Do you know the feeling of making
something all by yourself, finishing it, being very proud of it? At
that point, have you ever wondered whether the thing you made is
really actually any good or as good as you first thought it was?
Most of the time when you write
something, this es exactly how you feel. And worst of all, you know
you're not being objective, you can't be, because the story you just
told is your baby after all. At this point, the beta reader is
invaluable. First of all, a trusted beta reader will actually agree
to spend some of their time reading through what you wrote. This is
not a small sacrifice for most people, and I very much respect and
appreciate that. Secondly, they will tell you the truth about what
they think of what you put on the page. They will take it apart. They
will show you what and why things don't work. They'll be straight
with you.
It is this honesty that always makes me
think how much you expose yourself when you ask someone to beta read
something for you. Sure, submit your writing anywhere and get
rejected, keep doing it over and over, that is a certain kind of
exposure as well, but the thing with a beta reader--in many cases a
first reader--is that your story just came into being and is probably
full of faults and rough edges that still need to bee smoothed out or
sharpened to a point, so it is much more personal than submitting
finished work anywhere.
The tough thing thing is that only
honest criticism can show you how to move forward. The beautiful
thing is that being open to such criticism will get you moving
forward, for sure.
So if you're a writer, pick your beta
readers well. My experience is that the people who do find what's not
working and tell me make the best beta readers. Someone who
goes easy on you may make you feel good, but it doesn't help you
improve your writing much.
And when your writer friend asks you to
read something of theirs, don't take it lightly: know that it shows a
lot of trust on their part, and know that in most cases, it took them
some time to actually decide to ask you! Because showing someone your
words for the first time is not an easy thing.
