Unusual Suspects of the Beta Reading Realm

We love to hate them and want to need them. They are the bane of every writer’s existence. The simple fact remains, though, you just can’t do this whole writing thing without them. They bring an objective and quite often a creative point of view to the writing process that you need in order to have a well written manuscript. As writers, we get too close to our own work. So, what do you do?

Enter, beta readers.

There are many different kinds of beta readers, and they are not all created equal. They should not be a single use item, but rather an artifact to hold onto for dear life. I would suggest approaching beta readers as though you are assembling the perfect team. A team that you can keep around the entirety of your writing career.

Keep them secret, keep them safe.

The main issue you will come to see is that there are so many types it is hard to know what you are getting until the job is already underway. This can change the way you go about interpreting their feedback. Below you will find some the most common types of beta readers along with the guise they will usually appear under.

1.      The Punisher – We all know this one. Everything you have done is wrong. Why are you even writing? Why are you presenting me with something that is so far away from being completed that it hurts my eyes? They will read it. Oh, yes, they will read it. Every. Word. And there will be so many comments and red squiggly lines that you have no idea what to do with yourself. All you can really do is pull out Ice. Stare aimlessly out into the cold of the North and proclaim that winter is coming.

GUISE: Unknown beta reader; Three to four degrees of separation.

2.      The Grammar Nazi – Now, we all know that there is a place for correcting grammar. That usually takes place in the self-edit or when you submit your work to your editor. It doesn’t necessarily take place in the beta reading stages. But lo and behold, here they come. You won’t realize how many people have an English degree until they start dissecting your manuscript sentence by sentence. Or as they may say, sentence fragment by sentence fragment.

GUISE: College graduate; two to three degrees of separation.

3.      The Pulitzer Prize Winner – And here they are. The only beta reader you will ever need. This is the god of the English language. This is the person who has done it all. They have several published works and are an expert in their field. They will give you advice on everything from grammar to writing a query letter. They have blogs and videos and are always the first to tell you the industry standard for anything.

Upon further review, you actually come to find out they are little known and have absolutely no reason to actually know what they are talking about.

GUISE: Family or close friend.

4.      The Quitter – “I’m sorry. I got through the first paragraph, and I just wasn’t hooked. I can’t continue.”

Need I say more? I would, but I can’t get past this first paragraph.

GUISE: Really anyone who didn’t want to read your manuscript in the first place. If you had to persist, even a little, then congratulations you caught a Quitter.

5.      The Fan Girl – This will be the first true fan you have. You can do no wrong with your story or your characters. They are here for the long haul. Through the good and the bad, and the thick and the thin. They love your characters. They love the setting. But most importantly, they want to crowd surf at your concerts and get an autographed copy of your novel first.

GUISE: Stranger acting like family or close friend.

6.      The Yes Man – “I loved it.” Well what about—. “I LOVED IT!” Awesome. But in this scene—. “I LOVED IT SO MUCH!”

We all know this person. We all love this person, but if we are being honest, they don’t help when it comes to actually getting your manuscript into tip top shape. They are going to tell you that your manuscript is the greatest thing that they have ever read. While this is good for your ego, it isn’t good for your readers.

GUISE: Family or close friend.

7.      The Chosen One – I saved the best for last. This is the one that we all want. The one we all deserve. The one who is prompt. Praises the good, but also brings up the bad in an uplifting way. They may even offer suggestions for fixing issues. They are polite and professional. If you get one of these, hold on to them for dear life. One of the above six are lurking around the next corner.

GUISE: #WritingCommunity member; Paid beta reader; Goodreads Beta Reading group member.

Now that you are fully informed, get out there and find you some great beta readers. Is there a type of beta reader that I missed? Let me know below.

The Most Important Relationship You Will Ever Have: Rejection

Let’s face it, some of the most emotional times of your life deal with rejection and your reaction to it. Come with me on a journey, all the way back to little you. You’re at the grocery store with your parents. There, shining atop an end cap in all its glory, is the candy.

It calls to you; it beckons to be eaten. After all, you are the only child in the world who is capable of doing this. There is nobody around, nobody to save the candy. It falls to you to be the one to shoulder this burden. Unfortunately, there is only one thing that stands in your way.

Enter Parents.

Now, this is a situation that I am all too familiar with. I mean, I know we tell our kids that we are going to the grocery store for an exhaustive list of items, but candy is never on it. However, when we arrive, it seems like this is the only thing on their minds. What if there is something wrong? What if the candy really is calling to them?

Sadly, we will never know, because of this little thing called rejection.

You will face it your entire life, and sometimes it will not be pleasant at all. Sometimes it will be gruesome and emotional and you won’t know what to do with it. I have listed some of my favorite forms of rejection in no particular order:

1.      Toys – For many of us out there, this is generally the first type of rejection that will come about. Parents are evil. There I said it. They never give us candy or toys no matter how happy it makes us. In fact. There was a recent article out confirming that sugar highs are not actually a thing. If only they would read it.

Long story short, this is a terrible time in your life. Sure, you get the Halloween and Easter candy, but just look at Wal-Mart with an entire aisle covered in candy. IT’S NOT FAIR. Then you become a parent and realize that maybe it is less about being fair and more about the sanity of the household.

2.      Dating – The only thing that is less fair than not getting the toys and candy that we want is getting rejected in the dating world. I mean just go back. You’re in junior high. Your friends just set you up with this amazing girl in the next higher grade than you. You think she is so hot; the problem is, she doesn’t know you exist.

This isn’t exclusive to junior high. It seems we are always chasing someone we can’t get. Maybe it’s human nature, maybe its psychological. I don’t know, I’m a writer, not a doctor. And besides, I have a good personality. She should be attracted to my personality that she doesn’t know I have.

3.      Job – Ah, the job rejection. If you have never been rejected from a job, then chances are, you’ve probably not applied to very many. It is a grueling mess to be out of work and applying frantically only to get told no over and over. This is for younger people fresh out of high school but also adults who may have been laid off. It sucks, I can tell you from experience.

There is no job that is beneath you. I have known people who refused to work because fast food and janitorial work was beneath them. The truth is, whatever supports you and your family is the perfect job.

4.      Query Letter – You didn’t think I was going to get though an entire blog post and not bring up writing, did you? Ha! Once you have passed the first three levels of your life, you stumble onto yet another form of rejection. The boss level:

The Query Letter

Sure, some people get published their first time around. Others give up and move on to self-publishing, and still others don’t even think about traditional and go straight to self-publishing. The great thing about getting rejected is it teaches you something. If you aren’t getting requests, then maybe your letter needs work. If your manuscript gets rejected, maybe it needs work.

Maybe you realize that your character has no stakes. Maybe there is a large plot hole in your manuscript. If you can take these criticisms and turn it around to your own favor, think of how well your manuscript will be after fixing all the mistakes. After all, if you fix all the mistakes, and you have a perfect manuscript, how could it ever get rejected.

One thing that I have learned is that no matter how old you get, there is always the possibility of rejection around each and every corner you come to. The important thing is not that you go through it and learn to never experience it again. The point, is to embrace rejection. Figure out the reason it is happening so you can make it better.

Relax. The reason you aren’t getting candy is because it is making you crazy. Move on. One day you will find someone who makes you wonder why you were ever sad. Keep striving. That dream job is only an application away.

And keep querying. You may get a thousand “it’s not for me”, but in the publishing industry, it only takes one “oh my god, I love it.”

When The Universe Doesn’t Want You To Write

Hey everyone! I’m super excited to have a chance create a guest blog post over with the people from So You Want to Write. I give my ideas for writing in a hectic world where it seems impossible to find the time.

You can find it HERE.

Stephan

She’s Definitely Bleeding on the Ballroom Floor for the Attention

As I put on the finishing touches to my contemporary fantasy novel, a curious thing happened. I began to look back at my past works. They are a variety of short stories and children’s books. But there is also a YA fantasy novel that I have been querying for a while. I didn’t look back with judgment or criticism, but with a sort of appreciation of how far I’ve come. I usually do that, when I find it hard to focus.

When I first began writing, all I wanted to do was get published. I wanted an agent. I wanted a publishing deal. I wanted to sit at home all day and write. Sip wine while watching the sun set in the Bahamas. I wanted to go to book signings where there was a line out the door of people waiting to see me. I wanted all of it, but what I didn’t want, was to write.

Does that even make sense? I find that in anything we do, there is a sense of avoiding the hard work if possible. That isn’t a bad thing. If someone just gave you ten million dollars, no strings attached, you wouldn’t say “sorry, but I didn’t earn it. I didn’t work for it.”  You would take it, and run. Who wouldn’t? And there is no reason not to (it is ten million dollars after all).

The likelihood of that happening is slim, and so is a successful writing career, if you go into it with that mindset. I didn’t think my first book would be a best seller. I didn’t think I would be having tea with J.K. Rowling. What I did think was that it would be a little easier than it turned out to be.

It always seemed that no matter how hard I worked; it didn’t get easier. I felt that I wasn’t improving. That was until I looked back at my previous works. I studied them. I compared then to how I was writing now. I found that it was amazing how much I had improved, and a little guilty that I ever thought something like that could be publishable. Sometimes it can seem like your writing is just bleeding for attention. Maybe it is.

Here are four things I do to help stay focused in my writing career:

1.      KEEP WRITING: This should go without saying. Write, dammit. Just keep writing. When it hurts, when you’re sick. When you’re tired. Write. I don’t mean just write to write. Put something in that computer with substance. Even it is just an outline or a character sketch. I didn’t get better at typing on a keyboard because I took a class, or read a book. I got better at typing because I do it constantly.

2.      Don’t Be an Adverb Snob: One of the most important lessons I learned (no pun intended) was that you have to keep learning. Learn your craft. Learn how to express yourself in a way that captivates an audience. When you see an article on adverbs or adjectives, read it. You may learn something new. I have. I try and read every article possible so that I can understand my craft thoroughly.

3.      React to the Fire, not the Flames: This one may sound silly. React to what? React to everything that has to do with your writing. The big picture. The day you become blind to the suggestions and critiques around you, is the day your craft will start to whither and die. I know, that is really dramatic, but I am trying to paint a picture. Look at beta reading for example. They are either telling you that something needs improved, or doesn’t work. If you fail to see your own flaws, others will continue to point them out. Keep the big picture in sight. Don’t forget that all the little flames make up a fire. Don’t get distracted by too many tiny details and forget the big picture.

4.      Learn From the Past: Pull out those stories that you wrote years ago. Cringe. Drink. Scream. Do whatever you have to do to read them. The point is to learn from it. The point is to see where you have come from. When I look at my novel currently, I see nothing but problems with it. It can seem disheartening, and cause you to be unsure of your writing. I feel it isn’t as good as I want it to be. But when I look back at the trash that I used to write, it is abundantly clear that I am getting better. And it will be for you too.

So, go get that old story out of the trash and motivate yourself. Your story is only [ENTER SUBJECTIVE AMOUNT OF WORDS] from being completed.

Musings with Katherine Coleman

The largest impact on my life as a writer has been the #writingcommunity. The biggest reason for this has nothing to do with the existence of a hashtag and everything to do with the people that breathe life into that hashtag. The people who make the community special, informative, and just fun to be a part of.

As I am constantly searching for new writers to interview, I am looking for those who make an impact in the writing community. Sure, you can have a million followers. You can even be a bestselling author, but do you give back? I recently put out a request for some feedback on the first chapter of my new WIP. I was blown away with the people who messaged me offering to give it a look.

That is what community is all about. Everyone helping each other to accomplish a overall goal shared individually by each of us. Katie is one of those people who bring inspiration to Twitter. Where coffee and Peaky Blinders are perfectly good reasons to follow someone, don’t forget about the big picture.

I can usually count on seeing her in my feed, which means that she is here to interact. She is so supportive of other writers, and contributes greatly to our #writingcommunity. There is way more to our lives that writing. We can all agree on that. Whether it is family or children. Work or school. We are all navigating our way through life the best we can.

In fact, not to long ago, she made a post about college advisement. Not writing. Not promotion of her own material. COLLEGE ADVISEMENT. I find it really amazing that she would offer advice when it comes to bettering yourself and your career.

Without further ado, Katie Coleman everyone.

Katherine (Katie) Coleman

@heytherekatie

What genre(s) do you write in?

“Mostly horror or thriller but I like to go wherever the wind blows me. ”

What books have you published? 

“Nothing published yet but look out for me in the future! ;) ”

What books are you currently writing? 

“Currently working on my first novel and a couple short stories. I can never work on only one project at a time. ”

What is your current writing status – Querying, indie publishing?

“First draft of novel, first draft of short story, and editing another short story. ”

How did you get into writing?

“I've enjoyed writing since I was a child (I was even weird enough to love doing school essays). My middle school teacher, Mr.Davis, helped turn my enjoyment into passion and that passion has been growing ever since. ”

What is your motivation to write? 

“I've always been a pessimist submitting to a fear of failure. When I realized how unhappy I was and how much I was holding myself back, I knew I had to change. My motivation is proving my old self wrong and making my future self proud. I might still be a bit pessimistic but I refuse to submit to my fear any longer. ”

What do you want to accomplish in your writing career? 

“I have many future business goals but my "I've made it" moment will be when someone tells me my writing has helped them. Books have been one of my saviors, my relief in times where life was kicking my butt. I want to give that to someone else. ”

Who is your favorite author? 

“Dean Koontz ”

What is your favorite food?

“Either steak, sushi, or pot roast. Plus gelato for dessert. Please don't make me choose just one.”

What is your favorite band?

“Twenty One Pilots and Pierce The Veil. ”

What is your second favorite color?

“Yellow.”

If you could go anywhere, real or imagined, where would you go? Why? 

“I had a very difficult time deciding on this one but may have to go with the Netherlands. I am currently learning Dutch and have a friend who lives over there.  Not to mention the incredible museums, festivals, architecture, and tulip fields. I intend to go sometime in the next few years and I may never want to leave. ”

If you had to choose a fictional world to live in forever, where would it be? 

“The wizarding world in the Harry Potter Series.”

What is something that we don’t already know about you? 

“My biggest bucket list goal is to swim with sharks (freely swim, no cage), I have a shrunken head hanging in my room, and I own a swimmable mermaid tail. ”

How can we get in touch with you?

Twitter: heytherekatie

Instagram: hey_there_katie

Email: katherine97coleman@gmail.com

If you aren’t following Katie, then you are missing out!