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Editing?

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JHM123

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So, I've gotten the edits and comments back from my first beta reader, endured the tortuous pain of having to read through the ripped apart shreds of what was once my book, and have now come to terms with "okay, I see where she is coming from.Now it's time to change it."

Is it best to take these edits from the first reader and put them into action before I send it to a second beta reader, or should I just leave it as-is? There was no large problems like plot holes or issues with characters (YAY!) just problems with the amount of repetition and fat I have that is slowing my book down in certain words and sentences. Would changing something like this that I now see is a big issue before showing it to another beta reader be a huge no-no? Or will it be better to make this changes as I go instead of waiting for it to pile up with 5+ beta readers?
Thanks!:tongue
 

Cella

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First, decide if you agree with the comments your beta made. If you think that implementing the changes will make the work stronger, then do so. But if you think that their issues with it are related more to a styling preference, you might benefit from a few more sets of eyes.

Good luck. :)
 
shadowwalker

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I always like to see what more than one person sees in my stuff before I make changes - unless I totally agree with the first person. But definitely don't make any changes just because someone else said you should - make sure you understand why they said it and that you agree with their reasons. Otherwise you're writing someone else's book.
 

juliatheswede

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Didn't you say that you see where she is coming from? Do you agree with it? If you do, change. Based on what you've written, it sounds like the beta reader tightened up your story with line-edits. Does it now read better? Then definitely change. It's arduous to read a rough draft--which it sounds like yours might have been, but I'm not sure--and I personally prefer reading something well-edited where there might be some holes in the story/plot problems as this is less work for the beta. So it sounds like the beta did you a huge favor. But I could be wrong, so take this with a grain of salt.

Also, do you know anything about the beta's background? Is the person published/have been writing a long time? Did you read the beta's stuff? Knowing this will help you decide how much weight you should give the beta's comments.
 
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