Beta Readers and Other Adventures

Normally I’m a healthy advocate of having a second set of eyes take a look at my writing. Though there’s a fine line between listening to feedback/criticism and trusting your gut and I think it’s sometimes hard to tell when you’re being obtuse about your own work and when you simply know your own story better.

This is brought to mind because I just, today, finished a new short story. It’s a first draft, so obviously we already know it’s in need of revision. It also interrupted me mid work on my novel – you know the one that’s taking me for friggin’ ever to finish the final revisions on... hmmm.... can creativity be a sign of procrastination? Because, seriously, the idea fell into my head and I stopped the chapter I was working with and opened a new file to write this short...

Anyhooo... I wrote this story and it is completely, completely outside my realm of normal writing. It’s suspense, which I’ve never attempted before – in fact, it’s not even my normal reading fare, occasionally I like a good mystery or suspense but it’s not on my ‘must read every title list’... but the idea was there, whole, cajoling... this character presented herself and said, ‘Come on, Ms. Writer Person!!!’ waving her little fictitious arm in the air ala Arnold Horshack and screaming “oh, oh, oh, me, me, me!!!” So I acquiesced... (Yeah, like you wouldn’t...)

So here I am, at the end of a rather productive writing day, and I’m filled with all this doubt that I don’t normally experience at the end of a story. Usually, I’m thrilled and elated and it takes a week or so before I do a re-read and realize it needs a lot of polishing. But today, possibly because the story is so far out of my comfort zone, I am self conscious... I’ve already sent it on to Shelly, my favorite Beta Reader, for a second set of eyes... I couldn’t wait to send it, actually, because I’m quite uncertain whether it works...

So now I’m sitting here wondering how many other writers have done this, because normally I don’t find myself so reliant on a second set of eyes this way... Like I said, I see the value in critique groups and objective readers, but needing them and wanting them are two different things. Are you a Beta Reader for anyone? Do you have one? Do you need one? Good experience or bad experiences? And how far out of your comfort zone have you written, or am I the only nitwit whose muse can’t follow a map?