maintained. Beta readers are a must for longer work, though I have to admit I picked up bad habits in my fanfic days of posting (or submitting, now) stuff as soon as it’s written. It’s always nice to have multiple beta readers, because they’ll pick up on different things.
Oh, and I never show family my writing! I stopped trusting them when I was about six. Why I was looking for constructive criticism when I was six I don’t know, but I remember being very annoyed that everyone said “That’s lovely” to my picture of a horse when I knew that though it was obviously brilliant, it wasn’t as good as the picture I’d copied it from!
Aaron, I am not an envying kind of girl, but if I were to envy anything it’d be that discernment you have. Makes sense for an English teacher, of course. I also think I’ve scared my husband once or twice, but I think he likes it. Thanks for the answer, good reasons!
Barry, I agree, that’s a good way to go. That’s another reason I like my little group, since I only know about half of them and the other half are people they invited. It’s a real beta test.
And Jen, well you know. I’m with you, as you are reminded daily. I really think that what makes the group work is the fact that it’s private, so we all sort of have some incentive to help out, you know? Plus the prompts are like this weekly reminder. “Move your ass!” Good idea you had there
Nat, that’s adorable about the horse picture! And a good reason not to ask the family. My mom reads all my stuff after it’s published, but initially I wasn’t going to let her, lest it traumatize her. She’s managed so far though, bless her.
they’re forced to confront the fact they didn’t really want criticism…
That’s another thing I should’ve brought up in discussing the ineffectiveness of many groups– good point. I mean you can get that with a beta partner too, but most people will choke it down and suck it up eventually. At groups it’s sort of rampant. Still, I’m getting the feeling that from people who’ve had groups in the past, when it was good, it was very good.
I’m terrified of subbing stuff right after it’s finished. I need to take lessons.
Thanks for the thoughtful answers, y’all!
Hope I didn’t sound like too much of an @$$. I don’t think I’ve been around the right groups…
When I was very green, I used a group. Now that I’m more confident in my voice I trust myself and let Ying brush over my stories for grammar and style. If I’m still unsure, I’ll ask another writer to take a look and give me feedback.
For the record, I think crit groups are wonderful. How much a writer uses them depends on their personality. They helped me get my shit together, that’s for sure.
Not at all, Aaron! Hell, if you’re an ass… I must be a complete and utter bitchfest. I’m the one picking on poor Basement Dweller Guy shamelessly. (Okay I’m a complete and utter bitchfest anyhow, I guess. But my point stands.)
Natalie, I couldn’t agree more, everyone has to do it differently, which is what’s so interesting about it to me. Yours sounds like a perfect middle path (Buddha would be proud!)– the group thing worked to help you get your wings, then you took off. And your beta situation now is extremely sensible, to my mind.
I never show a relative until it’s published. While I think they would have some good suggestions, they wouldn’t deal well if I didn’t take all of them as gospel truth.
I prefer a few close friends who have gallantly thrown themselves on the beta-reader bomb. I started out letting anyone read who wanted to, but I’ve trimmed it to the handful of people who provide the best and most timely advice. (Not that I think people should drop everything and put me on top priority – but I do have my own deadlines to keep.)
As for groups – I was on an alt.rec.whatever message board for a while when I stared, and while a few people were nice, most of them seemed to be arrogant “real” writers who would rather simultaneously stroke their own egos and tell you what an ignorant little rookie you were for even needing to ask a question. I never actually posted anything – for which I am retrospectively grateful.
I did get invited to this awesome little group, which I joined and then promptly had no time with which to keep up. I’m hoping to get back to it once the worst of the craziness has passed.