Last month I talked about ‘alpha readers’ – the readers that see your work in its earliest form. They need to have a writer-reader mindset (a fellow writer would be great for this role!) so they can point out plot holes and other major issues to help strengthen and complete the writing. Take their feedback and apply it to these areas to flesh out the story, fill in the holes, and make your writing the best it can be. Alpha readers give you the arsenal you need to strengthen your second draft.
Beta readers, however, have an entirely different job. You won’t need your beta readers until you’ve done a thorough self-edit. The product you had them should be as close to what you hope to release as possible. Betas approach your work as an average reader who picked up your book at the bookstore or found the write up interesting enough to download to their e-reading device. Your alpha readers should not be your beta readers! Betas need a blind approach to the work with no memory of what came before.
As a writer, you need to remember that these people aren’t here to offer negative criticism with malice against you personally. They should be speaking purely about the work and its flaws and strengths. Depending on how long you’ve ‘lived with’ your story, criticism can be painful, and writers need a thick skin to deal with it.
For my debut novel coming next year, I’ve lived with the story on and off for more years than I care to count at this point. When I was finally able to ramp up and focus solely on the book, I was past the alpha stage (I had run it past a writing critique group, perfect alpha readers!) and thought everything was so fleshed out and to a point where it couldn’t be changed I nearly skipped the beta step. I’m glad I didn’t. Everyone I asked came to the story with fresh eyes, and the ability to point out flaws I’d long forgotten about – or worse, just accepted I couldn’t change and moved on from.
Admitting I needed their help was the first step. Figuring out how to ask for it was the next. I asked in writing groups I’m part of, and timidly asked friends (who wants criticism from friends?). Once I had several responses from variety of people, I drafted a list of questions for them to keep in mind while reading, in addition to their overall thoughts and impressions. Most of them offered detailed answers that expanded far beyond the basic question asked. Their feedback has made it better than I ever thought it could be. It is not a step to be skipped!
If you follow my social media like IG, Facebook, and X/Twitter, you’ve probably noticed me coming across your feed more often. As I approach releasing my book in 2026 (yes, it got pushed back) I am ramping up my social media activity in an effort to get in front of more and more people. Currently, I have a social media calendar that allows me to schedule content on a set-it-and-forget-it schedule.
I’m looking for feedback! Is it too much? Do you want to see more? What do you want to see? I love interacting with future readers and want to deliver what you’re interested in most. Give me your ideas and feedback on Facebook!
Thanksgiving is tomorrow! I’m so busy with dinner preparations I almost forgot to do this post. Well, and I’ve never blogged before. Blogged is the right term, right? Someone asked me to do this and I really know nothing. What do I write about? I guess me.
My name is Emily Valentine and I’m Jay Valentine’s mom. I miss him so much. This will be the first Thanksgiving without him. Which means there are some things that won’t make it to the table this year because he was the only one who liked them.
I don’t suppose you want my biography, right? Just stuff that’s relevant to here and now. If that’s the case, my whole life was my son. I honestly don’t know who I am without him. I’ve been so lost since that summer day when Turner and Brad came with the police detective to inform us. We were leaving for a special trip, just me and Jim, Jay’s father. It was our anniversary soon and the only time my husband could arrange to get off work. Now or never, you know? It’s a big year for us, too – 20 years! I was so excited. We were almost ready to leave for the airport. We’d been saving for about five years and were taking a trip to Australia. I’ve always wanted to go there. Instead, our trip money went toward our son’s funeral expenses.
No, I’m not disappointed in the sense that that’s where the money went, but I’m angry that it had to. No one should have to bury their teenage child. We’ll build up another fund and maybe shoot for the 25-year anniversary. Maybe Jim will be retired by then and we can have a true anniversary trip. Maybe by then I won’t be rocked by the tidal wave of emotion that goes with this loss, but I doubt it. I…I can’t do this anymore. Thanks for listening, or reading.
Some people have asked “can I be a character in your next story?” or “can you write a story about me?” Be careful what you wish for. I won’t design a character of you trait-for-trait. You may not even recognize yourself on the page. If you want, I’ll give you a different name to protect your anonymity.
What goes into characterization?
The answer: a lot. Characterization is about more than eye or hair color or body type. Character runs deeper than the physical. In fact, when I imagine my characters, physical features are secondary. Physical features are beyond that person’s control (to a point), and so aren’t as important. Information like this may not even make it to the page, or only briefly so the reader can get a sense of what the person looks like so they can build the rest in their imagination.
Where I exert the most effort for characterization is the seemingly little things: the way they walk, the way they talk, the clothes they wear, their hobbies, their job, and all the little things that make them who they are. For example, you may know a set of identical twins or triplets. Outside, they look exactly the same – hair color, eye color, skin tone, body shape, etc. But they’ll never have exactly the same lived experiences. Each is an individual – one may like sports and become a multi-sport athlete while the other is more comfortable sitting on the sidelines to cheer on their sibling. While their accent and vocabulary may be similar, their tone and the words they choose to use can be markedly different. Favorite foods will be different, too.
If you want a character designed around you that you recognize as you, we’ll need to talk. I need these little nuances that make you who you are. I don’t need your deepest, darkest secrets. Listening to you talk, asking your opinions on certain topics, your goals, what you wanted to be when you grew up vs. what you are, and more. The ‘you’ that comes out on the page will hopefully be close to who you really are, with a little embellishment here and there to turn you into a fictional character rather than specifically you. When people read the story and say “this sounds like you!” you can say “because it is!”
My most recent character based on someone I know is quite unique, because he himself is quite unique. I can’t imagine there’s anyone else like him. When I proposed the idea of basing a character on him and writing his story, he jumped at the opportunity. We’ve had detailed discussions about what seems like hundreds of different topics: his job, various personal and political beliefs, hobbies, and more. He let me ask ‘stupid’ questions. When he sees his character reflected on the page, he’ll know it’s him. The people who know him will know it’s him. All without focusing on his physical features.
But when most of my readers read the story, they’ll just see a well-developed character who could be as real as they are themselves. (Wait, are my readers real?) For me, when writing about real people in my life, the inspiration comes from knowing those details. No, not every character in every story is based on someone I know, but their lives started with this characterization focus, not the superficial.
What character traits do you admire? What do you think are you best and worst trait? Have you ever tried to change it? Let’s talk more on Facebook!
