Did you use beta readers as you created “Blue Mountain Rose”?

Q: When and how did you use beta readers as you worked on early drafts of Blue Mountain Rose?

A: In an earlier post, I wrote about how Blue Mountain Rose went from scattered ideas in a Word document to a completed first draft. [Read “What was your process?” here.]

As soon as I thought my early text could benefit from being read by someone other than me, I invited early readers (aka “beta readers”) into the process. I sent the book to an avid theatergoer who has spent lots of time in Ashland, and to a professional who knows how theater companies work.

I asked them to ferret out major problems with plot or character and invited them to tell me if they found the whole thing boring or confusing or unreadable.

This is what you want from beta readers: an overall take, general commentary, and structural criticism. Think of your book as a house. You’re not looking for tiny flaws in the paint job at this point: You’re looking for cracks in the foundation!

They both sent back significant comments and criticisms. When I say “significant,” I mean one reader didn’t like Peter (one of the book’s major characters) and the other didn’t believe a significant turning point in the plot would ever really happen.

Constructive criticism is a writer’s best friend and tool for improvement.

Instead of giving up on my book as “unfixable,” I worked with their critiques to improve the text. I also thanked both readers for doing my book such a service. It’s never easy to criticize someone’s creative work. But constructive criticism is a writer’s best friend and tool for improvement. Good beta readers are worth their weight in gold (or at least, a signed first edition when the book comes out!).

Based on their comments, I rewrote parts of the book, trying to make the characters and scenes more emotionally true. I sent the next version to two more beta readers (again, one friend and one theater professional). They offered new constructive criticism, which drove me through another revision.

Only then did I feel the book was ready for copy editing. [Read “Did you edit your book yourself?” here.]

[Caption for feature graphic: Author Julie Hammonds gave beta reader Naissa Foster the first inscribed copy of Blue Mountain Rose in gratitude for her help. Original photo by Ben Frager]