Beta Reading, proceed with caution.

Welcome to the wonderful world of beta-reading, where one goes about critiquing another's much loved masterpiece of a MS, while they try to make sense of your chicken scratch piece of *beep. (Or at least this is how I feel every time I add a new beta to my repertoire.) And it's rainbows and butterflies and everyone lives happily ever after. The end.

It most often does not end like this.

Now, don't me wrong, I luv readin'. Been doing it since I first picked up that, 'I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always', book. But critiquing someone else's work, that they've put time, sweat, money and tears into... it's intimidating. I never know if I'm being too harsh, or too soft, or too repetitive ;)

I try to be honest. But honestly, my honesty is not something everyone wants to hear. I know what I like, punchy dialogue, dark themes, high concepts, plot twist after plot twist, and most importantly real-feeling characters. Characters who jump off the page because they are so like that *sshole lifeguard you worked with during your summer job at 'Ragin' Rapids'. Or that ridiculously peppy barista who serves your coffee every morning with a complimentary life story snippet.

You know, Real People.

Real people swear.
Real people blurt things without thinking whether or not it's insulting.
Real people think/talk/do sexy time, and it's not always glamorized.
Real people are obnoxious.
Real people sometimes make you hate people.

This is my biggest thing when I'm beta-ing someone else's work, and the biggest issue other beta's have had with my work. I'm not the expert when it comes to prose, grammar, technical sh*t, but I do know people. Teenagers specifically. I live in a house full of them, and 'twas not too long ago I was a part of their ranks. So when I advise a beta that a particular scene doesn't feel real to me, it's because they are wading in the shallow waters of teenage hell, too afraid to dive down into the total depravity it really is. (Okay so I'm exaggerating... slightly.)

In summary, Beta Reader etiquette is this: If my advice seems sh*tty to you, just let me know and we can part ways. No hard feelings.

If I'm coming across as a jerk on twitter... still let me know. No hard feelings.

I really don't have feelings. :)

End rant.

PS. To all my beta-readers past and present I love you, even when you're mean.

Stalemate

BA... BA... BA
(My attempt at ominous background music)

I've hit the dreaded 'plateau', in my WIP. The point where I've climbed an emotional peak that I cannot rappel down from (might as well jump off that cliff). It involves two characters who's relationship is altered, dramatically by a single event.

Does anyone else have this problem?

I feel like I've written myself in a corner, and I don't know how to write myself out.

In other news, one of my writing buddies received a harsh crit after I'd already given her my crit. She's writing a very trendy, cool YA Steampunk.

Check out her blog HERE.

It got me thinking of how different everyone's pov is. One man's diamond is another man's rock... I guess. I just don't see the point in being unnecessarily cruel when critiquing someone else's work. Pointing out a flaw and offering no way of fixing said flaw is not helpful. Offering helpful insight is the whole purpose of a Beta reader.

Also, I think I single-handedly keep my local Starbucks in business. MMMM Americano.
Which reminds me, I've been meaning to try this.

From back seat to TRUNKED

So, the title pretty much explains it all.

I've trunked 'A'.

When it came down to it, I had to face the facts and the facts were in its current state 'A' was not original enough. Sad but true. :( Also I realized that if I am going to publish one day 'A' was not the first book I wanted associated with my name. It didn't represent me as clearly as I would have liked it to.

The way I see it, trunking doesn't mean failure. It means I tried really, really hard at doing something and learned a ton along the way. Which I did. I've learned more in the last month, than I learned all three years of highschool. My lovely Beta's have helped me so much in this area. I admire their bold criticism.

Which leads me to my next point. Beta-ing. I believe the critiquer learns as much as the critiquee, at least it seems that way in my case. When I'm looking for flaws in someones work--I see these same flaws in my own work and make the change. Which is how I came to realize that 'A' wasn't working out.

Still, 'A' was my first attempt at a full length novel and I put a decent three months work into it. So to see it go, was a sad, sad day. But alas, I am mostly an optimist.

Which is why... da... da... da... I have a SHINY NEW thing I've been working on.

It is pretty much 'A' with a massive overhaul. I'm calling it AR for now, and AR is fun to write, simply because it is me, dark, edgy, a little dangerous. Or at least the way I'd like to see myself:)

Cue good song.

'A' a means to an end?

I have a love/hate relationship with my current WIP. I'm in love with the characters and the general idea of the plot, but I don't think the idea is original enough, in its current state.

A few beta readers have commented that it bears striking similarities to another current hit book series which I shall not mention. This leaves me with two options:

1.     I change up A's opening, dramatically. A few thoughts have been percolating since yesterday, (one particularly grand idea, I had in the bathtub)

2.     I trunk A.

I'd be sad to see it go, honestly. I've worked on it for the better part of the summer. It is my first attempt at Sci-fi, I usually write edgy YA, and I loved every minute of it.

But the bottom line is, I am on a personal deadline. I want to write a book that will one day get published, sooner rather than later. 'A' isn't the only egg in my basket, it's just my favorite.

For now, I'll finish up A--- make the necessary opening change, and then see how I feel about it after a second round of beta's.

Cue good song.