Beta Reader Appreciation

[RepresentingCaution]

I may have mentioned this in other places, but my husband is my beta reader. I like to write Michael's character as close to my actual husband as possible, and sometimes, I need a little extra help getting him right.

Anyway, here's a sneak peek at the editing process on Chapter 74 and how Male is helping me portray him more accurately:

What do your beta readers do for you? What are some of the most helpful tips they've given you?

 

[EternalSunset0]

Every chapter, I send it to a beta, a friend from the college days. He discusses some plot points that I can do or character arcs that I could go for.

If anything, I'm so appreciative that there's at least one guy in the world who is willing to put up with my work that much and doesn't ghost me or pulls the busy card after a couple of chapters.

As for individual helpful tips, i just can't count them individually. I like it when he calls some plot points out for not making much sense or for being asspulls, and it helps that we think in the same wavelength regarding the genre and reader expectations.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

I may have mentioned this in other places, but my husband is my beta reader. I like to write Michael's character as close to my actual husband as possible, and sometimes, I need a little extra help getting him right.

Anyway, here's a sneak peek at the editing process on Chapter 74 and how Male is helping me portray him more accurately:
View attachment 4880


What do your beta readers do for you? What are some of the most helpful tips they've given you?

best advice i was given? "Dont give a fuck about what your readers tell you to do."

Which I found pretty helpful given the right application. Obviously Its fine to listen to constructive criticism. But don't let them tell you what you should write. Dont feel the need to cater to them and care about whether they stay or not.
And I've taken that to heart, so anyone who has a complaint about my stories I tell them to fuck off then and read something else.

Im confident in my writing. I can write well. I know that deep in my bones. So I don't need some asshat telling me they don't like something, or that the story sucks because its not written how THEY want it.

I would take advice on character behavior, for example. Like if I'm going for a certain type of character and they feel I'm missing the ball a bit, I would take advice on how to make the character more in line with the kind of personality I want them to portray. But I'm not going to care if you find the character unappealing. Dont like them? Bye, Felicia. Dont let the door hit you on the way out, honey.

So yeah. Theres a clear difference between a complaint and a well intentioned suggestion

 

[BenJepheneT]

@Sii i will gladly suck your dick for the help you've given thanks my man

Anyway, here's a sneak peek at the editing process on Chapter 74 and how Male is helping me portray him more accurately:

no cap on god you named your guy Male?
i might return the favor in the future and name someone Female lmao

 

[Motsu]

The biggest advice here is to prolly sleep it all out and procrastinate.

 

[Discount_Blade]

The biggest advice here is to prolly sleep it all out and procrastinate.

Genius. Sheer genius. You'll be famous one day you intellectual madman you.

 

[Cossimeri]

I have a friend who beta reads most of my chapters. They don't usually call out story problems, though they do catch a lot of my grammar mistakes and send me a list. I often call them my "editor-friend" because of this.

My older brother used to beta read too...but he likes to procrastinate so I can't really count on him to give me any timely feedback. Usually with him I can expect his opinions like a week after I've sent him a chapter...and by then it is kinda too late since I don't have a backlog or anything.

 

[OvidLemma]

Here's a piece of advice I read a while back about beta readers, and I try to take it to heart when I'm writing:
When somebody points out problems in your writing, they're almost always right.
When they tell you what to do about them, they're almost always wrong.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Here's a piece of advice I read a while back about beta readers, and I try to take it to heart when I'm writing:
When somebody points out problems in your writing, they're almost always right.
When they tell you what to do about them, they're almost always wrong.

“You have to give an editor something to change, or he gets frustrated. After he pees in it himself, he likes the flavor much better, so he buys it.”​

― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land

 

[RepresentingCaution]

no cap on god you named your guy Male?
i might return the favor in the future and name someone Female lmao
[/QUOTE]

He calls me Female too, but I started it. The idea came from a story my mom told me about the early days when she was dating my dad. I started doing it on a whim back when my husband was just my friend with benefits, but I had a feeling we were bound for something more.

My mom: What do you like about me?
My dad: You're female.
My mom said she was angry at first when he said this instead of something more romantic, but she got over it.