Whether you are just starting out or are a seasoned author you need a good group of people to critique your work. Finding your critique group or ‘beta readers’ is an important part of the writing process.
Why do you need beta readers?
Because you’re going to make mistakes. Having extra sets of eyes checking out your work really helps catch any formatting or structural issues.
You can’t trust Word to catch all your mistakes. It won’t catch little things like the wrong word in the wrong place. Don’t get me started on semi-colons, really you don’t want to go there. Word is all like “Hey – you should really use a semi-colon here, here and here” and you’re like “Oh wow. Thank you magic paperclip! What would I ever do without you?”
Too many semi-colons are like speed bumps, they disrupt the flow of your story. Technically they are correct but people don’t think like that.
If you’re worried that you’ll lose your story to your beta’s opinions don’t be. It’s your work and you ultimately decide what you’ll change and what will stay the same. That’s why it’s good to have more than one beta reader. One person may not like a certain style or the way you write something while others may think it’s just fine.
Always remember to thank your betas. They work hard to help you make your story the best it can be.
Love & Luck,
Love & Luck,
Stephanie Dawn Callahan
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