How to Beta Read and Influence Writers
(Well, just this one Writer...)
Welcome, prospective Beta Reader! I've decided I need a page for this, because I don't want to start cluttering up emails to every person who says something nice to me with a half-a-page 'Help Me Out Here' wall of text. (Although I still feel the need to make the offer, so forgive me if you've clicked through to this, and you are now annoyed with me for some reason.)
If this is too much information, and you're either just here for the links or are down for whatever, just click HERE to go immediately to the latest Beta Reading form, or go to the bottom of the page to see all the chapters listed.
The Pitch:
So my Beta Reading program is still a work in progress, but so far there are two avenues to provide feedback.
The first, and most important part, is a form to fill in for each chapter. I might add a question or two as they become relevant in other chapters, but I'll always try to keep the total numbers of questions under about 10. (Aside from admin questions) My primary goal is to make it as simple to answer as possible, because I want it to be the sort of thing anyone could fill out in a couple of minutes.
The second part is a google document that will serve two purposes - firstly to get my chapters out there to Beta Readers who have previously participated in form-answering, and secondly to enable the more opinionated of my Beta Readers to leave comments and suggestions. That I'm happy to leave as a more free-form experience, that anyone can dip into as deeply as they want. My main focus will be on the forms.
What I get out of it:
The google doc is mainly about getting my chapter out early, and the commentary there is literally just a side effect. I could turn suggestions off and make it read only, but if anyone's enthusiastic enough, I'm not going to ignore them. I make no promises that I'll be able to use every piece of (hopefully constructive) criticism I get, but I'm keeping the avenues open.
There's also a chance that what ends up on there is not my final final final version, so nitpicking my grammar or style runs a risk of the paragraph containing the fault just straight-up vanishing. Comment at your peril. But I'm happy to hear them, if you're happy to write them.
The form is key, and the closest thing I have to an actual structured attempt to improve my writing. For every question I have goals and red flags - meaning there are certain user answers that I'm expecting, and (I think) will let me know if my chapters are working the way I intended them to, and certain answers which will let me know if the elements I'm worried about are more than just a product of my paranoia.
Not all of the questions are structured that way, because sometimes I want open-ended opinions, but the main thing a Beta Reader should take away from this is that your answers, however off the cuff, are going to be very helpful to me, because I have a plan, and if your answers don't help me, I will be adjusting the plan.
What you get out of it:
My undying gratitude. Honestly, I wish I could offer some incentives, but certainly at the moment, this is a pure passion project and the main thing I can offer is early access to the chapters as I'm working on them, and actual vociferous thanks on my blog if you've helped me out. Which may not be enough for everyone, but then this is purely voluntary and if you decide to do it, I will be immensely grateful.
I'm trying to hone my skills here, and if I end up doing well, and you contributed, you get to feel like a part of that. So hopefully that's also a nice, if more abstract, reward. Plus, being involved here means you're always going to be incredibly likely to get a sneak-peak at my upcoming projects, provided this goes well and my motivation holds and I can keep this going.
What I need from you:
Reading the chapters, which hopefully you'd want to do anyway, and then just filling out the form. Google document commentary will be welcome, but absolutely not required. The forms are the main thing I'm after.
You can answer them in as much, or as little, detail as you want. Honestly, I'm trying to keep the questions simple so as to not overwhelm anyone, but the main focus is on you - answer however it's easiest for you. I don't want readers to feel forced to experience the story differently than they would normally, so don't feel like this is some quiz for English class. There are lots of right answers.
You can leave questions blank, to the point where you can happily fill in one question and I will accept that, and probably still consider it valuable for feedback. You can indicate you don't want me to ask follow up questions, or contact you further, or mention you anywhere online - my goal is to make the process as comfortable for my Beta Readers as possible, so I hope I'm doing that successfully.
If there's something you think I should be doing differently, you can also drop me an email and let me know. This process is as much a work in progress as my actual writing, and I'm always ready to make it better.
Beta Reading Forms:
I've listed all the forms for all the chapters. If you're only joining at a later chapter, feel free to fill in all of them (but only once each) to let me know what you think, if you want to. But it's perfectly okay to comment on only the latest chapter. (Or any chapter you want, actually. Or none at all. You have options, is my point.)
What is important is that I don't get notifications when you fill out the form, so if you have filled out one, please drop me quick message about it - via email or even twitter is fine - and I'll get right on that. I might not see it otherwise. Thanks!
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