Monica Cox
This article was originally published in WriteOn! Spring 2023 edition
Beta readers are an important part of a writer’s revision process. After we draft and revise a manuscript, our characters and story worlds become a part of us. As a result, it can be difficult to recognize when important elements haven’t made it onto the page for the reader. Here is where a beta reader—an early reader acting as a stand-in for your eventual target reader—can help.
Despite the number of people in your book club or social circle offering to read your manuscript, be selective when choosing beta readers. You want actionable feedback. For instance, your mom might be an avid reader, but she’s going to tell you everything you do is wonderful. If you want an ego boost, send your manuscript to her. But if you want constructive criticism to improve your craft, you must be more discerning.
This is a question I always pose to my creative writing students. Many are earnest, excited, anxious adults who hope to write a novel. They arrive in the classroom with crisp blank notebooks and their favorite pen (as instructed), but what they really bring are their dreams. They set them down gently in the scarred chairs of the high school geography classroom where we meet.
Back in the days of dial-up Internet, and long before the rise of social media, there was blogging. For writers especially, blogging gave us an outlet, an opportunity to sharpen our skills, to tell stories, and to hone our voices. We wrote about whatever meant something to us. And we blogged to connect with readers and each other long before the world became overconnected.
