- Joined
- Mar 21, 2014
- Messages
- 77
- Reaction score
- 8
- Location
- Fort McMurray, Alberta
- Website
- writerinawarehouse.wordpress.com
I'm looking to find a couple of beta readers for a novel that I finished some time ago. I've worked the damned thing over and over again and have come to the point where it's as good as I can make it without help. I've tried to start new drafts of the story several times now, but each one gets a little... off track.
Genre: The book is easily Urban Fantasy, though I've tried to stay away from the usual suspects like vampires. Magic and mages are the most prominent source of the 'fantasy' in the novel. One other thing to note, that may make or break and potential reader, is the fact that the main character is transgender. More specifically, she is genderfluid - meaning she sits more in the middle of the spectrum instead of trying to be only male or female. This may be an issue for some readers and there isn't much I can do about that. This is not something about the main character that will be changed. Just putting that out there.
Category: The book is Adult, with some adult situations. No sex but a fair deal of violence. I wouldn't consider it gruesome.
Word Count: the story is complete at 78550 words
Feedback: I am looking for help in making my story better. I know it flops in some places, I know it slows down, I know parts are redundant. I've tried to pull those apart as best I can. I also know I'm very blind to my own flaws when it comes to writing. I have a thick skin (I like to think) and would prefer to be told straight instead of beating around the bush. If something makes you want to stop reading, I want to know. I want to know how far you push to continue before you chuck the thing into the metaphorical garbage. I need insight, I need information. I am a research addict and I need information to make better decisions.
Publishing: The ultimate goal of mine is to be traditionally published. I am not looking to self-publish at this time. This is not an invitation to try to persuade me to do so, I've already had threads hijacked with that intent. Respect my decision, please.
Credentials: All I ask for is enthusiasm and confidence enough to be sure you know what you're talking about. There may be things we disagree on--that's okay. If I get the same note from multiple readers, then clearly something needs to be changed. I will take everyone's opinions at face value and proceed as needed.
I posted two heavily-edited versions of the opening chapter here: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/sho...0-words-Urban-Fantasy-Profanity-warning-(14A)
The opening in that post is not the same as what is on the book right now. I am using the newest complete draft mostly because I could not make the newer openings work with the rest of the story.
Lastly, I am willing to trade beta-reads. I enjoy most genre-fiction, particularly Urban Fantasy, Heroic Fantasy, and Sci-Fi. I have troubles getting through world-heavy or character heavy books like Game of Thrones or science-heavy sci-fi, but if you've got a great action-y story to tell with fantastical elements, I'd love to read it. Fair warning, however: I work two jobs and have little time outside my own writing for reading. If given a story to read I will make it a priority, but there are other priorities on top of that, so it might take me a bit longer to get through and critique.
That all being said, thank you very much for getting through all the words and I hope to hear from some people soon. Feel free to pm me or reply in-thread, I will respond as soon as I am able.
Genre: The book is easily Urban Fantasy, though I've tried to stay away from the usual suspects like vampires. Magic and mages are the most prominent source of the 'fantasy' in the novel. One other thing to note, that may make or break and potential reader, is the fact that the main character is transgender. More specifically, she is genderfluid - meaning she sits more in the middle of the spectrum instead of trying to be only male or female. This may be an issue for some readers and there isn't much I can do about that. This is not something about the main character that will be changed. Just putting that out there.
Category: The book is Adult, with some adult situations. No sex but a fair deal of violence. I wouldn't consider it gruesome.
Word Count: the story is complete at 78550 words
Feedback: I am looking for help in making my story better. I know it flops in some places, I know it slows down, I know parts are redundant. I've tried to pull those apart as best I can. I also know I'm very blind to my own flaws when it comes to writing. I have a thick skin (I like to think) and would prefer to be told straight instead of beating around the bush. If something makes you want to stop reading, I want to know. I want to know how far you push to continue before you chuck the thing into the metaphorical garbage. I need insight, I need information. I am a research addict and I need information to make better decisions.
Publishing: The ultimate goal of mine is to be traditionally published. I am not looking to self-publish at this time. This is not an invitation to try to persuade me to do so, I've already had threads hijacked with that intent. Respect my decision, please.
Credentials: All I ask for is enthusiasm and confidence enough to be sure you know what you're talking about. There may be things we disagree on--that's okay. If I get the same note from multiple readers, then clearly something needs to be changed. I will take everyone's opinions at face value and proceed as needed.
I posted two heavily-edited versions of the opening chapter here: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/sho...0-words-Urban-Fantasy-Profanity-warning-(14A)
The opening in that post is not the same as what is on the book right now. I am using the newest complete draft mostly because I could not make the newer openings work with the rest of the story.
Lastly, I am willing to trade beta-reads. I enjoy most genre-fiction, particularly Urban Fantasy, Heroic Fantasy, and Sci-Fi. I have troubles getting through world-heavy or character heavy books like Game of Thrones or science-heavy sci-fi, but if you've got a great action-y story to tell with fantastical elements, I'd love to read it. Fair warning, however: I work two jobs and have little time outside my own writing for reading. If given a story to read I will make it a priority, but there are other priorities on top of that, so it might take me a bit longer to get through and critique.
That all being said, thank you very much for getting through all the words and I hope to hear from some people soon. Feel free to pm me or reply in-thread, I will respond as soon as I am able.
