It is time. Your story is written, and you've edited it. Not just run a spellchecker through it, but read and reread your own work, and put it through websites and apps that help catch some of the more subtle grammatical errors we all make.
So, are you ready to have everyone read it? Probably not.
When I reached this stage in the process for The Pride of Central, I knew it still was not ready for the general public. This had nothing to do with what was in my last blog post about fear. In this case, I was being realistic. Before I could put my story out in front of everyone and anyone, I needed to choose my first readers. I printed a handful of advance copies and distributed them to readers I could trust.
How many advance readers (or beta readers, call them what you like) you want is completely up to you. I had five. Some people only have a couple, others have several. But among them should be people with certain experiences.
First of all, find someone with copy editing experience. Whether or not this individual gives you much feedback on your story, a copy editor is invaluable when finishing a novel. No matter how many times you look at your own work, no matter how many grammar editors you use online, something will get through that another pair of human eyes will catch.
Second, find at least one advance reader who has experience or knowledge about your subject matter. Some of my advance readers played baseball, and others follow the sport, so they were ideal for “The Pride of Central”. If you wrote a story about a family on a farm, get a copy to someone who lives on or grew up on a farm. If your protagonist travels internationally, find someone who has been to other countries.
Also, unless you are convinced your audience will be all men or all women, have both male and female advance readers. Getting both perspectives can only help your story.
As these advance readers give you feedback, take it seriously, but don't feel that they have to rewrite the story. Except for any grammatical issues, which you really need to make correct, you can decide what advice to take and what not to. If only one of my advance readers tell me he did not like the ending, but the others are happy with it, I'm probably not going to make any changes. On the other hand, if everyone tells me they were confused about what was happening during one of Central's baseball games, I probably need to revise those scenes. Either way, a little advice will never hurt.
Next week: Your novel is part of your life, but not your whole life
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