Change My Life - Maybe

Hi everyone! 

I am Young Adult and Middle Grade author Barbara Binns, writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for adolescents and teens. As my tagline says, I write Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them.  

Welcome to July at Romancing The Genres. Can you believe the year is more than half-over?

This month I get to talk about getting a do-over for my life. What, if anything, would I change? Oh for the magic wand that would let me do a complete do-over. Whoever said we regret most the thing we did not do and the choices we did not take was talking about me.

Now let me see:

WORK?
I don’t regret taking early retirement. I retired almost twelve years ago and feel like I should have left even sooner. My time with myself has been heavenly.

LOVE LIFE?
Nope, I do not regret the guy I dumped when I was thirty even though I never came close to marriage after him.  I mostly regret having stayed with him as long as I did. But the ones before him, the ordinary men who were okay but no prince charming. I think I do regret not taking a longer, harder look at a few of them.

FAMILY?
My father was a dreadful man and when he left my mother and my siblings and me, I literally washed my hands of him. My brother and sisters still hung around with him because he gave away money. I, being stubborn, decided if he didn’t think I wasn’t worth hanging around for, I didn’t think his money was worth enduring his presence. (I have been known for mounting my high horse, another thing I don’t regret.) Relatives, even my mother, told me I needed to forgive him. That I would regret having no relationship with him after he died.

Well, it’s been over thirty years and I’m still waiting to feel any of that regret. But maybe that’s why so many of my stories are family dramas, estranged family members learning to reconnect and love each other. Even more than a romance, I like to write about families getting an HEA.

The book I am reading now, leaving time, is by Jodi Piccoult (yes, her again, I can't help it, she's my favorite).  Like most of her novels, the story is all about families and relationships. I can’t give out spoilers. I really can't, I am still only on chapter 3, but as always, she deals with an issues for our time, in this case, abortion. We open with a man who had no good father figure when growing up, no one to model being a good husband. While he has failed at the husband thing, he is grimly determined to be a good father. Which leaves him inside the clinic with a gun he won’t hesitate to use.

Readers also get another father, a dedicated policeman stuck outside the clinic under siege. He's a hostage negotiator who is good at his job, even when his fifteen year old daughter is stuck with the gunman. As much as I love romance, and romantic suspense, these are the kinds of dramas that leave me glued to the page. (Or in this case the audio book) Never a screen, I have never found reading from a screen enjoyable or engrossing.

The middle grade novel I am revising now is yet another family drama. Yes, there is a romance subplot, although they are in high school, so readers can only expect a HFN. But mostly it is about two families reconnecting after being torn to pieces by events outside their control.

BTW, I’m in the middle of looking for beta readers now to see how others view the story. If interested, let me know.

P. S. - followup to last month:

I am a part of KidLitNation (KLN) and we are about to begin a mentoring program (http://kidlitnation.com/home/own-your-voice/mentorship-program/). I am one of three established authors who will provide six months of mentoring to three aspiring authors of color in the Picture Book, Middle Grade, and Young Adult areas. Final selections will be announced later this month, with mentoring beginning in August. I’m all set to work with a new author, and hope I will be able to guide them and help them fine-tune their talent.

The Difference Between Beta Reads and ARCs

by Madelle Morgan

I was spurred to write this post because another author expressed deep unhappiness that one of her beta readers posted a poor rating and review on Amazon based on the pre-edited beta version of her novel.

It's well known that authors expect (hope?) that readers and bloggers will write reviews in exchange for free advance reader copies (ARCs). However, authors certainly do not want beta readers to post reviews of an unpolished version of the novel! 

So what is a beta reader? I suspect the label was adapted from beta tester. The process of beta testing is part of software development.

Beta Test - Merriam-Webster definition: A field test of the beta version of a product (such as software) especially by testers outside the company developing it that is conducted prior to commercial release.

Beta tests of software have the goal of finding bugs; i.e., things that don't work well. In the beta stage, the hope is not to have to start from scratch, but rather to find and fix problems.

Indie authors have adopted the concept of a quality check of their products (novels) before publication. They have been immersed in the book through successive drafts and many changes. It's difficult to step back and identify problems. These authors seek fresh eyes, aka beta readers.

Beta Reader - Wikipedia definition: An alpha reader or beta reader is a non-professional reader who reads a written work, generally fiction, with the intent of (improving) elements such as grammar and spelling, as well as suggestions to improve the story, its characters, or its setting. Beta reading is typically done before the story is released for public consumption. Beta readers are not explicitly proofreaders or editors, but can serve in that context.

Elements highlighted by beta readers encompass things such as plot holes, problems with continuity, characterization or believeability. The beta reader might also assist the author with fact-checking.

Novel Development Process

Crafting a novel is an iterative and lonely process. Authors ask themselves, does the book meet my fans' expectations? Is the story captivating? Are the characters believable? Doubts can creep in as we hunch in our writing caves for weeks or months rewriting successive drafts. For confirmation that the book is on track, during the development stage authors may work with critique partners or pay for a professional developmental edit.

After the novel is substantially complete, authors usually proceed to hire a copy editor, line editor and/or proofreader. Increasingly, however, some indie authors first ask trusted readers for feedback—the beta read—prior to polishing and copy editing.

Beta reads of a novel generally fall after substantial completion, but before polishing and copy editing. That is, the plot and characters are set, but aspects such as character development, goals, motivations and conflicts, and other details may still need polishing. Scenes may need to be added or rewritten to clarify confusion or build tension. Story questions may need to be answered.

The stages of writing a novel could look something like this:

1. Development draft(s) 
2. Developmental editing by a professional or critique partners
3. Beta draft - substantially complete
4. Beta readers
5. Polished draft
6. Copy editing by a professional 
7. Final version
8. Formatting of final version
9. ARCs sent out to bloggers and fans for reviews
10. Publication & distribution on retail platforms

Expectations of Beta Readers

I carefully selected and asked two authors, two detailed-oriented friends, and two subject matter experts to be beta readers of my December 2017 release. I was happy to receive high quality feedback from three. The others bailed, but that's okay. Hopefully they'll buy the finished book!

It's very important that an author outline to beta volunteers what feedback she wants. In my case, the objective was not for them to find typos, spelling mistakes and grammar issues. That's my copy editor's job. I asked individual beta readers for specific feedback that required, respectively, knowledge of the craft of writing or screenwriting or police procedures. I asked them to point out weaknesses in the characters' emotional journeys and GMCs. I asked them to indicate where in the story they laughed and where they teared up... and was sometimes surprised! 

Example of Beta Feedback

You may have read an excerpt of Seduced by the Screenwriter in my August 2017 post. The heroine is a former police diver with PTSD. Here's an example of feedback on that scene from a beta reader.

Not sure about Catrina playing Prudence Maxwell, a young woman who's been sold by her father to pay off his gambling debts. The subject matter hits pretty close to the world of the (PTSD trauma).

When I wrote that scene I never made the connection to Catrina's traumatic dive. Funny how the subconscious works! I rewrote the scene to empower Catrina. Instead of being a submissive victim of a forced marriage per Chett's script, she turns the tables and transforms it into her bad girl fantasy.

Authors, what are your expectations of beta readers?

About Madelle

Madelle Morgan is a Canadian author who writes romance set in Canada. 

Caught on Camera is a Hollywood wedding romance set in Muskoka, Canada—summer playground of the rich and famous. It's Book 1 of the Hollywood in Muskoka series.

 Amazon | iTunes | Kobo

Subscribe to Madelle’s blog to be alerted to the release of Seduced by the Screenwriter, Hollywood in Muskoka series, Book 2, in December, 2017 at 99 cents for a limited time.

Follow Madelle:

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Madelle's romantic thriller Diamond Hunter is available on Amazon.

DIAMOND HUNTER: When diamond smuggling leads to murder, diamonds aren’t this girl’s best friend.

Colorado geologist Petra Paris must clear her father of fraud charges by collecting fresh rock samples at an open pit diamond mine in Canada’s far north. When someone tries to frame her with stolen uncut diamonds, Petra needs protection. Local pilot Seth Cooper, an undercover cop with the Diamond Protection Unit, needs access to the mine complex. They strike a deal to have Seth pose as her boyfriend so he can overnight on site to investigate the smuggling operation.
 
In their bedroom under the midnight sun, Petra fights magnetic desire to sample Seth’s rock-hard body. The prospect of intimacy hot enough to heat up the Arctic is a deadly distraction. She needs to focus on her mission. Besides, Seth is commitment-phobic: his job put his ex-wife in danger.

With cops closing in, escape blocked and millions in stolen diamonds at stake, desperate smugglers ramp up to murder. The isolated mine site becomes a death trap. Seth must expose the villains before Petra becomes the next victim.

Beta Readers – An Author’s Secret Weapon?

It's the holiday season - 1 December. I can't give presents to everyone, but I can offer you some fabulous advice - find BETA READERS.

What’s a Beta Reader, I hear some of you ask? Well, they’re a weapon in a writer’s arsenal, and I find them a tool really worth using – if you find the right beta.

The purpose of a beta reader is to help me write the best story I can, by pointing out the weaknesses in the story, the areas they’d like more, the parts they simply love and just about anything else about your book.

A Beta reader is just that. I use ‘readers’- people who are not writers. I have critique partners amongst my writing friends, so what I want is pure reader input – how has my book entertained them and would they buy it.

Writers use Beta Readers in different ways. Nalini Singh doesn’t give them any direction; she simply wants feedback on the story. I, on the other hand, give my beta readers direction. Here are some of the questions I use:

Did you find anything confusing about the story?

What did you love?

Did the story take any turns that lost you?

What did you think of the characters?

Would you change anything?

Is there any place that you felt the H or h acted out-of-character?

Did you find the ending satisfying?

However, just like critique partners, you don’t have to agree with all their feed back.  In my soon to be released Regency romance, INVITATION TO SCANDAL, one of my cherished Beta readers didn’t like what I did to one character. But that character’s fate was pivotal to the book and therefore, I couldn’t change it.

Here’s some of the fabulous detail I got from my Beta Readers:

Did you find the ending satisfying?
"Again, I would have LOVED!! LOVED!! LOVED to have read that Anthony and Melissa were at the wedding and are living happily ever after that she is expecting or has had a baby or two and that Melissa and Rhea are just as good friends as Rufus and Anthony. I’m a hopeless romantic.  Made me wonder if Samuel and Maggie will have a story? Will they????? Something like Anthony and Melissa?  What about Stephen? Will he have a story? What about Alex? Will his story be coming? What about Stephen? Daniel too? OMG!!!! I CANT wait for this book to come out. I am crossing all my fingers that Alex and Stephen will have books coming out. Do you have any ideas when this Rufus' book will be released? Is there any chance the other characters will have books. I’m very sorry to pester you."

If that isn’t the best pep talk I’ve ever received I don’t know what is! But it’s not all roses…

Did you find anything confusing about the story?
"No, I understood the plot and the storyline.  Two people trying to prove themselves in this world.  One to become independent and the other to redeem his family name. And the both of them would do whatever it took to do to make it happened. My only problem with this book was the number of times that Rhea moaned about her parents’ marriage and that she wasn't going to be dependent on any man and Rufus being betrayed and how he will never love again and that he would never trust a woman."

The last comment was a flashing red ALERT – things need to be tightened. So I have tightened them and it’s made the book much better.

How do you find good beta readers? – ask. Use your blog to request a Beta Reader or Facebook or visit readers forums and ask. Specify what you are after. I was very straight on the point that I wanted ‘READERS’ only.

When a person applies, ask them what they read. It helps if they read and love your genre. Ask them what their favorite books are and why? Ask them if they review books and if so where. Then go and read the review. Do they have a good understanding of the genre and could give you sound feedback.

Tips for good beta reading:

1. Don't be afraid to ask questions.  If something wasn't clear to you, it probably will be unclear to others also.

2. Be specific in your feedback. Point out the exact spots where things don't work, not just vague generalities.

3. Make suggestions (which are free to be ignored) as to how the problem can be solved.

4. Point out the good bits too. I know as an editor, I tended to be oriented towards "fixing the problems", but I realized that one needs to point out favorite bits not only as a leavening of encouragement, but so that one doesn't end up losing those bits in the rewrite!

Tips for authors:

1. Give your beta-readers some direction, especially if they have not done this before.  At the least, tell them the kind of things you wish them to pay particular attention to, such as characterization, plot, or style.  You want them to look at the things you are weakest in, and that they are strongest in, so they can help you improve them.

If they are inexperienced, you might want to give them a list of questions to keep in mind while they read, such as:

* Are there parts of the plot which are confusing?
* Are the characters behaving out-of-character?
* Are there turns of phrase that are clumsy?
* What are your favorite bits?

2. Thank your beta-reader(s) even if what they said wasn't helpful. After all, they spent their precious time reading your story and thinking about it. Worth a ton of thanks.

3. Remember what your beta-reader said is only their opinion, it isn't gospel. This is your story, you have the say. On the other hand, do listen you your beta-reader, because what was the point in asking them to beta-read your story in the first place if you don't?

4. If a suggestion is made that you can't agree with, explain why.
It may be that when you explain your reasoning, or the intent of that bit of the story, you may be able to figure out between you something that works for both of you.

I was lucky. I found several very useful Beta readers and I’ve dedicated my second book, INVITATION TO SCANDAL to them.

I can’t recommend strongly enough that authors try Beta Readers. They give their time for free and offer valuable insight. I can’t do without them…

Have a wonder Christmas everyone and I'll see you in 2012!