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We’ve done it! Twelve weeks of writing tips to get you started on your way to creating engaging short stories and novels that showcase your individual creativity through solid technique and a foundation in style. This week I’ll wrap up the series with a few final suggestions for your completed masterpiece.
Wrap-up tip #1: Beta Readers
I mentioned beta readers last week with a promise to expand on the topic this week, so here you go. I know hundreds of authors; I know very few who don’t use beta readers. Even writers who have attained celebrity status or who work with senior editors at their publishing company will often list friends and readers in their acknowledgements to thank them for help with the early drafts of their manuscript. Personally, I think beta readers are essential. Writing can be a forest/trees situation for most of us - too close to the project to see the whole as objectively as someone reading it fresh. That they’ll catch typos you can’t see is almost a given - the human brain is hard-wired to fill in information like skipped words. If you know what you meant to say, that’s probably what you’ll see (at least some of the time) where a beta reader is more likely to catch the errors. But a good beta reader will do much more than catch typos and homonyms - they can point out awkward phrasing, points of confusion that seem obvious to you, and even make developmental editing suggestions - such as scenes that don’t work, points of low tension and slow pacing, characters that could be combined, and more.
The other huge advantage to beta readers is what you learn from returning the favor. If someone reads and critiques for you, it’s polite to offer to do the same in return - simultaneously, if they have a current project, or in the future if they need a hand later. Beta reading for individuals and participating in a live critique groups were hugely instrumental in my learning curve as a writer - it’s often far easier to see what doesn’t work in someone else’s writing than what’s not working in your own, and it can help you learn over time to spot or avoid the pitfalls you repeatedly see in various incarnations through other people’s work.
I could write a very long post just on beta readers, but here’s a short list of advice to get started:
*Don’t use close friends/family as beta readers - use other writers.
*Look for readers who are constructive and helpful, and be that kind of reader for others.
*When critiquing others, sandwiching your ‘needs improvement’ comments between two positive comments is a good method.
*When receiving comments, don’t defend or justify. Listen, say thank you, and use only what resonates with you after serious consideration of the point they were making.
*Don’t stress about people stealing your work. Use common sense, but know that the risk when trading material with real writers is very small.
*Don’t post your work online for comments if you hope to sell it. Most editors consider this already published and won’t touch it. This does NOT apply to private critique groups, like the ones listed below.
*If you don’t know local writers and don’t have forum or workshop friends to ask, consider online groups. For speculative fiction writers here are a couple of places to consider starting out:
Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (membership fee)
Critters Workshop (free, last I knew)
Wrap-up tip #2: Productivity
Again, I could do an entire post just on this topic, but to be brief:
*Keep writing - don’t let rejection or other nay-sayers discourage you.
*Use whatever motivates you to keep going - a time of day you always write, a word-count goal, NaNoWriMo or other contests, word-war competitions with friends. Just make sure if you want to be a writer, that your writing time is a priority. Butt-in-chair.
*Consider tools like dictation - I use Dragon Naturally Speaking at my desk whenever writing new words (vs revision work, which I do with the keyboard). I know an author who dictates into a hands-free recorder while driving and another who dictates (into an MP3, I believe) while hiking daily. You might be surprised how much dictation can help your speed and productivity.
Wrap-up tip #3: Submit your work!
This might seem like a no-brainer, but for many writers it’s far from easy. Self-doubt, fear of rejection, and all sorts of other brain-weasels can stop writers at all levels. I heard of a talented local writer who died with 25 unsubmitted novels, books that were so good they’re now being published posthumously. Don’t let it happen to you. Send it in! If something is rejected at your dream market, send it somewhere else and start writing something new. Developing a tough skin for those inevitable rejections is an integral part of being a writer, and every project you complete will improve your skills.
Wrap-up tip #1: Beta Readers
I mentioned beta readers last week with a promise to expand on the topic this week, so here you go. I know hundreds of authors; I know very few who don’t use beta readers. Even writers who have attained celebrity status or who work with senior editors at their publishing company will often list friends and readers in their acknowledgements to thank them for help with the early drafts of their manuscript. Personally, I think beta readers are essential. Writing can be a forest/trees situation for most of us - too close to the project to see the whole as objectively as someone reading it fresh. That they’ll catch typos you can’t see is almost a given - the human brain is hard-wired to fill in information like skipped words. If you know what you meant to say, that’s probably what you’ll see (at least some of the time) where a beta reader is more likely to catch the errors. But a good beta reader will do much more than catch typos and homonyms - they can point out awkward phrasing, points of confusion that seem obvious to you, and even make developmental editing suggestions - such as scenes that don’t work, points of low tension and slow pacing, characters that could be combined, and more.
The other huge advantage to beta readers is what you learn from returning the favor. If someone reads and critiques for you, it’s polite to offer to do the same in return - simultaneously, if they have a current project, or in the future if they need a hand later. Beta reading for individuals and participating in a live critique groups were hugely instrumental in my learning curve as a writer - it’s often far easier to see what doesn’t work in someone else’s writing than what’s not working in your own, and it can help you learn over time to spot or avoid the pitfalls you repeatedly see in various incarnations through other people’s work.
I could write a very long post just on beta readers, but here’s a short list of advice to get started:
*Don’t use close friends/family as beta readers - use other writers.
*Look for readers who are constructive and helpful, and be that kind of reader for others.
*When critiquing others, sandwiching your ‘needs improvement’ comments between two positive comments is a good method.
*When receiving comments, don’t defend or justify. Listen, say thank you, and use only what resonates with you after serious consideration of the point they were making.
*Don’t stress about people stealing your work. Use common sense, but know that the risk when trading material with real writers is very small.
*Don’t post your work online for comments if you hope to sell it. Most editors consider this already published and won’t touch it. This does NOT apply to private critique groups, like the ones listed below.
*If you don’t know local writers and don’t have forum or workshop friends to ask, consider online groups. For speculative fiction writers here are a couple of places to consider starting out:
Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (membership fee)
Critters Workshop (free, last I knew)
Wrap-up tip #2: Productivity
Again, I could do an entire post just on this topic, but to be brief:
*Keep writing - don’t let rejection or other nay-sayers discourage you.
*Use whatever motivates you to keep going - a time of day you always write, a word-count goal, NaNoWriMo or other contests, word-war competitions with friends. Just make sure if you want to be a writer, that your writing time is a priority. Butt-in-chair.
*Consider tools like dictation - I use Dragon Naturally Speaking at my desk whenever writing new words (vs revision work, which I do with the keyboard). I know an author who dictates into a hands-free recorder while driving and another who dictates (into an MP3, I believe) while hiking daily. You might be surprised how much dictation can help your speed and productivity.
Wrap-up tip #3: Submit your work!
This might seem like a no-brainer, but for many writers it’s far from easy. Self-doubt, fear of rejection, and all sorts of other brain-weasels can stop writers at all levels. I heard of a talented local writer who died with 25 unsubmitted novels, books that were so good they’re now being published posthumously. Don’t let it happen to you. Send it in! If something is rejected at your dream market, send it somewhere else and start writing something new. Developing a tough skin for those inevitable rejections is an integral part of being a writer, and every project you complete will improve your skills.
To everyone who followed this series, thank you, and I hope you found things of value in it. I sincerely wish you all the best in your writing endeavors and hope to see your work published and climbing the charts someday soon! The writing community is an amazing group, one where we should all be cheering each other on. Knowing and reading writers better than ourselves will only make us better, new writers coming up the ranks attracts more readers, and readers discovering a new favorite author or genre or style helps writers everywhere to attract and build new audiences. I hope that writing this series has helped someone else, in the same way all the writers who gave me advice so freely along the way have helped me.
If you have comments or questions, feel free to contact me in the comments or through the contact form.
If you have comments or questions, feel free to contact me in the comments or through the contact form.
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