A new approach to beta reading

It wouldn't work for me. I wouldn't seek feedback until the book was finished. I am a pantser though. It might work with a writer who has a detailed outline.

My betas always get my stories as each chapter is written. I can't imagine writing a full story and then having a beta look at it. What if something's totally off in the early chapters? Major revision after all that work? No way.

To me, it sounds too much like doubting your own vision and characters. I can think of several books I loved that wouldn't have been the books that they are had the plot deviated when I first wanted it to.

euclid said:

That sounds like a good way to go. It wouldn't work for me, though, as I don't always write the chapters in order and I tend to leave chapters unwritten as I go along (sometimes for plot reasons, sometimes from lack of motivation, impatience).

Click to expand...

Yeah, it probably wouldn't work as well for you. Although, from a 'brainstorming' perspective, it could work. Myself, I have to write linearly except for quick notes as ideas pop up.

euclid said:

I would question whether this is strictly what is meant be beta-reading.

Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean. ??

euclid said:

Well, I have an idea that beta reading means reading a ms that's close to being finished, like the way new software is released for beta testing when the developers think it's ready for the market. The beta testers try to pick holes in it, find the bugs etc.

On that basis, maybe your approach (and my new idea) might be called alpha reading. I dunno.

Click to expand...

Possibly, although I tend to think of my own re-reading of it as the alpha phase. The betas, not knowing what's coming, help me to see where it could go, or what I need to foreshadow more, or where the confusion is too much to leave until a later chapter for explanations. Basically an 'in-process beta'.

shadowwalker said:

My betas always get my stories as each chapter is written. I can't imagine writing a full story and then having a beta look at it. What if something's totally off in the early chapters? Major revision after all that work? No way.

Click to expand...

No, this wouldn't work for me either. Not that it isn't a good approach. But I'm so easily scattered that a process of constant fiddling as the story progresses would keep me from ever finishing.

And, I'm a masochist who looooves major revision. So my work doesn't go to beta readers until the whole beasty is on the page.

Adobedragon said:

No, this wouldn't work for me either. Not that it isn't a good approach. But I'm so easily scattered that a process of constant fiddling as the story progresses would keep me from ever finishing.

Click to expand...

Well, it's not a matter of constant fiddling. It's having each chapter read, determining if the comments have merit, think about any suggestions/ideas, and then moving on. But that's the case with any revising at any stage; one can't get stuck with fiddling or nothing gets finished.

I don't think you want to cater your plot to demands from the peanut gallery! All the great books I've read have unexpected twists and turns and endings. If they just ended the way I figured they would, there would be no sense of excitement or awesomeness whatsoever. I want to be shocked and awed! The books I end up really liking leave me with my hand over my face in surprise. They end in tears or fist-pumps of eff-yeah-awesomeness!!!!! If I know where it's going, there's roughly a 1000% decrease in awesomesauce.

I think i would like this approach! Think i might do it!

I would want my book to go to a beta when completed. What is in my head/view is no doubt not the same as a beta would see coming. I could never just do one chapter at a time, let alone have their inputs on how they think he should go.

Shoot. I even go back and add/subtract things as I'm writing it. To me too many hands in the pot does not help the stew.

Kitty Pryde said:

I don't think you want to cater your plot to demands from the peanut gallery!

Click to expand...

Who said one has to do that? What I do want to know (before I finish an epic story) is whether I'm going off-kilter with some grandiose idea that only works in my own mind. No beta reader worth their salt tries to make the author write the beta's story, but only tries to help the author write the author's story better. Any author worth their salt will resist the urge to "cater".

shadowwalker said:

My betas always get my stories as each chapter is written. I can't imagine writing a full story and then having a beta look at it. What if something's totally off in the early chapters? Major revision after all that work? No way.

Click to expand...

I write the entire first draft, read it myself for plot holes/weaknesses/congruity errors, revise it as needed then give it to betas.

It's not the job of my betas to keep my story on course.

Also, if I fed them a chapter at a time I'd never enjoy the satisfaction of them telling me they stayed up all night reading it.

shadowwalker said:

Who said one has to do that? What I do want to know (before I finish an epic story) is whether I'm going off-kilter with some grandiose idea that only works in my own mind. No beta reader worth their salt tries to make the author write the beta's story, but only tries to help the author write the author's story better. Any author worth their salt will resist the urge to "cater".

Click to expand...

Um, the OP suggested doing exactly that, catering the story to the beta readers' suggestions...thus I disagreed...

Kitty Pryde said:

I want to be shocked and awed! The books I end up really liking leave me with my hand over my face in surprise. They end in tears or fist-pumps of eff-yeah-awesomeness!!!!!

Click to expand...

Please write me a blurb for the back of my book.

Kitty Pryde said:

Um, the OP suggested doing exactly that, catering the story to the beta readers' suggestions...thus I disagreed...

Click to expand...

Oh, I didn't get that at all. For me, it's getting the reaction from beta-readers and seeing if I'm getting my point across effectively. If their reactions indicate I'm not, then I need to look at it again.

Devil Ledbetter said:

I write the entire first draft, read it myself for plot holes/weaknesses/congruity errors, revise it as needed then give it to betas.

Click to expand...

I write the chapter, read it myself for plot holes/weaknesses/congruity errors, revise it as needed then give it to betas.

Devil Ledbetter said:

It's not the job of my betas to keep my story on course.

Click to expand...

No, it's not their job. But they can alert me as to when it's not, and I'd rather that happen before I finish the whole thing than after.

Devil Ledbetter said:

Also, if I fed them a chapter at a time I'd never enjoy the satisfaction of them telling me they stayed up all night reading it.

Click to expand...

I get to hear them tell me they can't wait for the next chapter.

When to give it to betas, if at all, is like whether or not to outline - whichever works best for the author.